Egypt reminds foreigners to renew residency and regularise status promptly

The Egyptian government reminded foreign residents on Monday that they need to go promptly to the General Administration of Passports, Immigration and Nationality to renew their residency and regularise their status, according to local media reports.

The government urged all foreigners, especially those who are exempt from paying residency fees, to go to the department to register their data and obtain a smart residency card to ensure the continuity of their access to services provided to them by all government sectors during the period granted by the Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly up to the deadline of 30 June this year.

The prime minister announced the decision last August that foreigners residing in the country illegally must settle their status and regularise their residency, provided that they have an Egyptian host, within three months from the date of the implementation of the decree. In exchange for this regularisation, they must pay administrative expenses equivalent to $1,000.

In January, though, the Interior Ministry said that foreign residents staying in Egypt illegally must regularise their status and settle their residency with its officials.

Egypt eased the procedures for granting residency to foreigners with an Interior Ministry decree issued in May last year that included temporary residency for foreigners other than tourists.

READ: EU pledges Egypt $1.07bn in financial aid