Egypt and the Netherlands at a glance
- Stamp
- Legalisation
- First stop
- First the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then the Embassy of the Netherlands in Cairo (appointment online)
- Language
- Arabic, sworn translation
- Register
- Commercial Registry (under GAFI)
- Tax treaty
- Signed 1999, in force 2000 (Rijksoverheid, 1 October 2026)
- EU trade
- Association Agreement, 2004
- Moving here
- Residence permit needed
Documents from Egypt
Passport copy, certified by a notary in Egypt.
Proof of address in Egypt, at most three months old.
Power of attorney. Sign the power of attorney at an Egyptian notary office (Shahr Al-Aqari).
Ownership statement, one page from us.
Legalisation. First the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then the Embassy of the Netherlands in Cairo (appointment online). Arabic documents need a translation. You can have it made before legalisation by the translation office of the Egyptian ministry that issued the document. You can also have it made afterwards by a sworn translator in the Netherlands.
Good to know. Egyptian powers of attorney for use abroad must be signed at the notary office (Shahr Al-Aqari). A lawyer’s office is the wrong place. The ministry in Cairo only accepts translations from a government translation office. It refuses private translations. Allow four to six weeks.
If a company from Egypt becomes a shareholder
Register extract, at most three months old: Commercial Registry (under GAFI). Order a commercial register extract showing directors and capital. Plus articles, signing authority and ownership chart.
Trade between Egypt and the EU
In 2025, total EU trade in goods with Egypt came to €32.3 billion. The EU was Egypt’s largest trading partner, with 24.6% of its total trade, and Egypt is the EU’s 30th largest.
In 2025, EU exports to Egypt were €20 billion, led by machinery and transport (€7.8 billion) and chemicals (€3.4 billion). EU imports were €12.3 billion, led by fuel and mining products (€3 billion), chemicals (€3 billion) and agricultural products (€2.4 billion).
Trade in services reached €13.7 billion in 2024, with EU exports of €5.6 billion and imports of €8.1 billion. EU foreign direct investment stock in Egypt was €35.4 billion in 2024.
The EU-Egypt Association Agreement, in force since 2004, created a free trade area for industrial products. An agreement on agricultural, processed agricultural and fisheries products followed on 1 June 2010. Talks on a deeper free trade area began in June 2013 and are on hold.
Import duties: Access2Markets.
Sources: European Commission [1].
Your next step from Egypt
Get free first advice Your own document list · How a Dutch BV is set up