Reader Mohammed shared a frustrating story with me about a situation that his cousin faced at Cairo International Airport (CAI), suggesting she was extorted by customs officials.
I’ll share the story, but I simply struggle to believe that anyone working at Cairo Airport would provide anything other than the most exceptional, five star service, not at all motivated by making an extra buck. So everyone can draw their own conclusions… 😉
In this post:
Egypt customs demands payment for second tablet
An OMAAT reader’s (young, female) cousin was traveling from the United Arab Emirates to Egypt on June 17, 2025, arriving at Cairo Airport. She was carrying her personal smartphone, her personal tablet, and a second Wi-Fi only tablet. All were clearly not for resale, and had already been used.
Mohammed tells me that at customs, she was stopped and intimidated by officials, who claimed that having an extra tablet violated import rules, and demanded that she pay 3,500 EGP (~70 USD) in cash. She felt threatened into compliance, and no receipt or documentation was issued about the payment.
Mohammed concludes with the following:
This appears to be blatant extortion, and it’s sadly not an isolated case. There are growing reports of similar abuse, especially targeting vulnerable travelers who are unfamiliar with their rights. I wanted to raise awareness about this behavior, which is damaging both to Egypt’s image and to the trust that travelers place in international airport operations.
Was this import duty legitimate, or corruption?
One certainly wonders whether an actual duty free limit was exceeded, or if the officers made up the rule on the spot, viewing this as an easy victim they could prey on to make some quick cash.
Some countries do indeed have bizarrely low limits on the number of electronics that travelers can bring into the country. For example, in 2024, Mexico made headlines, when there were increasingly issues with travelers being charged import duties for bringing more than one laptop-style device into the country. So if someone had a laptop and a tablet, they were technically exceeding the import limit, even if for personal use.
As it turned out, Mexico had that policy in place for a long time, but it seemingly just wasn’t enforced often, until last year. The country ended up reversing this policy, given the extent to which it relies on tourism, and this policy definitely wasn’t good publicity.
In the case of Egypt, I’m trying to find if there’s a similar policy, but I can’t find anything suggesting that a second tablet that’s not for resale is subject to duties. That being said, if I’m missing something, please let me know.
Of course my take on the Cairo Airport is no secret, and the Egyptian government isn’t a fan of people having opinions. I’d reach out to authorities for a statement on this, but I think they’d either tell me to pound sand, or could claim that no employee at the airport has ever accepted a bribe for anything, so…
Bottom line
Egyptian immigration officials demanded payment when a young woman arriving at Cairo Airport had two tablets on her, neither of which were for resale. They demanded a cash payment of roughly $75, and no receipt was provided.
Sometimes countries have weird limits on the items that can be imported without paying duties. In this case, I can’t find any reference to such a low limit on the number of electronics that can be brought into Egypt. So that leaves me to believe that officials saw an opportunity to make a quick buck, though if I’m missing something, please let me know.
What do you make of this Egypt immigration situation?
I I've never seen a worst country in my life like Egypt because in this country everybody look for a green pasture somewhere else the way they are treating outside us and they are useless tax is getting to a stage that every sensible human being will get another this is a pure corruption pure corruption unlike anywhere else in the world and they feed on people who come into this country for their economic...
I I've never seen a worst country in my life like Egypt because in this country everybody look for a green pasture somewhere else the way they are treating outside us and they are useless tax is getting to a stage that every sensible human being will get another this is a pure corruption pure corruption unlike anywhere else in the world and they feed on people who come into this country for their economic stability around the line they don't even have a boundary or a sense of humour that they can be able to use to show people that they truly care about the well-being of their own foreign visitors most more so the way they are treating especially student here with their b******* way of immigration and other forms of stupid things the way they are resting people the way like other you'll be paying $150 for student who is tooling in a foreign school who is calling a private school that's a b******* complete b******* seriously the government need to know to do something more about this it's not making sense at all to me this is a corruption
I'm staying in Cairo for business purpose. I have with me 2 phones dual SIM each. After five months I received both phones an sms warning me I had to pay fee for device taxes and that I had to check with IMEI number through a government application. I checked and the second phone had to pay almost 100 euro or more. The other was OK. Finally the second phone blocked. There's a policy in...
