You can buy a licensed tourism company in Egypt. What you cannot easily do, as of October 2026, is get a new licence: as shown on the Ministry of Tourism site on 10 October 2026, issuing a tourism company licence is temporarily suspended under Ministerial Decision 329/2021, and new branches are suspended under Decision 247/2022. That is the background to every "tourism licence for sale" offer you will see.
An offer of a licence for sale is, in substance, an offer of the company that holds it. You buy shares, and with them everything the company has done: its tax years, its social insurance file, its staff, its chamber membership and its contracts. In Sharm El Sheikh and the rest of Sinai, the transfer also has to clear the Sinai approval rules. We are a chartered accountancy office at Office 314, Al Azizia Mall, in Sharm El Sheikh, and we review these purchases with buyers before they sign.
Can you buy a licensed tourism company in Egypt?
Yes. Tourism companies are licensed by the Ministry of Tourism under Law 38/1977, and the licence was issued to the company. Buying in therefore means buying shares: the company stays the same, and its owners change. Whether the Ministry must be told of the change or approve it, and whether the licence carries conditions a new owner must meet, depends on the company's file, so we confirm it before you sign.
Buying is one of several ways into the trade, and not always the right one:
| Route | What it involves | The catch (October 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Apply for a new licence, or a new branch | A licence from the Ministry of Tourism under Law 38/1977 | Both shown as suspended on the Ministry's site on 10 October 2026 (Decisions 329/2021 and 247/2022) |
| Buy all or part of a licensed company | A share purchase, plus the Sinai approvals where they apply | You take on the company's history, so check it first |
| Work with a licensed company | A contract with a company that keeps its licence | The licence and its responsibilities stay with that company; the wording of the contract matters |
| Licence a different activity | Hotels, restaurants, cafés, dive, safari and marine centres are licensed under Law 8/2022 | A different law and a different licence; ask us which one your plan needs |
What the Ministry of Tourism site shows about new tourism company licences
On 10 October 2026, the Ministry of Tourism's service page for tourism company licences showed "issuing a tourism company licence" as temporarily suspended under Ministerial Decision 329/2021, and new branch licences as suspended under Decision 247/2022. A 2021 decision shown on a page in 2026 tells you what the page says, not how every file is handled today, and we could not confirm from official sources whether the suspension is still applied in every case. Older requirements published online that we could not verify officially are left out here.
What is verified: tourism companies are licensed under Law 38/1977; under Law 27/2023 they must belong to the relevant chamber (with its joining fee) and show a valid membership certificate every year; and only licensed tourism companies may run desert safaris. Our page on tourism company licensing in Egypt covers licensing, structures and tax for running one.
What are you buying when you buy a licensed tourism company?
You buy the company's past along with its licence. The company that filed last year's returns and employed last season's guides is the one you will own; nothing resets at closing.
Tax is the clearest example. The Egyptian Tax Authority can generally reopen a tax year for five years, or six where there is evasion. Additional tax of 20% or 40%, and late interest at the Central Bank of Egypt rate plus 2% (capped at 100% of the tax), fall on the company, which after closing means on you. The same applies to social insurance arrears, to foreign staff without permits and to a lapsed chamber certificate. None of this rules out buying; it means pricing the history before you price the shares.
Buying a tourism company in Sharm El Sheikh: the Sinai rules
Where the company operates decides which rules govern the transfer.
| Where the company is | Regime | What it means for a buyer (October 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab and the Gulf of Aqaba tourism sector | Decree 128/2022, in force since 1 April 2022 | A non-Egyptian investment project must be an Egyptian JSC; no minimum Egyptian percentage; changes of founders, shareholdings or articles need approval from the Ministries of Defence and Interior and General Intelligence, plus GAFI/FRA approval |
| Rest of Sinai, such as El Tor, Saint Catherine and Ras Sudr | Law 14/2012 | A JSC with at least 55% Egyptian ownership, so a foreign buyer can hold at most 45%; a Sinai Development Agency licence before starting |
| Hurghada and the Red Sea governorate | Outside the Sinai regime | The Sinai approvals do not apply; foreigners can own 100% of most companies |
GAFI charges an approval fee for a share transfer in a company inside Sinai, the Decree-128 areas included. If the company is more than three months old, the transfer also needs a Commercial Register extract showing at least 25% of the capital paid. The security approvals come on top.
Two points catch buyers in Sharm. First, a non-Egyptian investment project in the Decree-128 areas must be an Egyptian JSC, so if the company you want is an LLC and foreign shareholders are coming in, its legal form becomes part of the deal. Second, under the decree's explanatory memorandum, a company active both inside those areas and elsewhere in Sinai stays under Law 14/2012, which can matter for excursions from Sharm to Saint Catherine.
