Purchase of Property in Egypt - British Embassy Advice

BRITISH EMBASSY ADVICE ON BUYING PROPERTY IN EGYPT:

Advice

Purchase of Property

British nationals have purchased land and property in many parts of Egypt. Some have encountered problems. If you intend to purchase land or a property in Egypt we strongly advise you to engage a local lawyer in whom you have confidence. A list of English speaking lawyers is available on this website. You should deal only with established and reputable lawyers and estate agents or with other contacts whom they know to be reliable and genuine, and you should make all payments within bank premises and/or through banking channels and not in cash.

In parts of Egypt and increasingly, in the area of the West Bank in Luxor your land or property tenure rights can be severely curtailed by local legislation. It is important that your lawyer obtains an extract from the local land registry to satisfy you that the property or land in question is formally registered. You should again seek legal advice before entering into any contract. Don't sign anything that you do not understand. A list of translators is available on the British Embassy, Cairo website (see above). You should ensure that your personal details and the full purchase price of the property are reflected on the deeds.

The British Embassy is unable to interfere with court or legal proceedings. Neither can it lobby, intervene or provide updates to British nationals involved in land or property disputes.

End of Advice.

My comment:

And for those of you buying property with your Egyptian 'loved one' DO NOT PUT IT IN HIS NAME - it is not required and you will have NO claim on it if things go pear-shaped.

And that goes for bank accounts too.

You are legally allowed to hold property and bank accounts in your own name, even as a foreigner, and no, it's NOT HARD to do and it IS worth the 'fuss'.

Egypt Public Holidays and Daylight Savings Times 2010 & 2011

STOP PRESS: APRIL 20TH 2011: NOTE THAT THERE WILL BE NO DAYLIGHT SAVINGS IN 2011

Al Masry Al Youm 

Ahram 

This is a list of the Public Holidays - straight copy from: World Travel Guide Please note that last year, there were some errors in their dates, so if you spot any please let me know!

I will add the daylight savings days as soon as I find them out! As Ramadan will be falling in August this year and July next year, there is a slight possibility that there may not be any but I will update as soon as I know anything.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2010-December 2011 period.

Holidays

2011

7 Jan *Coptic Christmas Day.

15 Feb Birth of the Prophet.

25 Apr *Sham el-Nassim (Coptic Easter).

25 Apr Sinai Liberation Day (Sinai only).

2 May Labour Day.

23 Jul National Day.

30 Aug - 31 Aug Bairam Feast (End of Ramadan).

12 Sep *Coptic New Year.

6 Oct Armed Forces Day.

6 Nov - 7 Nov Grand Feast.

26 Nov Islamic New Year.

2010  NOTE SHAM EL NASSIM - it is 5th APRIL (many sites on the net are stating 27th/28th April).

7 Jan *Coptic Christmas Day.

26 Feb Birth of the Prophet.

5 Apr *Sham el-Nassim (Coptic Easter).

25 Apr Sinai Liberation Day (Sinai only).

1 May Labour Day.

23 Jul National Day.

10 Sep - 13 Sep Bairam Feast (End of Ramadan).

11 Sep *Coptic New Year.

6 Oct Armed Forces Day.

16 Nov - 17 Nov Grand Feast.

7 Dec Islamic New Year.

Note

(a) * These holidays are not official, although Coptic Christians may observe them. (b) Muslim festivals are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates given above are approximations. During the lunar month of Ramadan that precedes the Bairam Feast, Muslims fast during the day and feast at night and normal business patterns may be interrupted. Some restaurants are closed during the day but most tourist attractions and hotels are not affected. Some disruption may continue into the three-day Grand Feast itself.

.

Makan Center - Saad Zaghloul St, Downtown, Cairo

Imagine a multi-layered music – a Miles Davis base, with a large quantity of traditional Egyptian flute music, Sudanese drumming, a cup of Osibisa, just a pinch of Jan Garbarek and the tiniest hint of Led Zeppelin and you will have some idea of the wonderful music produced by Nass Makan.

On Tuesday night I went to a concert at the Makan Center with friends. It was my 5^th or 6^th visit to this amazing little venue in DownTown Cairo, right by the Saad Zaghloul memorial and bang opposite the property tax office. When I say ‘little’ it is TINY. I estimate maximum capacity around 120 people and that would be cramped! The atmosphere is intimate and embracing – you feel very much part of the performance there.

