Property registration in Egypt: Shahr Aqari and the new Siraj property ID
Property in Egypt is formally registered through the Real Estate Registration and Notarisation Authority - known locally as the Shahr Aqari - rather than through a single national land department the way a Dubai purchase is. Since June 2025, a separate law has added a second layer on top of that: every property in Egypt must now also carry its own national digital identification number, independent of who owns it or which authority its underlying land sits under. This guide sets out what both systems mean in practice, in plain terms. The exact document set and registration route for a specific unit is always confirmed against the real paperwork for that development, not assumed from a guide.
Read this alongside our guides to how buying property actually works and buying as a foreigner in Egypt. If you are selling, our guide to selling property in Egypt covers the same registration environment from the other side of the transaction.
What is Shahr Aqari?
Shahr Aqari is the everyday name for Egypt's Real Estate Registration and Notarisation system - the authority through which a sale contract, a title, or a long-term usufruct interest is formally recorded. It performs a similar function to Dubai's Land Department, but it does not work the same way: Egypt's registration environment is not centralised the way Dubai's is, and which specific office or authority actually handles a given property's registration depends on where that property sits and which body its underlying land is registered under. That is true whether the property sits on freehold land or a long-term usufruct.
We confirm the specific registration route for a given title before marketing it or advising a client to make an offer, rather than quote a generic process that may not match the development in question.
Signing, registering, and handover are three different moments
It helps to keep three milestones distinct, because casual conversation often conflates them. Signing a sale-and-purchase contract makes the deal binding between buyer and seller. Registration is the separate, official step that records the interest - title on resale, or an interest in a future unit on off-plan - with the relevant authority. Handover is the physical moment a completed unit is actually handed over against the agreed specification. Our guide to how buying property actually works sets out the full sequence end to end; this guide focuses specifically on the registration step itself.
The Siraj Code: Egypt's new national property ID
Since June 2025, a new law - Law 88/2025 - has required every property in Egypt to carry its own unique national digital identification number, separate from the Shahr Aqari registration process itself. The system assigns a QR-coded identifier, known as the Siraj Code, to each property, integrated with a unified digital base map maintained by Egypt's Military Survey Authority. The stated purpose is to give every plot of land, building, and facility in the country a single, non-duplicated identifier, in the same way individuals already carry a national ID number.
The Siraj Code is not optional paperwork on the side: the law makes it mandatory in registration, notarisation, and utility dealings, and utility connections can be withheld until a property has been issued one. Non-compliance carries tiered fines under the law - a basic fine of EGP 1,000 to EGP 15,000; a separate band of EGP 5,000 to EGP 30,000, and potentially six months' imprisonment, for intentionally tampering with a property's identification; and EGP 1,000 to EGP 30,000 for data non-compliance. The law also builds in a phased rollout: it required executive regulations within six months of enactment, and gives existing owners a further compliance window that the Prime Minister may extend, cumulatively, by up to three years - so the requirement is rolling out across the existing property stock rather than switching on everywhere at once. Because this is a genuinely new requirement layered onto the existing registration system, we check a property's Siraj status as a standard part of due diligence, on both a purchase and a sale.
Is Egypt's registration system centralised, like Dubai's?
| Egypt | Dubai | |
|---|---|---|
| Registering authority | Real Estate Registration & Notarisation Authority (Shahr Aqari); the applicable office depends on which authority the development's land is registered under | Dubai Land Department, a single emirate-wide authority |
| Property identification | National digital ID (Siraj Code) required under Law 88/2025, alongside registration | — |
| Foreign ownership basis | Freehold, subject to Law 230/1996 conditions, across the Red Sea mainland, North Coast, New Cairo, Sheikh Zayed and NAC; usufruct only in Sinai (Presidential Decree 128/2022) | Outright freehold for foreign nationals in designated areas |
None of this changes whether you can register a purchase; it changes what to check and where. We confirm the applicable route for a specific unit before you commit rather than generalise from a guide - and the em-dash above means no comparable figure exists for that cell yet, not that the position is unfavourable.
Is Egyptian real estate brokerage becoming more regulated?
Yes, and it is useful context. A dedicated regulatory unit and a centralised government platform for the sector were both established in mid-2025. Further legislation has been proposed for 2025-2026 that would go further still - recognising commissions only through licensed, tax-registered brokers and requiring official recording of each transaction - but as of this guide, that legislation remains proposed rather than enacted, and we do not treat it as current law. We hold ourselves to 'licensed, registered, and on the record' regardless of what eventually becomes mandatory, rather than wait for the law to catch up.
We are not a law firm
KÂMO is a property advisory, not a law firm. Independent legal counsel should review any registration or notarial step and confirm title before you sign, and we coordinate qualified independent specialists wherever formal legal or notarial work is required.
Common questions
What is Shahr Aqari?
Shahr Aqari is the everyday name for Egypt's Real Estate Registration and Notarisation Authority - the system through which a sale contract, title, or long-term usufruct interest is formally recorded. It performs a similar function to a land registry, though the process itself is not centralised the way Dubai's Land Department is.
How does property registration work in Egypt?
Registration is a distinct step from signing a contract or taking handover: it is the official record of your title or interest with the relevant authority. Which authority applies depends on where the property sits and which body its underlying land is registered under, so we confirm the specific route for a given title rather than describe a single nationwide process.
What is the Siraj Code?
The Siraj Code is a unique, QR-coded national digital identification number that Law 88/2025 requires for every property in Egypt, integrated with the Military Survey Authority's digital base map. It runs alongside, not instead of, standard Shahr Aqari registration.
Do I need a Siraj Code to register a property or connect utilities?
Yes. Under Law 88/2025, the national digital property ID is mandatory in registration, notarisation, and utility dealings, and utility connections can be withheld until a property has been issued one.
What happens if a property doesn't have a Siraj Code, or its data is wrong?
The law sets tiered fines: a basic fine of EGP 1,000 to EGP 15,000; a separate band of EGP 5,000 to EGP 30,000, and potentially six months' imprisonment, for intentionally tampering with a property's identification; and EGP 1,000 to EGP 30,000 for data non-compliance. We check a property's Siraj status as standard due diligence.
Is property registration in Egypt centralised like it is in Dubai?
No. Dubai registers freehold property through a single emirate-wide land department. Egypt's registration environment depends on which authority a specific development's underlying land is registered under, so the applicable office and process can differ between developments.
Is Egyptian real estate brokerage regulated?
It is moving that way. A regulatory unit and a centralised government platform for the sector were established in mid-2025, and further legislation on licensing and transaction recording has been proposed for 2025-2026, though it remains proposed rather than enacted at the time of this guide.
Can KÂMO handle registration for me?
We manage the registration step on your behalf as part of representing you, and confirm the specific process, authority, and document set for your title before you commit. We are not a law firm, and independent legal counsel should review title and any registration or notarial documents; we coordinate qualified independent specialists where that is needed.