Our article on whether you need an Egyptian partner covers the ownership rules in more detail, and our page on company formation in Sharm El Sheikh and South Sinai covers the JSC route and the approvals.
What to check before you buy a licensed tourism company
Ask the seller for these before you pay any deposit. A seller who will not show them is telling you something.
| Check | Ask the seller for | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial Register | A recent extract: owners, managers, capital and how much of it is paid | Sinai transfers need at least 25% of capital paid if the company is older than three months; the register is renewed every 5 years |
| The Ministry of Tourism licence | The licence in the company's name, and any branch licences | It is what you are paying for; with new branches shown as suspended, confirm which branches are actually licensed |
| Chamber membership (Law 27/2023) | The current certificate and those for earlier years | No valid certificate each year means a one-month suspension, then full suspension |
| Tax file | Tax card, filed returns, inspection results, any open assessment or dispute | Open years stay with the company: five years back, six for evasion |
| VAT, e-invoices and e-receipts | VAT registration if turnover reached EGP 500,000; e-invoice and e-receipt records | Sellers to consumers in the Sharm El Sheikh area have had to issue e-receipts since 1 November 2022; costs not documented by e-invoice or e-receipt are not recognised |
| Social and health insurance | Registration, monthly staff lists, payment receipts | Employer 18.75% and employee 11%, plus Universal Health Insurance in South Sinai (employer 4%, employee 1%) |
| Foreign staff | A work permit and the Ministry of Tourism's approval for each foreign employee | Labour Law 14/2025 permit fees are set by ministerial decision; Resolution 279/2025 is reported to cap foreign staff at 10% and to close tour guiding to foreigners |
| Safari operations | Past trip filings, GPS trackers, Thuraya phones | Desert safaris are filed at least 21 days ahead with routes and lists |
| Company housekeeping | Audited statements, general-assembly minutes, GAFI reports if any shareholder is foreign | An auditor and a general assembly within 3 months of year-end are required; missed GAFI FDI reports carry an EGP 50,000 penalty |
| Past ownership changes in Sinai | The approvals behind every earlier change of shareholders | In the Decree-128 areas, every change needs security and GAFI/FRA approval; ask about any gap before you pay |
| Contracts and premises | Office lease, hotel and transport contracts | The licence is only as useful as the business around it |
For your own guides or managers, the Ministry's approval sits on top of the labour permit; our page on work permits for foreign staff covers the permit.
If the seller has a tax dispute open, the settlement under Law 152/2026 stays open until 31 December 2026. Settling before closing is usually cleaner than inheriting the dispute.
Collecting these documents is the easy part. Reading them, and knowing which gaps matter for this company, is the due diligence before you buy.
How does buying a tourism company work, step by step?
Timings depend on the approvals, so we give none here; the order is what matters.
- Agree terms subject to the checks. Keep any deposit refundable if the due diligence fails.
- Run the checks, then fix the price and the contract. Decide in writing who bears tax and insurance arrears from before closing.
- In Sinai, file for the approvals: the security approvals and GAFI's approval of the transfer, with its fee.
- Complete the transfer and update the Commercial Register. Confirm, through us or your lawyer, what the Ministry of Tourism needs to know about the new owners.
- The seller's tax. Gains on unlisted shares are subject to income tax; a non-resident seller must pay within 60 days of the sale.
- Compliance from day one. If any shareholder is now foreign, the GAFI FDI report is due within 30 days of the change. Renew the chamber certificate every year, and prepare for 2028, when every business must keep regular books.
Is buying a licensed tourism company a good idea?
Sometimes, depending on what you want to run and the company you find.
If your plan is a hotel, restaurant, café, dive, safari or marine centre, the licence you need sits under Law 8/2022, with its own timetable: a decision within 30 working days, or deemed initial approval. Buying a tourism company to open a dive centre may mean paying for the wrong licence.
For excursions, travel services or desert safaris, buying an existing company is a real route while new licences are shown as suspended. The value lies in a valid licence, a current chamber certificate and a file without surprises. A company with years of missing e-receipts, unpaid insurance or unapproved shareholder changes may cost more to clean up than it saves.
Two questions belong at the start. If the company is in El Tor or Saint Catherine, a foreign buyer can hold at most 45%, so check the stake on offer. And if your plan depends on foreign guides, the reported closure of tour guiding to foreigners under Resolution 279/2025 may change the business case before it changes the price.
