Egypt’s Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk has approved sweeping amendments to the executive regulations of the Customs Law, according to a document seen by EnterpriseAM.

It’s really smart policy: The move signals a major pivot toward a whitelist economy, where the state trades traditional, inspection-heavy oversight for a risk-based framework that rewards compliant companies. The executive regulations will only become official when published in the Official Gazette.

Here’s the rundown

The liquidity W: Importers can now pay customs duties in installments against bank sureties or ins. policies — a direct response to the high-interest-rate environment that has squeezed working capital for over a year.

A buffer for transit delays: The validity of both Advance Cargo Information Declaration numbers and advance ruling reports has been extended to six months, giving supply chain managers more time to plan for logistics delays at the origin.

Port decongestion…: The fresh regulations introduce stricter limits on storage periods in bonded warehouses in a bid to prevent ports from being used as long-term storage. This, alongside setting the groundwork to expand the Authorized Economic Operator program, will allow for faster customs clearance, specifically for compliant companies. These efforts fall within Investment Minister Hassan El Khatib’s plan to cut down customs clearance times to two days.

…which could be a stimulus for dry ports: By capping storage times at gateways like Alexandria and Sokhna, the ministry is effectively forcing importers to move stagnant cargo inland — turning dry ports, like 6th of October and 10th of Ramadan, into the primary zones for bonded storage.

Consolidated treatment: The amendments unify customs treatment for transit trade and freezones, while allowing the values stipulated in shipping documents to be used as the primary valuation tool — a key step in Egypt’s bid to become a regional logistics hub.

An express lane for trade

Why it matters: By allowing duty installments and extending document validity, the Finance Ministry is rewarding whitelisted companies with an express lane for trade.

This is a continuation of Kouchouk’s trust-building offensive, following the announcement of a second package of tax incentives earlier this month. It also perfectly positions the market for the mandatory rollout of the ACI system for air freight, slated for early January.

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