Accounting by industry
Accounting by Industry in Egypt:
the Sectors We Serve in Sharm El Sheikh
Accounting by industry in Egypt starts with the licence. A hotel, a café, a dive centre and a clinic answer to different authorities, and each handles VAT and foreign staff in its own way. We set your company up and keep it compliant, from Sharm El Sheikh, and build your sector's rules into the books from the first month.
- Chartered Accountant (محاسب قانوني)
- Office 314, Al Azizia Mall, Sharm El Sheikh
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- Same-day replies, 09:00–23:00 daily
01The sector layer
Accounting by industry in Egypt: what changes with your sector
Every business starts from the same base: its registration, a tax card, VAT registration once turnover reaches EGP 500,000 and, from tax period 2028, regular books for everyone. In the Sharm El Sheikh area, every income-tax and VAT taxpayer selling to consumers has also had to issue e-receipts since 1 November 2022.
The sector adds a layer on top, and that layer decides how we set up your books. As of October 2026:
- Licensing. The Ministry of Tourism licenses hotels, tourist restaurants and cafés, and diving, safari and marine centres under Law 8/2022. Tourism companies are licensed under Law 38/1977, and clinics by the Ministry of Health. In Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab, every real-estate dealing also needs prior security approval, for Egyptian and foreign parties alike.
- VAT. A tourist restaurant charges 14%, while a non-tourist café is exempt unless, for example, it trades in a mall or belongs to a chain. Medical devices have carried 5% since 29 July 2026, construction has been taxed at 14% with input credit since Law 157/2025 took effect on 18 July 2025, and residential leases are exempt.
- Staff. Unless they are exempt, foreign employees need a work permit under Labour Law 14/2025. Tourism businesses also need the Ministry of Tourism's own approval, resident foreign dive professionals a CDWS card, and clinics written approval from the Ministry of Health's Permanent Committee for non-Egyptian staff.
- Location. Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab and the Gulf of Aqaba tourism sector follow Presidential Decree 128/2022, within the decree's maps; El Tor and Saint Catherine follow Law 14/2012.
We read those layers before the first entry, so the chart of accounts, VAT codes, e-receipt settings and payroll match your licence from month one. Pick your sector below, or start with the tourism and hospitality overview if you run more than one kind of outlet.
02Tourism & hospitality
Hotels, restaurants, dive centres and tourism companies
Hotels, tourist restaurants and dive centres share one licensing law, Law 8/2022; tourism companies follow Law 38/1977. Each card shows what sets the sector apart as of October 2026, and the sector page walks through the full licence chain. Hotel accounting in Egypt starts with the licence.
Law 8/2022 and the manager licenceHotels and resortsOne Ministry of Tourism licence under Law 8/2022, with one fee covering all agencies. The hotel still needs a manager licence, an alcohol licence if it serves alcohol, and chamber membership under Law 27/2023.Manager licence, with its own fee, renewed every year at half the feeEntertainment tax of 25% on hotel shows, paid within 24 hoursA monthly guest statementHotel licensing and accounting
Two licence tracksRestaurants and cafésA tourist restaurant or café is licensed by the Ministry of Tourism under Law 8/2022, and tourist restaurants charge 14% VAT. An outlet licensed under Public Shops Law 154/2019 may not call itself tourist.Non-tourist outlets are VAT-exempt unless, for example, they trade in a mall or compound, belong to a chain or sell through appsE-receipts on every consumer sale in Sharm El Sheikh since 1 November 2022Opening a restaurant in Sharm
Ministry of Tourism plus CDWSDive centresThe Ministry of Tourism licence is only the start. Law 27/2023 makes chamber membership compulsory, which for diving means the Chamber of Diving and Watersports (CDWS), and every resident foreign dive professional needs a CDWS card.A 2-month temporary CDWS card while the work permit is pendingAccident insurance required for the card since 31 January 2023Ratios such as 1:12 on boats and 1:1 for intro divesOpening a dive centre
Licence status firstTourism companiesOn 10 October 2026, the Ministry of Tourism's website showed new tourism-company licences as temporarily suspended (Ministerial Decision 329/2021) and new branches as suspended (Decision 247/2022).Licensed under Law 38/1977, with a valid chamber membership certificate shown every yearDesert safaris: licensed tourism companies only, with routes filed at least 21 days ahead, GPS trackers and Thuraya phonesTour guiding is reported to be closed to foreigners (Resolution 279/2025)Tourism company licensing03Property, healthcare & investment
Developers, clinics and foreign investors
Property companies, medical practices and investors setting up from abroad face rules that a standard trading company does not. Clinic accounting in Egypt follows Ministry of Health rules, and developer accounting in Egypt follows the 2025 VAT change on construction.
