Using the Internet in Egypt: What Tourists Need to Remember

As of January 1, 2025, a new law is in effect in Egypt, which both residents and foreign tourists must comply with. This requires the registration of phones and the payment of customs duties upon import. However, travel agency clients and individual travelers planning a vacation in Egypt for less than three months should not worry. The Egyptian network, which they connect to via a card purchased at the airport or the eSIM service, will not be shut down.

When do you need to register your phone in Egypt?

Do you vacation in Egypt frequently, or perhaps you're planning a vacation longer than three months? In either case, if your stay in the country exceeds 90 days per year, you'll need to register your phone. Failure to do so will result in your local SIM card being suspended. Unlocking it requires paying a fee for the imported electronic device, which is a whopping 38.5 percent of its value. The Egyptian government's goal, with its stringent regulations, is to combat the illegal import of electronics, a practice often practiced by Egyptians returning from abroad.

You can't bypass the regulations with an eSIM card

The eSIM cards that have been popular in recent years won't protect tourists from Egyptian law. An Egyptian carrier's card, which can be purchased directly from your phone, for example, through the Revolut banking app, thus avoiding long lines at the airport for starter kits, will also deactivate after 90 days if you don't pay the appropriate fee.

You can register your device directly through the Telephony app. This fee doesn't apply to tourists who use their SIM card in international roaming. However, using the internet this way is very expensive.