The Makan Center is run by the Egyptian Center for Culture & Art whose stated aims are:

“... to record and present traditional music and musicians in Egypt as vibrant and renewable cultural resources that bridge Mediterranean and sub-Saharan African cultures. ECCA further encourages efforts to re-awaken the multi-layered complexity of Egyptian culture of music and arts, to return the music to the critical role it has played in the daily life and imagination of the Egyptian people, to counter the trend to isolate it from its original communities, to share this rich resource with the world community and, by presenting it in new contexts to encourage perception of this music as a resource for creativity.”

It is very much aimed at keeping the traditions alive and evolving without relegating them to touristic curiosities.There are usually two performance residencies a week on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings - Nass Makan and Mazher respectively, at 9pm and it costs 30LE on the door to get in, 20LE if you reserve in advance. On Tuesday next, though, there is a Sudanese evening.

Nass Makan brings together Egyptian and Sudanese musicians and adds a new twist. This was the group performing on Tuesday:

From right to left: the 'double-flute' player (sorry I don't know the correct names of the instruments) and next to him the 'single-flute' player. Then we have the saxophonist and the trumpeter. The guitarist is sitting in the front there.

The rhythm guitarist is not very clear in this picture, but he is in the corner between the trumpeter and the drummer.

Moving round and down you see the women drummers (traditional style drums) in the left hand corner and a male drummer sitting next to them. He also took a solo turn singing and drumming later. At the front you can see the guy who played the traditional stringed instrument - reminiscent of a harp.

There were 3 main singers taking solo turns. Unfortunately, the photo of one of them did not come out, but here are two of them:

This guy was the main singer. I have seen him perform several times now.

This woman also appears regularly and she took the floor twice as a singer and traditional drummer.

The evening kicked off with a piece very strongly reminiscent of Miles Davies. I didn’t make notes because I thought I would remember – but I should have if I’m going to play ‘reviewers’ any time soon as I can't recall the exact order of events now.Over the course of the evening, various blends of music came with echoes and hints of different jazz and blues performers from my past as I mentioned above. It really was the most fantastic time and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.

Another great time is to be had at the Mazher evenings where women performers very much take the lead with a blend of Egyptian, Sudanese and African music. Even though I don't understand the words, it is obvious that some of their songs are very witty and maybe a bit cheeky.

There are also occasional guest musician evenings, I went to one starring a Sudanese female drummer (and rhythm maker - she used a giant pestle and mortar to make the sounds for part of her set) and people were all up and dancing. Actually, I think she is the one performing next Tuesday evening!

The venue

As I said above, it is tiny. There is a downstairs performance area where most of the audience sit, mainly on wooden chairs or on floor cushions. There is also a very small upstairs balcony area.

In the interval, there is chai (no milk) and kirkadee (hot) to be had. There are no canned drinks of any sort.

There is a toilet in the entrance lobby - with the name The Control Room on the door. It is unisex and there always seem to be small boxes of laundry detergent in there - I have been several times over the past 4 years and it is always there! I think there is another toilet towards the rear where the artists' dressing room was, though I think that this may now have moved part way up the staircase.

The venue itself is very easy to find. Come to Saad Zaghloul Metro station which is one stop from Sadat metro station - Tahrir Square - on the Helwan branch. Come out of the metro, take the Mansur Street exit. Look across the road and you will see the huge SZ memorial. If by chance you come out of a different exit, find the SZ memorial along Mansur Street, turn so that it is on your left, and walk up the street not very far at all, and you will see the Makan Center immediately on the first corner after the memorial. Prior to the performance you will often see a crowd of people outside so this should be a strong hint! I timed the metro journey on Tuesday, and from descending the steps in Tahrir to Sadat Station, to actually arriving at the front door of the venue took exactly 10 minutes. Really, there is no need to drive there at all.

It is actually walkable from Tahrir in about 20-30 minutes if you check out a map first.

Many people are not aware of the Center's existence, including taxi drivers, and the name Saad Zaghloul is very difficult for foreigners to pronounce so if you are planning to use a taxi - or even may need to ask for directions - it is as well to have it on you written in Arabic:

سعد زغلول

If the worst comes to the worst, it is almost directly opposite the Property Tax Office at 15 Mansur Street so you may have more luck asking for that!

Here's a link to the street map.

Note that the black Ms are Saad Zaghloul Metro station. There is actually another entrance in a straight line with those towards the bottom of that map and you may well come up that one (it's the one I almost always come up so it's as well to know it's there!)