I'm staying in Cairo for business purpose. I have with me 2 phones dual SIM each. After five months I received both phones an sms warning me I had to pay fee for device taxes and that I had to check with IMEI number through a government application. I checked and the second phone had to pay almost 100 euro or more. The other was OK. Finally the second phone blocked. There's a policy in Egypt to tax devices even if you have bought it in another country no matter what.
My tablet was stolen out of my bag at the Cairo airport by the helper who pushed my wheelchair through customs. He had taken my shoulder bag ang hung it behind me on the chair’s handle, pushed me into a dark room where there was a rustling sound behind me, then we exited the dark room into the light and he pushed me to the arrival room. I found my tablet gone from my tire...
My tablet was stolen out of my bag at the Cairo airport by the helper who pushed my wheelchair through customs. He had taken my shoulder bag ang hung it behind me on the chair’s handle, pushed me into a dark room where there was a rustling sound behind me, then we exited the dark room into the light and he pushed me to the arrival room. I found my tablet gone from my tire bag later. There was no one to report this to that I could find. The tablet ended up, unretrievable, in Ghana.
My niece, aged 12, had her tablet stolen from her carry-on suitcase as it was being examined upon arrival on another occasion.
They used to tax us on any electronics we enter the country with ( even though I'm Egyptian) and now it depends on who you know or who's helping you go through customs and yes some of these government workers try to make an extra money but they will Not use intimidation ( that's a big word) and if you travel a lot you will see that some other countries do the same thing not...
They used to tax us on any electronics we enter the country with ( even though I'm Egyptian) and now it depends on who you know or who's helping you go through customs and yes some of these government workers try to make an extra money but they will Not use intimidation ( that's a big word) and if you travel a lot you will see that some other countries do the same thing not just in Egypt, maybe if she/ he or whomever talked to the officers nicely would have been a different experience.
egypt is an absolute shithole and having done the pyramids is the only country on earth I have no desire to return to.
And why is that ??!!
I had very bad experiences more than once at cairo airport with immigration officials. They are rude, unprofessional and authoritarian. They treat travelers like lowly animals. There was one professional and man kind man and one lady who seemed normal. One of the reasons why I don't want to come back to Egypt!
No different than other countries
We had similar situation when flying from Sharm El Sheikh to Cairo.
Visa cost $25 but from some reason needed guarantee letter from travel agent, who demanded another $125, total of $150 per person. Since it's was hour before flight, we had no choice but pay $750 for 5 people to fly out and make it to connection flights to North America
This is not a new issue. I was stopped at customs in Hamburg in the 1970's as I had bought camera gear in Hong Kong. They wanted cash for duties, but only the lens, they said. When I said I only had travelers cheques they quickly said that it was my lucky day and to move on. Germany - 1977!!!
Some years ago at scam at BKK came to light. Departing tourists at the airport would be accused of shoplifting by police, taken to the airside police station and then told they would not be released until they paid 'bail'.
Obviously the people that were arrested were typically tourists departing on a flight with only hours to spare so would often just cough up to get out of the country and not miss their flights.
Have a google, loads of examples online.
I came back to Egypt in June as well with 3 devices, wasn't asked to pay anything by anyone.
Ofcourse this story is hearsay & we can't confirm its authenticity :)
The Egyptians are amateurs compared to Nigerians. In my four trips during 2022-23, I lost count of the number of officials who wanted me to give them money. I'm proud to report that not one person got a single Naira from me; the response to 'Do you have anything for me?' was invariably 'No', followed by an icy stare!
That's why whenever I enter Egypt, I always hire someone to help me go through immigration (think of it like a VIP service where someone will come to the gate, pick you up, and help you to go through all the immigration and stuff). It's cheap (10-20 USD) and it makes going through the immigration way easier.
