Do tourists need to pay tax on a second phone in Egypt, and can a phone be blocked when using an Egyptian SIM card in Sharm El Sheikh?

From messages by 3 participants in 1 source · Last activity: 58 days ago

TL;DR

Tourists can bring multiple phones into Egypt without paying import duty. The potential issue is using an Egyptian SIM: an unregistered IMEI may later be blocked within Egypt, including on a future visit.

What the community said

Tourists do not need to pay tax or import duty for a second—or several—personal phones when entering Egypt. The possible restriction relates to inserting an Egyptian local SIM card, not bringing the device in.

Multiple personal phones — no import duty

If a phone is used with an Egyptian SIM card, its IMEI could be blocked on a later trip to Egypt. This type of block applies only inside Egypt, not in other countries.

IMEI blocking — Egypt only

For a backup phone, use roaming, an eSIM, or Wi‑Fi rather than inserting an Egyptian SIM. If the IMEI has already been blocked in Egypt, an eSIM may not restore connectivity.

Roaming, eSIM, or Wi‑Fi