Foreigners can generally own residential property freehold across most of Egypt, subject to a limit of two properties, each up to 4,000 square metres. Agricultural land and some sensitive border areas are restricted, and the Sinai Peninsula is usually leasehold (usufruct) only. Formally registering title is important and best handled with a lawyer.
Before you buy in Egypt, always:
General guidance only — rules change; confirm the current position with a qualified local lawyer.
Our free ownership checker and the Overseas Property Playbook walk through how foreign ownership works step by step — the questions to ask and the traps to sidestep.
One-off buying costs are relatively low at roughly 3-5% including registration and fees, with a 2.5% transfer tax usually the seller's; note that property registration can be slow and bureaucratic, so use a good local lawyer.
Cairo's leafy Maadi for a long-established expat community, purpose-built El Gouna for a polished Red Sea resort town, Hurghada for affordable seaside living, and Sharm el-Sheikh for diving and sun.
Expats use private hospitals in Cairo, such as the JCI-accredited As-Salam in Maadi and the Saudi German Hospital, and in Red Sea resorts like El Gouna, Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, where English is spoken and care is good value, with serious cases gravitating to Cairo. Most foreigners pay out of pocket or hold private insurance. Tourist and expat areas are generally safe and used to foreigners, English is widely spoken there, and driving is on the right; traffic is chaotic and some regions are best avoided, so retirees stick to established areas.
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