100,000 Egyptian expats register for zero-customs car import initiative: Maait

Maait added that this surge in registrations reflects expats’ strong interest in the initiative, according to an official statement on Tuesday.

The initiative, which was relaunched on 30 October, will run through 30 January, according to Head of the Egyptian Customs Authority (ETA) El-Shahat Ghatouri.

The initiative allows expats to import their personal-use vehicles to Egypt without incurring customs duties, taxes, or value-added tax (VAT).

Egyptians living abroad or their families can conveniently apply for the zero-customs initiative through Android and IOS platforms.

The first phase of the initiative, which ran from October 2022 to May 2023, brought in about $763 million from 151,000 participants.

The initiative is part of Egypt's plans to secure $191 billion in foreign currency to address its mounting external debt, which currently stands at $165.3 billion and address the shortage of US dollars.