Question 1

How do I know if I need an advisor?

Accepted Answer

If you are considering forming an Egyptian company, restructuring an existing one, or dealing with a tax or licensing question whose answer is not obvious from the law alone, you need an advisor. The discovery call is free, so the cost of finding out is zero.

Question 2

How long is the discovery call?

Accepted Answer

30 minutes. We use it to understand your business and to name the two or three realistic options for your case. It is not a sales call — there is no script and no slide deck.

Question 3

Is the first call really free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every discovery call is free. We treat the call as part of how the partnership decides whether there is an engagement worth doing. If there is, we send a written scope sheet. If there is not, you keep what you learned on the call.

Question 4

What languages do you work in?

Accepted Answer

English and Arabic, at the same level of seniority. Most foreign-investor engagements are run in English; most Egyptian engagements are run in Arabic. We routinely mix both inside a single engagement when the file demands it.

Question 5

Do you work with foreigners or Egyptians?

Accepted Answer

Both. The practice is built around foreign-investor entry into Egypt, but a meaningful share of our work is with Egyptian founders and operating companies that want a sharper advisor than they have had before.

Question 6

Where are you based?

Accepted Answer

Cairo, Egypt. Discovery and advisory calls run over Google Meet or Zoom; managed-execution work is conducted across the Egyptian government interfaces it requires (Real Estate Registry, GAFI, ETA, customs).

Question 7

How quickly do you reply to a new enquiry?

Accepted Answer

Within one business day, every business day. Our advisors read every new enquiry themselves before anyone else touches it.

Question 8

Can a foreigner own 100% of an Egyptian company?

Accepted Answer

Yes, in the majority of activities — under the Companies Law and the Investment Law, full foreign ownership is the norm. The main exception is import-for-trade under Law 121/1982, which requires an Egyptian majority for the importer-of-record. We model the exact constraints for your sector during the discovery call.

Question 9

What's the minimum capital to form an Egyptian company?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the entity. An LLC starts at EGP 1,000. A One-Person Company starts at EGP 1,000. A Joint-Stock Company starts at EGP 250,000 (with one-quarter paid in at formation). Free Zone entities under Law 72 carry sector-driven minimums in foreign currency.

Question 10

How long does company formation take?

Accepted Answer

An LLC or One-Person Company takes 7–14 working days from the moment we hold complete, properly legalised documents. A Joint-Stock Company takes 14–30 days. A Free Zone (Law 72) entity takes 30–60 days because GAFI approval is on the critical path.

Question 11

Do I need to be physically in Egypt to form the company?

Accepted Answer

No. The full formation can be executed remotely under a power of attorney authenticated at the Egyptian consulate in your country. The POA must authorise company formation, signing before the Real Estate Registry, and contracting-with-self where the holder is also a shareholder.

Question 12

LLC vs Free Zone — which is right for me?

Accepted Answer

The short version: LLC if you are selling primarily into the Egyptian market; Free Zone (Law 72) if the majority of your output leaves Egypt. The trade-off is setup speed (LLC is much faster) versus tax and customs treatment (Free Zone wins on both for exporters).

Question 13

Do I need a local partner?

Accepted Answer

Almost never legally. Egyptian Companies Law allows full foreign ownership in most activities. The cases where you do need an Egyptian partner are narrow — importer-for-trade under Law 121, certain defence-adjacent sectors, and a few regulated activities. We tell you up front whether your sector is one of them.

Question 14

What's the difference between an LLC and a One-Person Company?

Accepted Answer

The One-Person Company is structurally an LLC for a single shareholder. Same liability protection, same EGP 1,000 minimum capital, similar formation timeline. If you are the sole founder, the One-Person Company is the right vehicle — inventing a nominal partner to clear the LLC two-shareholder requirement is a governance risk you do not need.

Question 15

Can my Egyptian company have foreign shareholders that are corporate entities?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Corporate shareholders (foreign parent companies, holding structures) are common and welcome. The home-jurisdiction documents — commercial register extract, certificate of incorporation, board resolution, power of attorney — must be apostilled or consular-legalised and translated to Arabic by a sworn translator.

Question 16

What is the Foreign Office Branch and when do I use it?

Accepted Answer

A Foreign Office Branch is a representation-only vehicle: it lets a foreign parent maintain an Egyptian presence for market scoping and liaison work without generating local revenue. If your activity will produce revenue inside Egypt, you need an actual company — the LLC, OPC, JSC, or Free Zone are the right choices.

Question 17

When does a Joint-Stock Company make sense?

Accepted Answer

When issued capital is EGP 250,000 or more, when you plan to raise from institutional investors, or when the entity is being set up with future-IPO optionality. For most early-stage foreign-investor entries, the LLC is the right starting vehicle and conversion to a JSC later is feasible if needed.

Question 18

What is the corporate tax rate in Egypt?

Accepted Answer

The standard corporate income tax rate is 22.5% on net profits. Some sectors are taxed differently — oil and gas extraction at 40.55%, Suez Canal Authority and Central Bank entities at separate rates. Free Zone entities under Law 72 are exempt from corporate income tax on export revenues, subject to the law's substance conditions.

Question 19

Do I need to register for VAT?

Accepted Answer

If your annual taxable turnover crosses EGP 500,000, VAT registration is mandatory. Below that, registration is voluntary but often useful — particularly for companies whose customers are themselves VAT-registered and need a valid VAT invoice. The standard VAT rate is 14%.

Question 20

What is the e-Invoice mandate?

Accepted Answer

Egypt has fully transitioned to a mandatory electronic invoicing system (ETA's e-Invoice / e-Receipt portal). Every taxable supply must be issued as a digitally-signed e-Invoice and submitted to the Egyptian Tax Authority. New companies typically need their e-Invoice profile active before their first sales.

