Just Landed in Egypt? Your First 7 Days

Mobile data is cheap, generally fast on 4G in the cities, and the default way most people get online; 5G is beginning to roll out in parts of Cairo. Home fixed broadband (ADSL or fibre from WE, Telecom Egypt's retail brand) is common in flats but needs a lease and paperwork to install, and can take a couple of weeks to activate. SIMs are legally tied to your passport, so always buy from an official provider store, never a street stall.

Typical cost: Around EGP 150-400 per month buys a generous prepaid data and calls bundle; home fibre from WE runs roughly EGP 400-900 per month depending on speed. Expect to register the home line in the account holder's name with ID.

The Egyptian pound has devalued sharply and repeatedly in recent years, so watch the rate, avoid holding large EGP balances, and be cautious about wiring big sums in before you need them. Card acceptance is growing fast in Cairo malls, supermarkets, and tourist zones, but everyday street-level life still runs firmly on cash, and many machines and shops charge a surcharge for cards.

Opening an account: Opening a resident account usually requires a residence permit and often a work contract or proof of address; CIB, Banque Misr, National Bank of Egypt (NBE), and QNB Alahli are among the more foreigner-friendly banks. Bring your passport, residence visa, and a letter from your employer or a utility bill. Some banks let non-residents open a limited foreign-currency account with just a passport, which can be a useful first step.

Cash: Carry cash every single day; taxis, kiosks, markets, the bawab, and many restaurants and cafes are cash-only. Keep a steady supply of small notes (EGP 5, 10, 20, 50) because change is perpetually scarce and vendors will often round against you if you cannot pay the exact amount.

Tipping: Tipping (baksheesh) is deeply woven into daily life: round up or leave roughly 10 percent in restaurants, tip your bawab monthly, and hand a few pounds to porters, parking attendants, petrol pump staff, and washroom attendants. It is not optional so much as the informal social contract that keeps services running.

Egypt has no local address-registration duty comparable to Germany's Anmeldung; you do not report your home address to a town hall. What you do need, if you are staying beyond your visa window, is a residence permit (iqama), which every foreigner living in Egypt is legally obliged to hold. It is obtained through the General Administration of Passports, Immigration and Nationality, and is almost always arranged via your employer or a licensed lawyer because the paperwork, categories, and required documents change frequently and are handled in Arabic.

Where: General Administration of Passports, Immigration and Nationality offices. The historic Mogamma in Tahrir Square has largely closed to the public, with services relocated to district passport offices including the 6th of October City complex; your employer or lawyer will direct you to the correct office.

Greater Cairo has a metro (three lines, with women-only carriages), a new monorail and light-rail system extending to the satellite cities, extensive microbuses, and famously dense traffic. Ride-hailing apps are by far the easiest option for newcomers who do not yet read Arabic or know the routes. In Alexandria, trams, microbuses, and taxis dominate, while the Red Sea towns run on taxis, microbuses, and the occasional bus.

From the airport: From Cairo International Airport, ordering an Uber or Careem is simplest with luggage and costs roughly EGP 300-600 to central Cairo, more to distant districts like New Cairo or 6th of October. Official prepaid white-taxi desks offer an agreed fare as an alternative. There are also public airport buses and shuttle services, but after a long flight most newcomers find app-based ride-hailing the least stressful.

Most expats rent furnished flats found through agents, Facebook groups (Cairo-specific rental and expat groups are very active), OLX, and word of mouth. Leases are highly negotiable, frequently paid in cash, and often quoted in a mix of pounds and, informally, US dollars for premium units. Popular Cairo areas include Maadi, Zamalek, and New Cairo, while Alexandria and the Red Sea towns are cheaper.

Typical rent: A furnished one-bedroom flat runs roughly EGP 12,000-30,000 per month in central and expat-heavy parts of Cairo such as Zamalek or Maadi, and noticeably less in Alexandria, the satellite cities, or the coast. Rents have climbed steeply as the pound has weakened, and landlords sometimes reset prices at renewal.

Deposit norm: One to two months' rent as a deposit plus the first month up front is standard, and agents typically charge a commission of around half a month to a full month's rent. Get a written, signed contract even when paying cash, and clarify who covers building fees, maintenance, and the bawab's tip.

Public hospitals are very cheap but stretched and often under-equipped; expats and middle-class Egyptians rely on private hospitals and clinics, which are good in Cairo and Alexandria and are paid up front. Pharmacies are plentiful, well-stocked, open late, and dispense many medicines without a prescription, so a pharmacist is often the first stop for minor issues.

How to access it: For non-emergencies, go directly to a reputable private hospital such as As-Salam International, Cleopatra Hospital, or Dar Al Fouad, or to a private clinic, and pay directly or claim through insurance. In a genuine emergency call an ambulance on 123 (or the unified 112), but be aware that response times and equipment vary, so for serious cases many residents take a taxi or drive straight to a private hospital A&E themselves.

Insurance: Private health insurance is strongly advised, whether a local policy from providers like AXA or MetLife or an international expat plan, because good private care is billed up front and can be expensive without cover. Keep your insurance card and a scan of your policy on your phone, and check which hospitals are in-network before you need them.

• Dress modestly, especially outside beach resorts and in religious or rural areas; covering shoulders and knees reduces unwanted attention and shows respect.
• Use your right hand for eating, greeting, and passing things, as the left is traditionally considered unclean.
• Accept hospitality graciously; being offered tea, coffee, or a meal is constant, and refusing outright can seem cold, so accept at least a little.
• Greet people warmly and take time for small talk before business; rushing straight to the point can come across as brusque.
• Ask before photographing people, and never photograph military sites, bridges, checkpoints, or government buildings.
• Learn a few Arabic pleasantries such as salam alaikum, shukran, and la shukran; the effort is warmly received and softens every interaction.
• Show respect for religion, remove shoes when entering someone's home if others do, and dress and behave conservatively near mosques.

• Friday is the main prayer day and the start of the weekend (Friday-Saturday); many offices and government services close, and business slows noticeably during prayer times.
• During Ramadan, eating, drinking, or smoking in public in daylight is frowned upon and sometimes causes offence; daytime hours shorten and everything runs later into the night.
• Public criticism of the president, the military, or the government can carry real legal risk, including for social media posts, so keep political comments private.
• The LGBTQ+ situation is legally and socially hostile, and discretion is essential; there is no legal protection and same-sex relationships are effectively criminalised in practice.
• Alcohol is available in licensed hotels, bars, and shops but is not part of mainstream public life; drink discreetly and never in the street or during Ramadan daylight.