What is the business entity mostly most frequently used to incorporate a small business in Egypt?

Entrepreneurs willing to start a small business in Egypt usually choose to incorporate a limited liability company. They will need to found a partner as a minimum of two founders are required. Such business entity is however inexpensive to establish as Egypt authorities do not request a minimum amount of capital. However, kindly note that not all industries are open to company creation by a foreigner, and that the manager of an Egypt LLC must be a national.

Is there any wholly foreign business entity available in Egypt?

Yes, all business entities that can be incorporated in Egypt can also be 100% foreign-owned, without prior authorization from the government. Restrictions to foreign investment depends on the industry of incorporation, rather than the type of company incorporated.

I want to raise funds in Egypt to develop my business, should I start a limited liability company?

No, Healy Consultants recommends our Clients with financing needs to incorporate an Egypt joint stock company. Such type of business entity can indeed freely issue new shares, thus allowing our Clients to conveniently find partners to invest in their business, in return for equity.

Why should I incorporate a company in Egypt?

Business incorporation in Egypt allows our Clients to tap into the Africa’s 3rd largest consumer market by population, after Nigeria and Ethiopia. Healy Consultants is confident that Egypt is a promising market both to manufacture and sell basic consumer goods, provided the country stabilizes politically.

Egypt company incorporation

16 steps to Egyptian company incorporation in 2025

Since 2003, Healy Consultants Group assists our Clients’ with company incorporation in Egypt including i) multi-currency corporate bank account opening and ii) regulatory license approval and iii) accounting and tax support and iv) human resource support. This web page will help your Firm understand the business set up process:

What are the steps to set up a company in Egypt?

Pre-incorporation steps

Prior to company incorporation in Egypt, our Client settles our fees and signs our engagement letter. Simultaneously, we collect detailed Know Your Customer due diligence documents including passport copies, proof of address, and details of the company’s intended activities in Egypt.
Healy Consultants Group provides our Client a detailed engagement plan, outlining Egyptian company incorporation steps and timelines, thus minimizing unwanted surprises and meeting Clients’ expectations.
The exact corporate structure is agreed with our Client. Healy Consultants Group then drafts and sends the POA and other company incorporation forms to our client. Thereafter, our client will i) certify them before a local public notary and ii) legalize them at the Egyptian Embassy in our Client’s country of residence and iii) courier them to Healy Consultants Group office.
The Commercial Registry issues a certificate of “non-confusion’, certifying that the chosen name of the company does not conflict with the name of any other Egyptian registered company.

Company incorporation steps

Healy Consultants Group prepares and submits the new company’s draft articles of association to GAFI.
We need to open a bank account in the name of the new company and collect your authorization certificate. Several banks are in the area of General Authority for Free Zones and Investment (GAFI). Depending on the bank, you will have to pay around EGP 200 to EGP 500 for the certificate.
Next, we apply to GAFI for security clearance approval for all foreign shareholders and directors. The security check on each individual director and shareholder will run simultaneously with the company incorporation process. Security approvals can take up to four months!.
The Investment Notarization Office at the GAFI must notarize the company’s contracts, constitution, and statutes. Post approval, the same is submitted to i) the Chamber of Commerce for an operating certificate and ii) formally register the business with the Commercial Registry Authority, If there are no objections, the Companies Department will issue the incorporation notification in the Official Gazette in 15 days.
Before the company incorporation application is submitted to the Egyptian Government, Healy Consultants Group will assist our Client locate and sign a 12 months’ lease agreement for office premises.
Upon receipt of the attested documents from our Client, Healy Consultants Group submits a complete quality company incorporation application to the Egyptian General Authority of Investment and Free Zones (GAFI). The company’s capital is approved by GAFI at the company incorporation date. A complete company incorporation application includes multiple documents such as i) a copy of the manager’s passport and ii) copies of Powers of attorney from all shareholders and iii) security clearance application for the company’s members and foreign managers and iv) a certificate of the Auditor of the company and v) title deed or the lease contract for the company’s headquarters and vi) parent company Articles of Incorporation in the English language authenticated by the Egyptian embassy and vii) a non-confusion certificate for the name of the company authenticated by the Commercial Registry.
You might need a license or authorization to function. A license may be required depending on the company activity you want to engage in. Consequently, acquiring permissions or licenses is necessary.
Company registration finalization: a Certificate of registration is issued.

Post company incorporation steps

Healy Consultants Group commences the tax registration including registering for i) income tax and ii) VAT with the Companies Registry with the Ministry of Finance. This is a time-consuming process and consequently, our client should expect the entire process to take a minimum of 3 weeks to complete. The ETA will issue a tax card and VAT certificate. Our Client can now legally enter into contractual agreements but can only issue invoices in Egypt after tax registration is complete.
It is mandatory for each newly registered entity to register for social security, open the labour file and monthly contribute to social security for the partners of the company, until the company hires employees. Registering employees for social security, a compulsory step in opening a business, involves providing copies of the graduation certificate of both the employer and the employee, as well as their birth certificate, and the lease agreement for the firm’s premises. Visit the office of the National Authority of Social Insurance and register all your employees with them. The National Authority of Social Insurance will provide you with a unique social insurance ID for the company and the employees.
Healy Consultants Group will prepare a detailed quality business plan to support the multi-currency corporate bank account opening with a leading international or local bank such as internationally recognized banks such as HSBC, Standard Chartered and Citibank, or local banks including Egypt National Bank and Egyptian Gulf Bank.
Engagement completion: Healy Consultants couriers a company kit folder to our Client’s preferred international address, containing the following corporate documents including original corporate documents, unopened bank correspondence and a Client feedback survey to assess the quality of our Firm’s Egypt business incorporation services.