Note also that there are no cafes or eating houses to be found near there (well not that I have managed to encounter yet) so eat before you go there.

And most importantly, have a GREAT time!!!

Here's a link to the Makan Center Facebook group: ECCA

Property - Real Estate - Tax Law

UPDATE: 2nd October 2011 - Introduction of property tax being pushed back to January 2013.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/23190.aspx


CAVEAT: This is my understanding of the situation. I am not a lawyer or tax adviser and it is for you, the individual, to check this out with your own advisers if you have any questions / issues on the subject.

Everyone who owns property, registered or not, is required to complete a form for tax purposes REGARDLESS of the fact that if it is under 500000LE in value and not let out, even if it's just a tin shack on a roof you probably won't have to pay tax. (BUT that is for the lawyers to argue not me).

The due date is 31st December 2009 and there are fines for late submission.

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 31ST MARCH 2010: link in Arabic here

google translate version in sort of English here


There is much debate in various places as to the whys, wherefores and ifs of this subject. Some foreigners have made comments to me like 'why hasn't anyone told us' well they have! Apparently it's all over the Egyptian news but in Arabic so us foreigners tend not to see it. It is for you to decide whether you intend to comply with the law or not.

Here is a link to the form in English for you to complete (link updated April 2010):

Link to page in English where you can download English version of form

I did go through the Arabic version with an Arabic- speaking friend and am satisfied that this English version is the same thing.

It is not very complicated to fill in, but a couple of definitions might help!

Number of rooms: this is all 'enclosed' rooms - ie with their own door. If your 'reception room' opens straight from the front door, then this does NOT count as a room no matter how big. RECEPTIONS DO COUNT AS A ROOM.

Number of bathrooms: if you have a room with just a toilet and sink in it (what Brits would call a cloakroom and some American apparently call a 'half bath'), this COUNTS as a bathroom.

If you are located out of Egypt right now, then there is an address given on the page linked to above to send your completed form REGISTERED AIRMAIL (and note you are also required to submit a copy of your passport and the purchase contract and - if you have rented it out - any rental contracts).

Otherwise, there are local offices in Egypt - I think there's an address list somewhere in Arabic, but alas I do not know where.

WHERE TO TAKE YOUR PROPERTY (REAL ESTATE) TAX FORM

Well I submitted my form today and it was one of the most pain free exercises ever!!!! 22 MINUTES TOTAL in the office.

I decided in the end to take it to the Mansour St office - I had no idea where to go in 6th October - even a friend of mine who lives in 11th District had no clue where 2nd Neighbourhood was let alone building 21A and noone was answering the phone.

It took me just over an hour to get from my flat to the Mansour St office - I walked up the steps of the office at 1030am. At 1052am I walked out with receipt in hand.

Procedure:

I showed the reception guy my form and he saw it was the English version. So he escorted me to a little room down a corridor on the left wherein were about 8 tables with people at them.

After figuring my flat was in 6th October, a very helpful young man went right through the form with me. By the way RECEPTION ROOMS COUNT AS A ROOM so I had to add 1 to my total.

After the form was checked and he saw the copy of my passport, electricity bill in my name and contract to buy the flat, he took me to another bigger office and asked which desk was dealing with 6th October. The woman at that desk then went through the form again with him. She completed the receipt and gave it to me.

I was then taken back down the corridor to have an official stamp stamped on the receipt.

All done

Note: Noone spoke English - only a few words here and there. If this is a problem for you, go with an Arabic speaker.

Where is this office?

Official address:

Real Estate Taxes Authority
15 Mansour St., Beside Saad Zagloul Metro Station
Landmark: Beside Saad Zagloul Metro Station
Bab El Louk, Cairo
Tel:
02-27943775, 02-27943496,
02-27943246

Go to Saad Zagloul Metro Station (DownTown - just 1 stop from Sadat on the Helwan branch). Come out and turn right up the main street a little way (assuming you are on the opposite side of the road to the memorial. If not, turn left!!!)

The memorial is on the opposite side of the road. As you walk up the road, you pass (on the opposite side) the Makan centre (which by the way is a fabulous little music venue).

Pass some big gates on your right hand side, walk a little bit further until you see a large entrance with steps leading up from the street.

There is a little reception kiosk on the right hand side of the staircase. The receptionist will help you from there on in.

