How to Import your Car to Egypt From the UAE
When you live in the UAE, you need a car to get around. With such a vast landscape filled with so many fabulous natural and man-made wonders, a car can help you make the most of your time here. But once you return to your country of origin, what happens to your car? Fortunately, for our Egyptian ex-pats, the law has now changed to allow you to import your car back to Egypt from the UAE.
What has changed?
A recently-passed government bill has gone through the Egyptian parliament’s lower house which allows Egyptians living abroad to import cars for their personal use without the need to pay customs, fees or taxes, including VAT and schedule tax. This makes it much easier for Egyptians to import their car back to Egypt from countries such as the UAE without having to pay an excessive amount in duties and taxes.
What does that mean for you?
If you are Egyptian and have bought a new or pre-owned car in the UAE, it means that rather than having to sell it before you move back to Egypt, you can have the car imported back home for you to continue to enjoy.
There are, of course, a few caveats to bear in mind. Article 1 of the Bill states that if you are Egyptian and have either temporary or permanent residence in a foreign country, you must also have a valid bank account that has been operational for at least three months before the date of the Bill’s implementation. The most important stipulation to consider is that the vehicle you are importing back to Egypt must be a 2022 model if the individual is the first owner, and not more than three years old if the vehicle is pre-owned.
You will also need to bear in mind that the tax exemption also comes with a few provisos of its own. The exemption from customs duties, taxes and dues lasts for four months and within that time you must deposit a FX amount of money equal to the value of those customs and taxes with an Egyptian bank in the name of the Finance Ministry. This deposit will sit in the account for five years, after which time it can be refunded to the individual in Egyptian pounds and at the exchange rate at the time, without any additional interest.
Why has Egypt done this?
The impact of the current situations hit every economy around the world, including imports of new cars. This makes it difficult for Egyptians to buy vehicles in their own country, so opening the doors for ex-pats to bring their cars back from countries like the UAE when they return to Egypt is a simple but effective way to keep the economy moving.
How Al-Futtaim Automall can help
At Al-Futtaim Automall, we have a huge selection of pre-owned and new cars on offer. If you have all of your paperwork in order, including your UAE ID card and residency documentation, we’re happy to talk to you about your dream car. With our help, you can buy and drive your car in the UAE and then when you return to Egypt, take it with you to carry on enjoying miles of motoring smiles.
However, if you want to sell your car in the UAE before returning home, we’re happy to help there too. We’re always on the lookout for good quality pre-owned cars, whether it’s a Mercedes E 350 or an exotic Dodge Charger American muscle car, a zippy little Nissan Micra or a gorgeous Toyota Fortuner EXR. You’ll get an instant online quote, followed by a detailed inspection by one of our technicians and a guaranteed market-value amount for your pre-owned car. We’ll take care of all the paperwork for you too, so you can walk away with the money in your pocket.
If you want to buy or sell a car in the UAE and want the security of dealing with one of the region’s most respected dealerships, contact us at Al-Futtaim Automall today.