Whilst travelling back to Sharm from Cairo to visit the pyramids, similar happened to me. It was the day of the military coup in July 2015 (I think).
I had small gift etc. And the guy at customers demanded a small payment for us to bring our gifts back. He only let us through when my started got scared and started crying. He still took my lighter cigarettes and my change.
If she's being extorted by the ECA (customs agency), why insert a random picture of an MS (Egyptair) aircraft into the story? MS had nothing to do with this messy episode.
I still want to see the pyramids etc but I absolutely dread going to Egypt. I haven't met a single tourist who has been there who did not come away disappointed with it as a destination. Its a shame the government doesn't get their act together.
I hate cruises but this might be one of the few locations where it’s preferable based on what I’ve also heard.
I hate cruises but this might be one of the few locations where it’s preferable based on what I’ve also heard.
When me, my mom and my children arrived at Cairo airport, the workers there were trying to get money from us almost by force which I didn’t feel comfortable about. Specially when I was getting my bags they were running after me to get paid, one office said to give me 50 Egyptian pound and I was like no I’m not. They even after my elderly mom to fool her to give them money when she tipped one a punch of them surrounded her like hungry dogs.
PSA: if that happens, never pay, ask to document the device they say is over limit so they can verify on the outbound flight if you are leaving the country with it.
When we flew in (and out) of Cairo last February we paid our tour company to set up a "meet and greet" to meet us and get us through customs etc. I believe that probably saved us a lot of grief as we just sailed out to baggage claim - the guy handled customs & immigration, got us our visas, helped us find an ATM for local currency and buy a local sim card for...
When we flew in (and out) of Cairo last February we paid our tour company to set up a "meet and greet" to meet us and get us through customs etc. I believe that probably saved us a lot of grief as we just sailed out to baggage claim - the guy handled customs & immigration, got us our visas, helped us find an ATM for local currency and buy a local sim card for our cell phone. It was worth every penny. On the outbound for one of our flights in-country, one of the folks hanging around check-in counter slid over next to me and picked up my carry on bag - silly me thought he was being helpful, instead he said something to guy behind the counter who then wanted to charge me because my carryon was "overweight". Our escort hit them with a volley of very vehement sounding Arabic and I was not charged anything. So, their economy runs on "tips" for pretty much everything, it wouldn't surprise me a bit if this was a bit of grifting. (also, FYI, if you're a scuba diver flying into Cabo Mexico, the customs folks there hit you for fees/taxes/whatever they call it for every single piece of electronic equipment you have - under water camera, camera case, light equipment, laptop, tablet, etc. etc.)
In a world where a fee/tip/bribe is necessary to smooth your path and get you on your way, the age old question is How Much is enough, and how little is not enough.
Of course, however much is expected goes up a mimimum of 25% when the extorter knows you are an American accustomed to 'service fees' for every little thing.
This type of thing seems to often happen to people that change planes in Egypt because of changing terminals.
Since january 1st, 2025, new regulations are in effect that everybody may bring one phone, one tablet, and one laptop into Egypt for free, for personal use only. Each additional item must be registered at:
https://www.telephony.gov.eg/, and special taxes / fees must be paid. An app displays the amount after entering the IMEI. This can be done online or at the Telephony counter after costums. It is law, that a receipt must be provided.
Egypt and especially Cairo is the biggest shithole I’ve ever been to. And I’ve been to over 60 countries. They all scammers trying to squeeze as much money out of you. Tour guides are dishonest rewriting history to best suit the narrative of the group they are “guiding”. The egyptians are the “working class arabs”. Egypt have more treasures than most countries in the world yet its so badly run by every level that its...
Egypt and especially Cairo is the biggest shithole I’ve ever been to. And I’ve been to over 60 countries. They all scammers trying to squeeze as much money out of you. Tour guides are dishonest rewriting history to best suit the narrative of the group they are “guiding”. The egyptians are the “working class arabs”. Egypt have more treasures than most countries in the world yet its so badly run by every level that its 100% unbearable for tourists. Unless you’re Russian with nowhere else to go.
