On August 29, 2023, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly issued Resolution No. 3326 of 2023 introducing new regulations pertaining to residency application fees of foreigners, with the exception of refugees registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Egypt.
Content of the Resolution
Resolution No. 3326 of 2023 provides that foreigners applying to the Ministry of Interior’s General Administration of Passports, Immigration and Nationality for a residency permit for touristic or non-touristic purposes must provide a receipt stating they have converted all required fees from U.S. dollars or their equivalent in free currencies into Egyptian pounds. This receipt must be issued from an authorized Egyptian bank or currency exchange company.
In addition, the resolution gives foreigners residing in Egypt illegally a three-month grace period to “regularize their status and legitimize their residency” through an Egyptian sponsor and to pay the equivalent of US$1,000 in administrative fees to the General Administration of Passports, Immigration and Nationality.
Egyptian authorities have reportedly established these rules to enhance the country’s reserve of foreign currency, which is currently confronting a protracted shortage that puts pressure on Egypt’s ability to fulfill its financial obligations to creditors and purchase essential goods and commodities.
Reactions to the New Resolution
Muhammad Rizk, a leader in the Nation’s Future Party and member of the Egyptian House of Representatives, has voiced his support for the new resolution, claiming that the resolution’s requirement to collect residency application fees in U.S. dollars is an important step toward increasing the reserve of U.S. dollars in the Egyptian public treasury.
Similarly, Mohamed Mahran, a professor of international law at the University of Alexandria, endorsed the issuance of the new resolution because it aims to regulate the residency of foreigners in Egypt while taking into consideration international laws regarding migration and the facilitation of residence procedures.
George Sadek, Law Library of Congress
September 14, 2023
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