Question 21

What withholding taxes apply to payments out of Egypt?

Accepted Answer

Dividends paid to a foreign shareholder are subject to 10% withholding tax (5% in certain treaty-protected cases). Royalties and interest paid abroad are subject to 20% withholding tax, often reduced by Egypt's tax treaties. Service fees paid to non-residents face a 20% withholding tax under domestic law, again subject to treaty reduction.

Question 22

How does a tax audit work?

Accepted Answer

The Egyptian Tax Authority opens an audit by serving a notice and a list of requested documents. The taxpayer (or their advisor) responds, the assessment is issued, and disagreements move to the internal committees and then to the Tax Court. We manage tax audits up to the internal committees; representation at the Tax Court is a tax lawyer's job and we coordinate one in when needed.

Question 23

Do I need to file annually if my company is dormant?

Accepted Answer

Yes. An Egyptian company files an annual income tax return regardless of activity. Dormancy reduces the data inside the return but does not eliminate the filing obligation. The annual filings, plus monthly VAT and payroll, are the minimum compliance footprint for a registered company.

Question 24

Do I need a factory licence to manufacture in Egypt?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Manufacturing requires a factory licence from the Industrial Development Authority (IDA). The route differs depending on whether your factory is inside a designated industrial zone or outside one — inside-zone licensing is materially faster than outside-zone licensing, and a 'no-objection' from civil defence is part of either route.

Question 25

What is the Industrial Register?

Accepted Answer

The Industrial Register (السجل الصناعي) is the official roster of Egyptian industrial establishments. Registration is required after the factory licence is issued and before you can claim the manufacturing-specific tax and customs benefits. It is also a prerequisite for the export-rebate fund.

Question 26

When do I need civil defence approval?

Accepted Answer

For any commercial or industrial premises where fire-safety risk is material — factories, retail of regulated goods (fuel, gas, certain chemicals), warehouses above a certain area, public-facing premises (restaurants, hotels, clinics). The approval is a precondition for the operating licence in most municipalities.

Question 27

What's the difference between a shop licence and a tourism activity licence?

Accepted Answer

A shop licence covers the standard retail or service premises under the Shops Licensing Law. Tourism activities (hotels, restaurants serving tourists, travel agencies) sit under the Ministry of Tourism's licensing regime and have separate substance and category requirements. We will tell you which regime applies based on your activity code.

Question 28

Do I need an importer or exporter card to trade across the border?

Accepted Answer

Yes. An Importer's Card is required to act as the importer-of-record for goods entering Egypt. An Exporter's Card is required to act as the exporter-of-record for goods leaving Egypt. Both are paired with customs registration, ACI enrolment on imports, and (where applicable) sector-specific certifications.

Question 29

How do you charge?

Accepted Answer

Fixed-scope engagements with a single fixed price per engagement. No hourly billing. The discovery call is free; the advisory deliverable is quoted before it begins; managed execution is quoted as a single engagement at the start. Ongoing compliance is a flat monthly retainer.

Question 30

Why don't you publish prices on the website?

Accepted Answer

Because the price is a function of your specifics — sector, capital, complexity, foreign documents, timeline. We could publish a 'starting from' number, but it would be meaningless without the conversation. The discovery call is free precisely so you do not have to guess the price from a banner.

Question 31

Who will I talk to?

Accepted Answer

A senior advisor. The same advisor takes the discovery call, signs the scope, runs the engagement, and signs the handover. You are not rotated between associates and you do not chase a generic inbox.

Question 32

What is an engagement, exactly?

Accepted Answer

A single, named piece of work with a written scope sheet, fixed price, named advisor, defined deliverable, and a defined end. We offer three shapes — advisory engagement, managed-execution engagement, and ongoing compliance retainer.

Question 33

Do you offer ongoing support after the formation?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Most clients move into an ongoing compliance retainer after formation — monthly bookkeeping, VAT and e-Invoice filings, payroll, quarterly tax planning, and a fixed monthly allocation of ad-hoc advisory. It is optional, not required, and you decide at handover whether to take it.

Question 34

Can you act as my registered auditor?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We have a chartered accountant (محاسب قانوني) registered to act as a statutory auditor. We can take the auditor mandate as a separate engagement — independent from the advisory and execution work — when that arrangement is the right fit for the client's governance structure.

Question 35

What happens if I am unhappy with a deliverable?

Accepted Answer

Tell the advisor on your engagement directly. We will rework the deliverable to meet the agreed scope at no additional cost, or — if the work falls genuinely outside what we should have delivered — credit the engagement and end it. Our reputation depends on the work being right.

Question 36

Can I get Egyptian residency through investment?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Egypt offers an Investor Residency tied to share ownership in an Egyptian company. The residency is renewable and confers the right to live and work in Egypt. The thresholds, family eligibility, and renewal mechanics depend on the entity type and the investment size.

Question 37

Can my family come with me?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Spouse and dependent children typically receive dependent residency tied to the principal investor's status. The application is filed separately and requires apostilled and translated birth and marriage certificates.

Question 38

How long is investor residency valid?

Accepted Answer

Residency is typically issued for a renewable period tied to the underlying investment status. Renewal at the end of the period requires updated evidence that the qualifying investment is still in place — the company is active, the shareholding has not lapsed, and the substance conditions (where applicable) are met.

Question 39

Do I need to live in Egypt continuously to keep my residency?

Accepted Answer

Continuous physical presence is not strictly required for investor residency, but extended absence can affect renewal. We coordinate the renewal timing with your travel pattern so the residency is supported by the file at the next renewal window.

The questions our clients actually ask.

Getting started

Company formation

Tax and compliance

Licensing and permits

Working with us

Residency and visa

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