Ashraf AboArafe
Ambassador Soha Gendi: Discussions continued for about 5 months to re-introduce the car import law for Egyptians abroad
Assistant Minister of Immigration: We discussed the draft law on “cars for Egyptians abroad” with the Planning and Budget Committee in preparation for presentation in the plenary session.
In continuation of the efforts of Ambassador Soha Gendi, Minister of State for Immigration and Egyptian Affairs Abroad, to provide more incentives to Egyptians abroad, the House of Representatives’ Planning and Budget Committee, in its session held today headed by Representative Fakhri El-Feki, discussed a draft law to grant facilitations to Egyptians residing abroad regarding importing cars, in the presence of Dr. . Saber Suleiman, Assistant Minister of Immigration for Institutional Development and Supervisor of the Minister’s Office Affairs, Counselor Wassim Zaki, Financial Advisor to the Ministry, Mr. Mohamed Habarak, Director of the Ministry’s Legal Affairs Department, and Professor Sarah Nabil, Assistant Minister for Economic Affairs.
For her part, the Minister of Immigration confirmed that there were discussions that continued over a period of about 5 months, to propose the re-work of the initiative that ended in May of 2023, as the Egyptian Council of Ministers approved a new draft law regarding granting some facilities to Egyptians abroad, and it was referred to Parliament, and today. It was discussed, in preparation for putting it up for discussion in the general session to vote on its approval for the benefit of Egyptians abroad, in response to many of the demands of Egyptians abroad who were unable to benefit from the previous initiative.
In the same context, the Minister explained that the discussions of the draft law in the Planning and Budget Committee of the House of Representatives aim to allow the reinstatement of the initiative to import cars for Egyptians working abroad, who did not benefit from it the first time, for a period of 3 months from the date of issuance of the law, if approved.
In turn, Ambassador Soha Gendi explained the possibility of working on the initiative for another 3 months, after presenting the new draft law in the plenary session of the House of Representatives, and publishing it in the Official Gazette once it is approved, which will result in providing large discounts of up to 100% of the value of all taxes. And the fees that had to be paid to release the car, including the value-added tax and the schedule tax, with the exception of the customs tax, which is reduced by (70%), and its full value is recovered after five years from the date of payment, at the same value, in the local equivalent of the foreign currency in which it was paid. At the exchange rate announced by the Central Bank at the time of redemption.
For his part, Dr. added. Saber Soliman, Assistant Minister of Immigration for Institutional Development and Supervisor of the Minister’s Office, said that there are many demands from Egyptians abroad to reinstate the “Cars for Egyptians Abroad” Law No. 161 of 2022, because many were unable to benefit from it despite its extension for an additional period of two months, in response to Egyptians abroad. As a result of the short period and the presence of a large number of vacations during the initiative period.
Soliman added that the articles of the draft law were discussed today with the Planning and Budget Committee, in its first session of the fourth session, to ensure the maximum benefit for Egyptians abroad, in preparation for its presentation in the plenary session of the House of Representatives to vote on it.
The draft law, which was approved by the Council of Ministers and referred to the House of Representatives, includes two articles to clarify the conditions for beneficiaries of the initiative, which are the same conditions for beneficiaries in Law No. 161 of 2022, which are: It is required that the Egyptian who wishes to benefit from the provisions of this law be present on the date of payment of the amount. The cash stipulated in Article 1 of this law is the following:
1- He must have a valid legal residence outside the country.
2- He must be at least 16 years old.
3 – He must have a bank account abroad, and in accordance with the provisions, rules and procedures contained in the law and the decisions implementing it, provided that he pays the cash amount due in foreign currency in accordance with Article (1) of Law No. 161 of 2022 within 3 months from the effective date of this law.