Egypt is a fantastic country, the people are top tier. The government, on the other hand, are corrupt as fuck and deserve nothing but the worst in life. Government employees there are undignified slobs and it is best to treat them as such. They are beneath 98% of the readers on this blog.
Absolutely agree with you. Egyptian people are nice, but their govt is very, very corrupt and they know, but can't do a thing about it.
Man up and contact them about the incident.
Dear Fox, I want to report someone's in the chicken coop.
horrible and bankrupt society
I was charged import duties entering Mexico one time. I had my personal laptop and a work one. It was not cheap! Such a ridiculous policy & I'm glad to hear they reversed it. Should have offered a bribe :)
Try sailing a ship through "Marlboro Canal" aka "Suez Canal". you better have 2 cases (24 reams/cs) of Marlboro cigarettes ready for the Inspectors to Pass you through the Canal.
When I was a military spouse stationed in Germany right after the Wall fell, we used to go to Prague (Czech) or Poland every now and then and "everyone" knew to bring American cigarettes from the PX to bribe the border guards with. They loved them for some reason. American chocolate too - which surprised me since European chocolate (at that time) was FAR superior.
This is a normal occurrence when traveling to India or Nepal as well which I have personally experienced. Unless you know someone who works at the airport (higher ups), you don’t take more than one of each item (phone, tablet, laptop, cameras, etc.)
Ben, article details clarification required please.
Who actually demanded payment? You state both Customs and Immigration in your article.
You think Cairo is corrupt? Ha! Try getting out Zimbabwe! You will not leave Harare Intl without a shakedown of $250 - $1,000 USD, especially if you are a Caucasian / European male. They will threaten to hold your passport for “diplomatic” process or something. Just budget the shakedown monies and you are all set.
Did this happen to you?
When?
Earlier this year. The Egyptian government imposed new rules around mobiles devices including tablets that requires visitors to register a primary device and pay duties on secondary devices. Even if they are used and for personal use. If you don’t register and then insert an Egyptian sim the phone won’t work and you will be asked to pay duties.
If you are planning to roam I believe it should be ok but you would...
Earlier this year. The Egyptian government imposed new rules around mobiles devices including tablets that requires visitors to register a primary device and pay duties on secondary devices. Even if they are used and for personal use. If you don’t register and then insert an Egyptian sim the phone won’t work and you will be asked to pay duties.
If you are planning to roam I believe it should be ok but you would still have to pay for secondary devices.
You can google “mobile phone registration Egypt” to find plenty of info regarding it. While there may not be info on offical sites, since governmental departments are not always good at updating websites, but there is plenty of info on trusted news sites that explain the process to register and the new rules.
By law, each passenger can bring one tablet without paying customs, if it is for personal use. Charges will be paid above that.
Here is a website clarifying this, it is in Arabic but google translate can be used
https://leadertrans-eg.com/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%B2%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%83-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9/#:~:text=%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%B2%D8%A9%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AD%D9%8A%D8%A9%20(%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%AA)%20%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%B2%20%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%AA,%D8%A8%D8%B4%D8%B1%D8%B7%20%D8%A3%D9%86%20%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%88%D9%86%20%D9%84%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%85%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%AE%D8%B5%D9%8A.
By law, each passenger can bring one tablet without paying customs, if it is for personal use. Charges will be paid above that.
Here is a website clarifying this, it is in Arabic but google translate can be used
https://leadertrans-eg.com/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%B2%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%83-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9/#:~:text=%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%B2%D8%A9%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AD%D9%8A%D8%A9%20(%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%AA)%20%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%B2%20%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%AA,%D8%A8%D8%B4%D8%B1%D8%B7%20%D8%A3%D9%86%20%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%88%D9%86%20%D9%84%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%85%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%AE%D8%B5%D9%8A.
@ Andy -- Very interesting, good catch. Interestingly, this doesn't actually seem to be an official government website, right? Because I can't find anything about this on a non-Arabic website, or on an official website. Am I missing something?
It sounds like that might be the rule, but if it's not actually published anywhere official, then that's an odd way to go about it, eh?
