Egypt’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) confirmed on Sunday that over 650,000 mobile phones have entered the country duty-free alongside travelers since the beginning of the year, under the country's mobile device governance system.
The authority clarified that the exemption, allowing one mobile device per traveler to enter the country without customs duties, remains in effect as part of the ongoing pilot phase of a broader telecommunications oversight framework.
In an official statement, the NTRA denied social media rumors claiming that previously exempted phones would be retroactively taxed or disabled. “These claims are unfounded,” the statement read.
However, the regulator acknowledged detecting abuse of the exemption policy, revealing that approximately 60,000 devices have had their mobile network access suspended pending further investigation.
Through a systematic review of the exemption program, the NTRA uncovered 13,000 devices that had illegally benefited from the duty-free rule in violation of regulatory guidelines. These devices remain blocked as of now.
Conversely, around 47,000 suspended phones were found to be legitimately exempt and have since been reactivated after verification procedures.
Egypt introduced the exemption policy as part of a national framework to regulate and monitor mobile device imports, reduce smuggling, and ensure fair taxation. The initiative is also designed to curb the proliferation of unregistered devices on local telecom networks.
The NTRA emphasized its commitment to periodic audits and enforcement, warning against fraudulent attempts to exploit the system. Further technological upgrades and automated checks are expected as the program moves toward full implementation.
Mobile phones (File photo)
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