Exporting to Egypt: How to maximize every sales opportunity

Egypt’s rich past can distract from its thriving present-day retail market. Its e-commerce sector is one of the fastest growing in the world, while the e-commerce audience is set to hit 84 million by 2027 – making it a major market and well worth your consideration. This guide provides you with the insights, customer buying habits, and export and customs tips to help your business succeed within this key market.

Market overview and retail trends 

Most visited e-commerce marketplaces in Egypt - where should you sell online?⁸

The countries Egypt imports from the most⁹

Egypt’s preferred payment methods for purchases¹⁰

As of 2022

What Egyptian shoppers buy online¹¹ 

Fashion and clothing followed by electronics are the most popular sectors within B2C e-commerce.

Egypt’s shopping events and holidays

As a country, Egypt doesn’t really have ‘shopping events’. However, there are certain exhibitions that are held every year that are popular with consumers in Egypt: 

• Ma’rad El Ketab – huge book fair, held in February 

• Le Marche – exhibition for furniture and home accessories (usually in Q1 every year) 

• Turathna – exhibition, usually in Q4, specialised in handmade/handcrafted Egyptian products  

• Diarna – the Ministry of Social Solidarity organises this exhibition, held in Q1, to showcase Egypt handicrafts and home furnishings  

The following cities are well-known across Egypt for being hubs for certain sectors: 

• Robiky City: Famous for leather manufacturing and leather goods  

• Damietta City: Renowned for furniture manufacturing 

• Rokham City: Marble manufacturing in Sokhna 

Navigating customs and import regulations

The biggest challenge to importing to Egypt is that all international shipments are subject to blanket inspection, import duties, and tax. Import duty varies from 0% to 60% according to the classification of goods. Tax can vary from 0% to 14%, and this is added to the sum of customs value and duties. 

The value of the goods is determined using the methods defined in World Trade Organization’s article V11 of GATT. 

To import shipments to Egypt, a licensed customs broker must be appointed to facilitate the process between customs and the customer. DHL Express Egypt offers this service through our network of licensed brokers. 

Informal and formal customs clearance

Informal clearance

Generally informal clearance concern parcels low or moderate value less than US$2000 into Egypt, this includes: 

• Non-restricted goods 

• Not inbound for commercial purpose 

Formal clearance

Generally, all parcels of high value (or that are regulated) coming into Egypt need formal clearance.  

• All goods valued at US$2,000 or more. 

• All goods needing special clearance such as exemption, temporary import, etc. 

Useful Resources

Egyptian Government Customs website:

https://customs.gov.eg/

Nafeza online portal

The official Egyptian Trade Portal, Nafeza, is a one-stop shop for foreign trade. 

How Nafeza works 

Organisations importing to Egypt can use the Nafeza online portal to submit the necessary shipping documents. Once the required paperwork is successfully submitted, the importer will receive a special shipment identification number (ACID).  

This ACID number can be requested for a specific shipment through the Nafeza portal by either the Egyptian importer themselves or a customs broker representing the importer. 

Importing to Egypt: Points to remember  

1. Goods imported for commercial purposes must conform with the importer’s license. Commercial importers should submit ‘Bank Form 4’ as proof of value and a legalized Certificate of Origin (COO). The COO is generally issued by the shipper. Egypt Customs will accept a EUR1 certificate in place of a COO.

2. If the customer fails to provide the original legalized COO, a deposit equal to the shipment value must be paid (refunded upon presenting the original document, if it is within 60 days of the bill date – otherwise the deposit is forfeited). 

3. For shipments imported for private use, consumers should submit a commercial registration company, tax card, customs dealing card, and a bank certified letter.  

4. Goods imported for factories, the customer must have an industrial license. 

Egypt’s import regulations 

Certain items need approval from the Egyptian Government.  

DHL’s expert tips for exporting to Egypt

• Choose the right shipping partner. Ensure your shipping provider has excellent knowledge of batch and formal clearance in addition to its own customs clearance area.  

• Price your products carefully. Right now, the cost of living in Egypt is fairly high and prices tend to rise fast. Make sure you price appropriately. Moreover, this is to avoid receiving customs penalty which can reach up to 1KUSD when your products arrive to the country.  

• Save your time by going digital. Pay in advance the customs and taxes through the Egyptian Customs Authority electronic payment solutions for a fast and smooth entrance upon arrival.