Egypt citizenship by investment 2026: four routes, USD 250,000 contribution and timeline
Egypt has offered citizenship to qualifying investors since 2020, with a clearly defined menu of routes and no residence requirement. As with other programmes, the details matter, especially around dual citizenship and travel access.
The four routes (as reported in 2026)
| Route | Amount | Key conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Treasury contribution | USD 250,000 | Non-refundable payment to the state treasury |
| Real estate | USD 300,000 | In a government-licensed project or registered property; Sinai resort properties are excluded; held for at least 5 years |
| Bank deposit | USD 500,000 | Held in an Egyptian bank for at least 3 years, no interest paid, and a share is retained if withdrawn early |
| Company investment | USD 350,000 in a company plus a USD 100,000 non-refundable donation (USD 450,000 total) | A partial refund may be possible after 5 years if a minimum stake and number of employees are maintained |
A government fee of about USD 10,000 for the whole family was reported for every route. Legal, translation and agent fees are additional.
Timeline
Summaries put processing at about six to nine months (some say up to twelve). The process includes document legalisation, source-of-funds checks, a medical certificate, a clean criminal record and security vetting.
Requirements
- A passport valid for at least six months.
- Documents apostilled or legalised and translated into Arabic by a certified translator.
- Marriage and birth certificates for family members.
- Proof of the lawful source of funds, with investment funds sent by international wire in US dollars.
- Under 2025 verification rules, applicants may have to appear in person in Egypt at some stage.
Residence and family
No prior residence is required and there is no minimum annual stay. A spouse and dependent children can be included.
Dual citizenship: read this carefully
Egyptian law formally requires applicants to give up their prior citizenship, although summaries say this is not enforced in practice. That does not tell you how your home country treats the acquisition of a second nationality. Some countries remove citizenship automatically when someone naturalises elsewhere, so check your own rules before applying.
Pros and cons
Advantages - A clear price list and no residence requirement. - A real-estate route that returns an asset. - Reported eligibility for the US E-2 investor visa, which you should confirm for your own situation.
Trade-offs - Limited visa-free travel compared with Western passports. - Currency and property-market risks. - Rules, vetting requirements and in-person steps have changed over time.
Before you apply
- Confirm the current rules and fees with the relevant Egyptian authorities.
- Check your home country's dual-citizenship and tax rules.
- Verify property titles and project licences independently.
- Keep clear records for the source of funds.
Seek independent advice before sending any money.
Citizenship-by-investment programmes change often and are frequently suspended, repriced or restricted without much notice. Amounts and timelines below were gathered in October 2026 from law-firm and industry summaries, which sometimes disagree with each other; they are not official price lists. Always confirm figures with the government's own CBI unit or a licensed agent before paying anything, and take independent legal and tax advice. Visa Ray is not an immigration adviser. You can run a free assessment on Visa Ray to compare residence and citizenship pathways.