Law 157/2025 and Sinai landDevelopers, brokers and property investorsDeveloper accounting changed with Law 157/2025, which moved construction to 14% VAT with input credit. In Sharm and Dahab, land and buildings can be owned only by Egyptians or wholly Egyptian-owned entities.A company's property sales are taxed as business income; the 2.5% disposal tax applies to individual sellersPrior security approval for every real-estate dealing in the Decree 128/2022 areasReal estate companies and tax
Ministry of Health rulesClinics, medical centres and hospitalsThe Ministry of Health licenses clinics to syndicate-registered doctors. Non-Egyptian staff, ownership or technical-director changes need its Permanent Committee's written approval.Medical centre: at most 25 beds at 8 m² per bed; private hospital: at least 15 beds (per MOHP checklists)5% VAT on medical devices since 29 July 2026Opening a clinic
Decree 128/2022 in SharmForeign investorsMost activities can be 100% foreign-owned. In Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab, though, a project with non-Egyptian owners must be an Egyptian joint stock company. Wherever the company is, every foreign founder and manager files security-inquiry forms.GAFI foreign-investment reports within 30 days of incorporation, then quarterly and annuallyRepatriation of profits and capital guaranteed by lawInvesting in Egypt from abroad04Key facts
Sector rules at a glance, October 2026
Who licenses each sector, one tax point to check and the approvals needed for staff. Each row links to the full sector page.
| Sector | Licensed or approved by | Tax point to check | Staff and approvals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotels and resorts | Ministry of Tourism (Law 8/2022); one licence fee covers all agencies | 14% VAT; entertainment tax of 25% on hotel shows, paid within 24 hours | Ministry of Tourism approval for foreign staff, on top of the labour permit |
| Restaurants and cafés | Tourist outlets: Ministry of Tourism (Law 8/2022). Others: Public Shops Law 154/2019 | Tourist restaurants charge 14% VAT; non-tourist outlets are exempt unless the ETA's criteria apply | Ministry of Tourism approval for foreign staff in tourist restaurants and cafés |
| Dive centres | Ministry of Tourism (Law 8/2022); CDWS membership and professional cards | E-receipts on consumer sales in Sharm El Sheikh since 1 November 2022 | Ministry of Tourism approval, work permit and CDWS card for resident foreign professionals; a 2-month temporary card while the permit is pending |
| Tourism companies | Law 38/1977; chamber certificate every year (Law 27/2023). New licences shown as suspended on the Ministry's site on 10 October 2026 | 22.5% corporate tax, or 0.4% to 1.5% of turnover under Law 6/2025 up to EGP 20 million | Ministry of Tourism approval for foreign staff |
| Developers and brokers | GAFI and the Commercial Registry; in Sharm and Dahab, prior security approval for every real-estate dealing | Construction at 14% VAT with input credit (Law 157/2025); a company's property sales are taxed as business income, not under the 2.5% disposal tax | Labour Law 14/2025 work permit for foreign staff (fees set by ministerial decision) |
| Clinics and medical centres | Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) | 5% VAT on medical devices since 29 July 2026 | Written Permanent Committee approval for non-Egyptian staff |
| Foreign investors | GAFI; security-inquiry forms for every foreign founder and manager | 22.5% corporate tax; 10% tax on dividends | Investor residence, renewable for the project's life, exempts the holder from a work permit |
In every sector, payroll carries social insurance (employee 11%, employer 18.75%), and in South Sinai Universal Health Insurance adds 4% for the employer and 1% for the employee. Projects under Investment Law 72/2017 may employ foreigners up to 10% of the workforce, or 20% where qualified Egyptians are not available.
Starting a project in Sharm?
Company, tax card, VAT, books and residency: tell us what you are planning and we map the steps, free.
05FAQ
Questions about sector rules
Do you work only with tourism businesses?
No. Tourism businesses take up much of this page because their licences differ most, but we also set up and keep compliant shops, offices, trading companies, developers, clinics and freelance professionals. All of them need a tax card, VAT registration once turnover reaches EGP 500,000 and, from tax period 2028, regular books.
Does every tourism business in Sharm need a Ministry of Tourism licence?
Most do. Hotels, tourist restaurants and cafés, and diving, safari and marine centres are licensed under Law 8/2022: the Ministry decides within 30 working days or the application is deemed initially approved, and one fee covers all agencies. Operating unlicensed risks fines of EGP 50,000 to 500,000. Tourism companies come under Law 38/1977.
Can a business in Sharm El Sheikh employ foreign staff?
Yes, with approvals. Unless exempt, each foreign employee needs a work permit under Labour Law 14/2025, with fees set by ministerial decision. Hotels, tourist restaurants, tourism companies and dive centres also need the Ministry of Tourism's own approval, resident foreign dive professionals a CDWS card, and clinics Ministry of Health committee approval.
Can a tourism project in South Sinai use the Golden Licence?
It may. The Golden Licence is one Cabinet approval covering set-up, operation, building permits and land; companies of any legal form, new or existing, can apply, and the project must meet two or more of eight criteria. GAFI's tourism list names hotel capacity in the Nuweiba–Dahab sector, eco-tourism and therapeutic tourism; Sharm El Sheikh is not named for hotel capacity.
Do you serve businesses outside South Sinai?
Yes. Tax, VAT and the books follow the same national rules in Cairo, Hurghada or Alexandria, so we handle them from our Sharm office by WhatsApp, phone or video call, in Arabic, English, Italian or Russian. The Sinai company and land rules fall away there: Hurghada and the Red Sea governorate are outside the Sinai regime that applies in Sharm.
Clarity today. Confidence tomorrow.
Tell us your sector and your town, and we map the rules
Send two lines on WhatsApp: what the business does, where it trades and who owns it. We reply the same day during office hours (09:00–23:00, every day), in Arabic, English, Italian or Russian.