Residence Permits in Sharm El Sheikh:
Local Process and Pitfalls

Google Maps lists the Police Complex (المجمع الشرطي) as the passport and visa office in Sharm El Sheikh, as of October 2026. Book your residence appointment on the Interior Ministry portal, eres.moi.gov.eg, and check the office hours before you go. We do not publish hours until we have confirmed them on site, because they change.

A visa extension in Sharm usually means tourist residence, the category for a long-stay visitor with no other purpose. As of October 2026, its terms are confirmed at application: book on eres.moi.gov.eg and bring a recent bank receipt for the fees. If you own property, run a company or work here, another route may fit better.

Not automatically. Egypt's property route to residence relies on a registered title, with the residence length set by the property's registered USD value. In Sharm, foreigners cannot own land or buildings under Decree 128/2022 and usually hold a long-term usufruct. Whether your contract can carry a residence file depends on its terms, approvals and registration.

As of October 2026, a foreign employee needs a work permit under Labour Law 14/2025, with fees set by ministerial decision. Hotels, tourist restaurants and cafés, tourism companies and dive centres also need a Ministry of Tourism approval for foreign staff, and resident dive professionals need a CDWS card. Residence follows the permit.

Residence fees are paid from hard currency converted through a bank. The 2023 rules required a bank receipt no more than 15 days old, so convert close to your appointment and check current practice. The official fees are small, a few hundred Egyptian pounds as of October 2026; the real cost lies in the purpose behind the permit.