International Movers to Egypt

Which direction

Is your move from Britain into Egypt, or the other way?

This page is written for UK households heading to Egypt, and the return direction is not covered.

Order of steps

What should be settled before a container is booked?

Sort the visa and the home contract before the shipment, because customs wants proof of the home for furniture.

1. Visa and passport. “British passport holders travelling to Egypt normally need a visa.” Visas bought on arrival are paid in cash at approved airports, and from 1 August 2026 Cairo also sells a digital visa by card. Your passport needs six months of validity beyond the arrival date.
2. Work papers. A work permit application needs HIV test results, so book that test early if your employer is sponsoring you.
3. Proof of the home. Get the tenancy or purchase contract for the Egyptian home, because customs asks for it for furniture, and write the inventory to match the home and the length of stay.
4. Agent and port. Name an Egyptian clearing agent, ask in writing whether an advance cargo number is needed, and agree which port the goods will use before they leave Britain.

On the British side, the UK customs documentation checklist lists what to gather, and the international moving checklist puts dates on it.

Customs and safety

Where do customs rules sit, and which areas does the FCDO warn about?

Customs has one guide here, and the travel warnings sit below it. Warnings are dated notices that the FCDO revises.

A car in the plan? Our car shipping guide compares the ways of sending one overseas.

Ports and cities

Which Egyptian ports and cities matter for a shipment?

Most sea freight for Egypt lands at one of a few ports on the Mediterranean or the Suez side, so the port matters as much as the city you will live in. Each place is named so you can find yours; none has a separate rule of its own.

Cairo, Giza and Shubra El Kheima

City Population, using official 2023 estimates, gives Cairo city 9,801,536 residents, Giza 4,458,135 and Shubra El Kheima 1,275,700. Wikipedia says “Cairo is a key global city and, like many other megacities, suffers from high levels of pollution and traffic.” Plan a long access check with the packers, because we found no Cairo or Giza rule on lorry hours, parking suspensions or moving permits and so give none here. If you need help from the UK government while there, it lists the British Embassy in Cairo.

Alexandria

The city had an estimated 5,362,517 residents in 2023. Wikipedia says Alexandria Port “is the country’s largest and it handles approximately 55% of Egypt’s international trade”, and adds that “Overall Alexandria’s various harbours handle over three quarters of Egypt’s foreign trade”. A newer container port was built beside it: “A new port was built at El-Dekheila during the 1980s with facilities for container shipping”. The old Eastern Port is no longer used for freight, so ask which of the working harbours your goods will use. The Alexandria guide goes into the harbours and roads.

Damietta, Port Said, Suez and Ain Sokhna

Damietta Port, with 24 berths, is 70 km west of Port Said and 200 km from Alexandria Port, and its container berth is 14.5 m deep. Port Said had 791,749 residents and Suez 716,458 in the same estimates, and the Port Said guide sets out the city’s two ports from the pages of the Suez Canal Economic Zone authority. Wikipedia’s Ain Sokhna entry says the town has its own port, and the Hurghada road to Cairo passes through it. We read no port authority page for Damietta or Ain Sokhna, so no handling times are given for them, and your agent should name the port in writing.

Hurghada and the Red Sea

The Red Sea governorate had an estimated 403,077 residents in 2023. Wikipedia says “Hurghada is 455 kilometres (283 mi) from Cairo and is connected to it by the Hurghada-Sokhna-Cairo road.” It also describes the airport as “It is Egypt’s second-busiest airport.” GOV.UK says flights from mainland airports such as Cairo or Hurghada need an entry visa, not the free stamp for Sinai resorts. None of our sources names a port at Hurghada, so the mover quotes the road leg from the port your agent chooses.

Luxor

Luxor governorate grew from 1,250,209 residents at the 2017 census to an estimated 1,400,640 in 2023. GOV.UK lists Luxor among the places exempt from the Western Desert warning, so a delivery there is not ruled out by it. Wikipedia describes the Hurghada to Luxor road as “which is a road with dangerous curves that the Egyptian government is working to develop”, which is worth raising with any driver who will use it.

All guides

The Egypt guide list

Cities with no guide of their own are named in the overview above.

Questions

Four quick answers for Egypt movers