Egypt Customs Rules – What Tourists Can and Cannot Bring In and Out

The list of items prohibited for import into Egypt is fairly standard and follows global customs practices, but there are also quite unusual bans, which we've highlighted in the list:

• Metal detectors (banned for use without permission in Egypt altogether).
• Drones without special permission.
• Underwater scooters.
• Information materials that violate Islamic norms and morality, including pornography and explicit erotica, promoting religious, ethnic, or racial discord.
• Counterfeit items, fake documents, and counterfeit money, including souvenir money.
• Cotton (except for clothing for personal use).
• Narcotic and psychotropic substances, and drugs containing them.
• Any weapons, ammunition, explosives, military equipment, espionage equipment, hidden cameras.
• Radioactive substances, elements of bacteriological or chemical weapons.
• Animals listed under the CITES convention, any parts of these animals, and products made from them.
• Seeds and plants.
• Raw potatoes.
• Poultry in any form: live, eggs, poultry meat in any form, even prepared poultry dishes.
• Any items in quantities that could be considered commercial products for resale.

Be especially careful when bringing in medicines. All prescription drugs, even those with minimal narcotic or psychotropic content, must be brought only in quantities for personal consumption, in unopened packaging, and with a doctor's prescription translated into English.

As in any country, Egypt has limits on duty-free import of high-demand goods like alcohol and cigarettes. You can bring in without declaration and duty payment no more than:

• 2 liters of alcoholic beverages;
• 200 cigarettes, or 25 cigars, or 200 grams of tobacco;
• Perfume in quantities no more than for personal use.

These requirements also apply to goods purchased in duty-free shops. Persons under 20 years old cannot bring in cigarettes or alcohol. But here's some "good news" for alcohol lovers: tourists have the right to purchase up to 3 liters of alcohol within 48 hours of arrival at local Duty-Free shops. Such airports exist in resorts and at the airport after the customs inspection zone, so you can buy it right after arrival.

Under current regulations, you can bring 2 liters of alcohol per person into Egypt duty-free. However, this allowance does not apply to children; only persons over 20 years old can bring in alcohol and cigarettes.

Keep in mind that this allowance includes any alcohol you bring in, including what you buy in duty-free shops. So if you brought 2 liters from home per person and bought an additional liter at duty-free, you actually have 3 liters, and that would be a violation.

In practice, customs doesn't conduct thorough inspections, so some tourists bring in alcohol exceeding the limit. That's not a call to action, just an explanation of how things really work.

In addition to traditional illegal items, Egypt also prohibits taking out very simple tourist souvenirs and seemingly harmless things. We've highlighted them in the list. And let's remind you that since Egypt reopened in 2021, security measures have been significantly tightened, and tourists flying to Russia are subjected to several consecutive security checks. If something prohibited is found during such a security check, you could easily be sent for a thorough customs inspection:

• Live or dead corals, including souvenirs made from them, as well as any sea creatures – $1000 fine for export. However, you can take out souvenirs and corals bought in a store with a receipt. Some guides interpret this ban as even prohibiting taking out seashells and souvenirs made from them, but we haven't found any official bans on this.
• Crocodiles and any products made from crocodile skin without certificates and receipts.
• Ivory products.
• Antiques and antiquities without special permission (these include valuable items over 100 years old). If you decide to buy an item imitating antiquity, it must have a receipt.
• Information materials that violate Islamic norms and morality, including pornography and explicit erotica, promoting religious, ethnic, or racial discord.
• Counterfeit items, fake documents, and counterfeit money, including souvenir money.
• Any items in quantities that could be considered commercial products for resale.
• Narcotic and psychotropic substances, and drugs containing them.
• Any weapons, ammunition, explosives, military equipment, espionage equipment, hidden cameras.
• Radioactive substances, elements of bacteriological or chemical weapons.
• Animals listed under the CITES convention, any parts of these animals, and products made from them.

You can take out any reasonable amount of fruit from Egypt; there are no specific restrictions on export. However, for import into Russia, there is a customs limit of no more than 5 kilograms of fruit and other plant products per person. So if you take 10 kg of fruit from Egypt, that's not a problem, but when entering Russia, customs may have questions if you are randomly checked. In that case, the excess will be confiscated, and you'll receive an administrative fine for violating import rules. Other countries have different limits for fruits and vegetables, so keep that in mind.

There are no limits on the amount of foreign currency you can bring in or take out, but cash in any currency equivalent to more than 10,000 US dollars must be declared upon entry and exit. There are no duties or taxes for bringing in currency, even in amounts over $10,000; this is only for record-keeping and possible subsequent export.

Egyptian pounds can be brought in and taken out in amounts not exceeding 5,000 pounds.