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Importing into Egypt

How Egypt's Advance Cargo Information (ACI) system works for exporters, what the ACID is, how postal parcels are cleared, and the 2026 change for phones.

Updated · 6 official sources

Sea shipments to an importer in Egypt have to be registered before they leave the exporting country. Under Egypt's Advance Cargo Information (ACI) system, the importer obtains a preliminary customs registration number for the shipment, the ACID, the foreign exporter sends the commercial invoice and bill of lading electronically at least 48 hours before shipping, and sea cargo without an ACID isn't unloaded. Postal parcels follow a separate route, where customs inspects, values and taxes each parcel at the postal customs office.

Rules as of 30 October 2026.

What is Egypt's ACI system?#

Egypt's Advance Cargo Information system is the customs procedure that requires a shipment's data and documents to reach Egyptian Customs before the goods are shipped. It rests on Article 39 of Customs Law No. 207 of 2020 and Ministry of Finance decrees of 2021, and lets customs assess risk and start procedures with other agencies early.

ACI ran as a trial for sea shipments from 1 April 2021 and became mandatory for sea shipments on 1 October 2021. The core requirement is that the shipment's data and documents, the commercial invoice and the final or preliminary bill of lading, are available at least 48 hours before shipping.

Egyptian Customs is extending the system to air cargo and presented its advance registration of air shipments to traders in April 2026. The published material doesn't give a single mandatory date for every air shipment, so confirm with your carrier and your Egyptian buyer whether an air consignment needs an ACID before you book it.

What does a foreign exporter have to do?#

A foreign exporter selling to an Egyptian importer registers on CargoX, the platform Egyptian Customs uses to carry shipment data and documents, and sends the documents through it. Each party has a separate job: the Egyptian importer registers on the NAFEZA national single window and generates the ACID, the exporter sends the documents, and the carrier reports the cargo.

  1. The Egyptian importer registers on NAFEZA, with an electronic signature token for each authorized person, and requests the ACID for the shipment.
  2. The foreign exporter registers its company and its authorized users on CargoX.
  3. The exporter puts the ACID on every shipment document, together with the exporter's and the importer's identification numbers and the item identifiers on the commercial invoice.
  4. The exporter sends the shipment's data and documents to the importer through CargoX, at least 48 hours before shipping.
  5. The carrier or shipping agent sends the manifest to Egyptian Customs through NAFEZA, showing the ACID for every bill of lading.

Egypt doesn't ask for a commercial invoice certified by a chamber of commerce, but it does require a detailed commercial invoice under Article 232 of the executive regulations of the Customs Law. Bills of lading that arrive at a seaport without an ACID aren't unloaded, and the goods are sent back out of the country at the carrier's expense.

The commercial invoice guide covers the fields a detailed invoice needs, and the HS code classifier gives you a code for each item.

How are postal parcels to Egypt cleared?#

Postal parcels to Egypt, meaning goods sent by post to a named recipient and weighing no more than 50 kg, are cleared at the postal customs office. A customs committee, with a postal representative present, inspects and values each parcel, sets its tariff line and records the duty and taxes due on the postal form.

Approvals from other control or security agencies are obtained where the goods need them.

The postal form is replaced by a full customs declaration when the parcel is cleared under a special regime or an exemption, holds commercial quantities, or is worth more than the value set in the executive regulations of Egypt's import and export law. Parcels holding several of the same item can be treated as commercial quantities and go down that route.

What changed for mobile phones in 2026?#

Mobile phones brought into Egypt from abroad pay taxes and fees under the mobile phone governance system that Egypt introduced in January 2025. Until 21 January 2026, one phone arriving with a traveller was exempt. From that date the exemption ended, apart from phones belonging to Egyptians living abroad and tourists, which are covered for 90 days.

The taxes and fees on a phone from abroad are paid through the Telephony app or the banks' and e-wallets' digital payment channels, within up to 90 days of the phone first being activated. For a seller, that means a buyer in Egypt who orders a phone from abroad owes these taxes and fees on top of the price, so say so on the product page.

Tips for sellers shipping to Egypt#

Egypt is a documents-first market: for sea cargo, the paperwork has to be in place before the goods leave the exporting country. A foreign exporter that isn't registered on CargoX, or that ships without the importer's ACID, holds up its own customer, so set up the registration before the first order arrives.

The Egypt country page has the data border.bot holds for Egypt.

Common questions#

What is an ACID number for Egypt?#

The preliminary customs registration number for a shipment, obtained by the Egyptian importer on NAFEZA before the goods are shipped. It must appear on every shipment document, and sea cargo without it isn't unloaded.

Does the foreign exporter need to register for Egypt's ACI?#

Yes. The foreign exporter registers on CargoX and sends the shipment data and documents to the Egyptian importer through it, at least 48 hours before shipping.

Do phones bought abroad pay tax in Egypt?#

Yes. Since 21 January 2026, phones from abroad pay taxes and fees under Egypt's mobile phone governance system, payable through the Telephony app within 90 days of activation. Egyptians living abroad and tourists are covered for 90 days.

Sources#