Animal Issues

I have been upbraided for sitting on the fence on animal issues. And yes, I know, I'm just another soppy ex-pat who should worry more about people's woes than animals woes.
Nonetheless, I continue:
I just heard tonight about a friend of a friend living nearby whose wonderful pet dog - well-trained, well-behaved, was murdered in it's own garden with poisoned meat.
I have also seen on a closed group for the area where I live educated, professional Egyptians advocating the shooting or poisoning of dogs who are just barking - nothing more.
Now, I know barking dogs can be annoying, but this murdered pet dog was not much of a barker. And in any case is there not a better solution than murder?
Can someone please explain the justification for this?
I do not buy at all the argument I often hear made that "you foreigners should worry about the treatment of people here not the animals".
In what way does cruelty to animals advance the condition of the people here?
In my view, by learning to treat those animals who are dependent on us kindly, (and those creatures like donkeys who actually help people survive with their businesses) this would begin to permeat the society and encourage better treatment of people all round. Ill-treatment of animals is symptomatic of a sickness in society.
Now before you all jump on top of me, I am not a vegetarian and I accept that makes me a hypocrite in terms of that. However, until the time comes when an animal 'must' be killed - for whatever reason is deemed necessary - it should be treated kindly.
I have seen photos and videos in the past two days of some horrific sights of animals being kept in very poor conditions in the run up to Eid, and of animals who have not been killed quickly suffering tortuous deaths.
About a year or so ago, I was walking down Haram St with a friend when we witnessed a yellow taxi run into a horse pulling a cart. The horse was staggering about bleeding profusely from its chest while the guys were arguing with the taxi driver. The poor thing was driven off down a side-street STILL with it's cart on and two guys sat on the cart as WELL and started whipping it!! My god that was barbaric.
How does THIS improve the lot of the people in society?
How does CRUELTY to animals improve the PEOPLE? It doesn't. Full stop.
How does killing painfully a well-behaved non-dangerous pet improve the PEOPLE? It doesn't. Full stop.
It is not part of Islam - I am told that the Koran explicitly requires animals to be treated well. So what, pray, is the reason?
And yes, I hereby fully acknowledge that cruelty to animals exists in all corners of the globe including little old Blighty. However, when it happens in Britain, at least the people have enough shame to do it undercover of darkness, here there is no shame in it and having seen the random acts of violence against cats, dogs, goats, donkeys all around, we see it in all it's glory.
And yes, I know we have our own issues with battery farming etc in the West. And yes I know there are moral questions raised over the concept of vegetarianism in societies where there is limited agricultural land - noone's perfect when it comes to food production. However, I am mainly focused on the point of wanton violence and cruelty to animals here.

(I will add links and tags later - I am doing a project right now til Monday night!)

GUEST POST - EGYPTIAN LOVE DAY 4TH NOVEMBER

First in a series of Guest Posts by Egyptians.

This is by Fatima from Cairo:

Today the 4th of November is the Egyptian Love Day.

Say Happy Love day to your mother, your father, sisters and brothers, your neighbor and don’t forget your colleagues at work…so it is not only for your lover or spouse…why don’t you tell it to people you meet in the street , and wrap it with a sincere smile. Don’t you think that this will add a positive vision to you and to people who receive it.

Why don’t you be a reason to make others happy, to make them feel they are appreciated and cared for..to make them feel they are loved.

This is what *Mustafa Amin initiated back in the 1970’s - the great Egyptian writer when he attended a funeral, and he found almost none attending. He wanted to bring back the good human feelings , of caring and appreciation.

No need for teddy bears and balloons ..a simple sms , a sincere smile as an expression for appreciation will do it …

we all need this feeling of being appreciated and cared of ..so..give to get and don’t limit this to only the 4th of November ..make it a start for a non ending

* Mustafa Amin: Egyptian writer ,established Al Akhbar ( The News ) newspaper with his twin brother Ali Amin, back in the 50's.

(If you are Egyptian or know an Egyptian who would like to make a guest post, please let me know! Note, I do not do politics or religion on this blog.)

Women in Egypt at Work

Someone just linked me to this website:

Women in Egypt at Work

a photo exhibition by German photographer Doerthe Boxberg.

Featured among them, doing what are traditionally thought of as men's jobs are:

Basant Hegazy - Mechanical Engineer

Om Walid - Taxi Driver (for over 30 years!)

Dina Kamel - Lawyer

On the site we also see Woman of the Month:

Hanan, a car parking attendant

Om Bassem - Plumber