How a Foreigner Can Buy a Used Car in Egypt and Register It

Can a foreigner register a car in their own name

Yes. A foreigner can buy a car and register it in their own name with the traffic police, whose offices are called «Murour» in Arabic. In practice the main condition is a valid residence permit (iqama). With only a tourist visa you usually cannot register a car in your name.

For a foreigner the registration period may be tied to the length of stay, and the office sometimes asks for extra papers, such as a proof of address from your embassy. Check the list at your office before you go. How to get an iqama is explained in residence permit in Egypt.

Which documents you will need

The list below is based on advice from Egyptian lawyers and the press. Bring originals and two copies of each document.

• The buyer's passport with a valid iqama. An Egyptian seller brings a national ID card, a foreign seller a passport.
• The valid vehicle licence (rokhsa) in the seller's name.
• A recent certificate showing no traffic fines on the car. The seller gets it, and it usually must be less than a month old.
• A vehicle data certificate if the rokhsa has expired. The seller also requests it from the traffic police.
• Powers of attorney, if the car is sold by a representative rather than the owner.

How the ownership transfer works step by step

Since 1 October 2026 the Egyptian Interior Ministry has been trialling a «one window» system at traffic police offices. The total amount is shown on a board and paid electronically in the office, and you no longer have to present a fire extinguisher, first aid kit and warning triangle when registering. Fees were also reduced, but the system is new, so check the exact amount on the spot.

• Contract at the notary. Buyer and seller go together to the Shahr El Akari office (the state registry and notary service). The sale contract is drawn up and certified there, and the fee depends on the value of the car.
• Traffic police. With the certified contract you go to the Murour, fill in the transfer form and pay the compulsory insurance for one or three years.
• Inspection. An inspector checks the car and compares the chassis and engine numbers with the papers.
• New documents. After paying the fees you receive a rokhsa in your name, licence plates and an electronic windscreen sticker.

What to check on the car and papers before you pay

• The chassis and engine numbers on the car must match those in the rokhsa.
• Fines. You can check them by plate number on the Public Prosecution website ppo.gov.eg, but the deal still needs a fresh certificate from the traffic police.
• Validity of the rokhsa and insurance. If they have expired, the transfer will take extra steps and money.
• The colour of the strip on the plates. Private cars have a light blue strip and taxis an orange one. A yellow strip means a customs regime, so duties on the car have not been paid and it cannot be transferred in the usual way.
• Loan. Ask whether the car was bought on credit and whether any debt to a bank remains.
• Condition. Show the car to a mechanic or a garage: engine, gearbox, suspension, signs of accidents and repainting, air conditioning. In the Egyptian heat a working air conditioner is no luxury.

Why you should not buy a car on a power of attorney

Sometimes the seller offers not to transfer the car but to give the buyer a power of attorney to drive and sell it. It is faster and cheaper, but on paper the seller remains the owner. A power of attorney can be revoked, and then you risk losing a car you have already paid for.

For a foreigner a full transfer through the notary and the traffic police is safer. Hand over the money only when the contract is signed at the notary. If in doubt, consult a lawyer, you will find offers in legal services.

Taxes, customs and bringing a car from home

If the car has ordinary plates, customs duties on it have already been paid. When buying second hand you pay the notary fee for the contract, the traffic police fees and the compulsory insurance, and you pay the tax and fees again when you renew the rokhsa.

Bringing a car from home is complicated and expensive. Foreigners' cars can enter under temporary admission: according to the Egyptian Customs Authority in 2023, it is valid for up to six months a year, and a separate fee is charged for suspending the duties. As a rule, such a car cannot be sold in Egypt without paying the duties, so check the conditions with customs before shipping it.

Rules and fees change. Check the current conditions at the traffic police office and on the website of the Egyptian Interior Ministry.

A driving licence for your own car

Driving the car you bought must be legal too. The British Foreign Office tells its citizens that after six months in the country they need an Egyptian driving licence, which is issued by the traffic police. Many foreigners have to pass a medical check and a test for it, and the conditions depend on nationality. Always keep your licence, the rokhsa and the insurance in the car.

Finding a car on Tullab

In cars Russian speaking residents of Egypt sell their cars, often before moving home. You can ask the seller everything in your own language and arrange a check at a garage.

Selling your car? Post a free ad with the year, mileage, rokhsa expiry date, any fines and whether you are ready for a full transfer at the notary.