Yeah, its basically a company that handles custom duties for individuals. I could not find this info readily on a government website.
Egypt seems to go about many things in a weird way
When corruption permeates a society, it's difficult even for well-intentioned parts of that society to change the norms. I guess all you can do is assess for yourself whether the benefits and attractions of a place are worth feeling like you've been ripped off.
Yep. Unfortunately the culture of “scam or be scammed” becomes pervasive. It’s very sad.
Even at Cairo airport, Immigration and Customs are separate entities.
Any Immigration Official demanding money for goods, in cash, is scamming the passenger.
Mrs AeroB, would never have fallen for that scam.
CORRECTION.
My mistake …. Bens, fault!
In the main body of the article Ben states that it was Customs officials who demanded payment for the additional tablet. However, in the Bottom Line, Ben quotes the “Immigration Officials” …. as I say my mistake.
Cue a version of the famous scene from Casablanca, but with an Egyptian government official instead of Renault -
Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here! [a croupier hands Renault a pile of money]
Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Renault: Oh, thank you very much.
Do what you would ordinarily do - "reach out" to them, ask the obvious questions. Let them respond however they are going to, and then share that with your readers.
Don't just wink and move on.
Sure, you can guess what the response will be. But if you shy away from even asking, then you play right into the hands of corrupt, autocratic mafia goons, and you are actually helping them. Do the right thing.
After reading @Ben's comments on Cairo airport, I was expecting a terrible experience. But on my visit last month, it was perfectly fine in both directions. Certainly not the best, but perfectly efficient and mostly clean. Some shopkeepers were smoking, but no one ever asked for tips. Maybe I was lucky, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Used objects does not prevent re-sale. I used to sell a lot of used things from around the house on ebay.
Should provide more details, like date of flight, which airline, passenger's immigration status, if she was visiting relatives in Egypt, etc.
We're you the one reviewing Ben's surveillance tapes?
Nice try.
Can't bait that to ban more people.
Unfortunately it’s common practice to make extra money. My husband and I travel from Jordan (Aqaba) via ferry to Egypt ( Taba) at the border need to pay for the visa. I knew it’s $25. But when we had to pay it was $30 ( even the visa stamp says $25). When I told the guy it should be $25 he said NO it’s $30. Well he had the gun and we wanted to enter...
Unfortunately it’s common practice to make extra money. My husband and I travel from Jordan (Aqaba) via ferry to Egypt ( Taba) at the border need to pay for the visa. I knew it’s $25. But when we had to pay it was $30 ( even the visa stamp says $25). When I told the guy it should be $25 he said NO it’s $30. Well he had the gun and we wanted to enter . What can you do?
Also the airport in Sharm El Sheik and Cairo at the x-ray machine wanted a tip and the one you walk through with your carry on picked out. He pointed at my wallet. Asking what is this? My wallet. I had to get it out of my backpack. He also ask for a tip. I declined!
Visas are supposed to be sold by bank branches at border points for exactly this reason.
Ok so that will depend on her nationality or country of residence. If she is Egyptian and/or a resident of Egypt, the officer is right (but should have issued a receipt).
Gasp. The very idea. In Egypt? At Alexandria airport there is a pair of guys performing a valuable and completely necessary service by putting bags through a conveyor belt and a box that may be an x ray machine, right by the exit door after you've been through security already. They never ask for tips at all.
It's called Africa! Corruption is the most used word on that continent!
Horlicks!
Nelson, have you ever travelled outside your own domain? It certainly does not sound as if you are a world renowned traveler sunshine.
AeroB13a
Quite sure I travelled to more countries than you! I talk about my experience, It's just impossible to work or achieve something with those guys.
What’s the predominant religion in Egypt?
Just curious . . . what is your religion?
This isn’t a religion thing you ignorant man-child.
Same as the US - money and government corruption.
Muslims are required to act in the same honest, ethical, and charitable ways that Christians are required to.
You don't mean to include the Evangelical US Christians in that comment, do you? They are further from being honest, ethical and charitable.