{"id":683322,"date":"2026-01-26T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/?p=683322"},"modified":"2026-01-26T03:36:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T03:36:19","slug":"govt-mulls-relief-measures-following-expat-backlash-over-scrapped-mobile-phone-import-exemptions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2026\/01\/26\/govt-mulls-relief-measures-following-expat-backlash-over-scrapped-mobile-phone-import-exemptions\/","title":{"rendered":"Gov\u2019t mulls relief measures following expat backlash over scrapped mobile phone import exemptions"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Mad<\/strong>bouly<\/strong> government is weighing new customs incentives for Egyptians abroad<\/strong> to ease backlash against its crackdown on mobile phone exemptions \u2014 but rolling back the policy itself is \u201coff the table,\u201d three senior government officials tell EnterpriseAM.<\/p>\n

So, what *might* be on the table?<\/strong> Proposals include allowing expats with permanent residency abroad to bring in one additional phone annually for work purposes. To soften the 38.8% duty hit, officials are also exploring airport-based installment plans for customs fees. That could open up a new sales channel for consumer finance platforms and e-wallets.<\/p>\n

Why the hard line?<\/strong> The government says the stricter controls are essential to choke off a smuggling channel that has cost the state dearly. Our sources tell us that nearly USD 1.3 bn worth of phones entered the country outside official channels in 2025. The result? Customs revenue on legitimately imported handsets clocked in at just USD 210 mn last year. \u201cThis prompted a study on imposing full protection to allow local manufacturers to scale up their investments and deepen the industry,\u201d one of the sources said.<\/p>\n

SMART POLICY- The policy angle doesn\u2019t end there \u2014 officials are pushing to localize <\/strong>handset assembly.<\/strong> Fifteen global brands now produce phones locally, including Samsung, Oppo, and Xiaomi, with output hitting 20 mn units in 2025. Officials see export channels growing substantially this year.<\/p>\n

BACKGROUND- The personal import exemption expired earlier this month<\/strong>, and officials are now planning to block the activation of handsets whose IMEI (think: \u201cserial number for your phone\u201d) isn\u2019t registered in a new database maintained by the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.<\/p>\n

So, how does it work now?<\/strong> Expats home for a visit can call a state-run short number to claim a 90-day exemption from customs duties if they want to use a phone bought abroad with a local SIM. Expats and tourists alike can use their foreign SIM in a handset purchased outside of Egypt without triggering taxes and customs. Tourists can also purchase an approved tourism line and use that SIM in their foreign handset.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next?<\/strong> A final decision on any sweeteners is pending financial and tax impact studies, we\u2019re told.<\/p>\n

(** Tap or click the headline above to read this story with all of the links <\/strong>to our background as well as external sources.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The proposals include a one-phone quota annually and airport installment plans for customs fees<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":683323,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_primary_brand":0,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7335],"tags":[664,72,145,843,12389,132],"brand":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"class_list":["post-683322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-big-story-today","tag-customs-authority","tag-enterpriseam","tag-logistics","tag-telecoms","tag-the-big-story-today","tag-trade","wpautop","entry"],"acf":{"mongo_id":"3236675c-dfad-4712-988f-c24ff71c6b04","order":"4","is_powered_by":false,"story_type":"1","photo_url":"https:\/\/ent.news\/2026\/1\/993.jpg","photo_position":"above","homepage_title":"","full_issue_title":"Egypt mulls relief measures following expat backlash over scrapped mobile phone import exemptions","related_issue":[683317],"teaser":"The proposals include a one-phone quota annually and airport installment plans for customs fees"},"yoast_head":"\nGov\u2019t mulls relief measures following expat backlash over scrapped mobile phone import exemptions - 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Following backlash over the phone exemption rollback, the government is now discussing relief measures for expats \u2014 from extra handset allowances to customs installment plans. Elsewhere (and as per usual), Trump ramps up tariff threats, this time against\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "WHAT WE\u2019RE TRACKING TONIGHT"","block_context":{"text":"WHAT WE\u2019RE TRACKING TONIGHT","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/category\/what-were-tracking-tonight\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/1\/759.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":686056,"url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2026\/01\/26\/export-subsidies-to-top-egp-50-bn-in-fy-2026-2027-budget\/","url_meta":{"origin":683322,"position":1},"title":"Export subsidies to top EGP 50 bn in FY 2026-2027 budget","author":"enterpriseam admin","date":"26 January 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Good afternoon, friends. We have a brisk issue for you today, but there\u2019s plenty to get into. The government is going all-in on exports, with subsidy allocations set to rise to EGP 50 bn in the next budget. We\u2019ve also got markets in flux as the greenback slides and gold\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "WHAT WE\u2019RE TRACKING TONIGHT"","block_context":{"text":"WHAT WE\u2019RE TRACKING TONIGHT","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/category\/what-were-tracking-tonight\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/11\/1565.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":682198,"url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2026\/01\/20\/egypt-to-end-phone-import-exemptions-after-local-production-surge\/","url_meta":{"origin":683322,"position":2},"title":"Egypt to end phone import exemptions after local production surge","author":"enterpriseam admin","date":"20 January 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Good afternoon, friends, and happy hump day. On the docket are the details on the end of the phone import exemption, Trump\u2019s intensifying Greenland push, and a guide to making your meetings shorter, sharper, and less painful.THE BIG STORY TODAY-? The Madbouly government has ended the customs exemption for mobile\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "WHAT WE\u2019RE TRACKING TONIGHT"","block_context":{"text":"WHAT WE\u2019RE TRACKING TONIGHT","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/category\/what-were-tracking-tonight\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/1\/759.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":682347,"url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2026\/01\/21\/talk-shows-take-on-the-new-mobile-phone-import-rules\/","url_meta":{"origin":683322,"position":3},"title":"Talk shows take on the new mobile phone import rules","author":"enterpriseam admin","date":"21 January 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Talk shows last night were fixated on the government\u2019s decision to scrap customs exemptions for mobile phones brought in by travelers from abroad.The House is pushing back: House Budget Committee Deputy Chair Abdel Moneim Emam slammed the decision during a call with Lamees El Hadidi on Al Sora (watch, runtime:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "LAST NIGHT\u2019S TALK SHOWS"","block_context":{"text":"LAST NIGHT\u2019S TALK SHOWS","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/category\/last-nights-talk-shows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/1\/793.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":682339,"url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2026\/01\/21\/no-more-exempting-imported-mobile-phones-from-customs\/","url_meta":{"origin":683322,"position":4},"title":"No more exempting imported mobile phones from customs","author":"enterpriseam admin","date":"21 January 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Expats in town for short stays will receive a 90-day exemption from the customs and fees","rel":"","context":"In "The Big Story Today"","block_context":{"text":"The Big Story Today","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/category\/the-big-story-today\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/7\/1632.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":669088,"url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/07\/28\/ntra-isnt-scrapping-personal-mobile-phone-import-exemptions-but-says-its-clamping-down-on-fraud\/","url_meta":{"origin":683322,"position":5},"title":"NTRA isn\u2019t scrapping personal mobile phone import exemptions \u2014 but says it\u2019s clamping down on fraud","author":"enterpriseam admin","date":"28 July 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The authority says no retroactive taxes were imposed, but flagged misuse of the traveler exemption system","rel":"","context":"In "RETAIL"","block_context":{"text":"RETAIL","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/category\/retail\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/7\/1698.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=683322"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":683361,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683322\/revisions\/683361"}],"acf:post":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue\/683317"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/683323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=683322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=683322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=683322"},{"taxonomy":"brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/brand?post=683322"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=683322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}