Sea from Jebel Ali to Alexandria, Damietta, Port Said or Sokhna. Air to Cairo.
Before any of that, one thing has to be true: your business must be registered and verified on CargoX, and your Egyptian buyer must have obtained an ACID number.
Without both, the cargo does not load. Not "gets delayed on arrival". Does not load.
That rule has applied to sea freight since October 2021. Since 1 January 2026 it applies to air freight too.
Egypt's Advance Cargo Information system needs your Egyptian buyer and you to each do something. Most first-time shippers only find out about their half after the order is placed.
Step 1. Your buyer registers on Nafeza. Nafeza is Egypt's national single window, run by Misr Technology Services for the Ministry of Finance. Your buyer lists you as one of their foreign exporters.
Step 2. You register on CargoX and complete verification. CargoX is the platform foreign exporters use. Registration alone is not enough. You have to pass company verification, known as KYC, before you can file anything.
Step 3. Your buyer requests the ACID. They enter the shipment details on Nafeza using a proforma invoice. The system issues a 19-digit ACID number, usually within 48 hours, and it appears for both of you.
Step 4. The ACID goes on every document. Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, bill of lading or air waybill. All of them.
Step 5. You upload the documents through CargoX, at least 48 hours before the goods reach the Egyptian border.
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Verification is not instant | Company KYC on CargoX takes time. Start before you need it |
| The invoice format is prescribed | ACI filings need a structured commercial invoice in the official Nafeza template, not a PDF |
| The ACID expires | Valid for six months. After that you apply again and pay again |
| Filing fees apply | Charged per ACID number, with different rates for sea and air Contact us for the current vessel schedule or rate |
| Small express shipments are excluded | Reported as up to 50 kg and USD 2,000 in value |
| Air is now included | Mandatory from 1 January 2026, after several postponements |
Contact us for the current vessel schedule or rate
Two reasons.
First, the exporter side is your job, not your buyer's. If you have never shipped to Egypt, you are not registered, and nothing can move until you are. Build that into your lead time.
Second, an ACID belongs to a specific importer and exporter pair. A number your buyer used with a different supplier does not cover you.
We handle the CargoX side as part of the booking, and we ask for your buyer's ACID before we book space rather than after.
For many product categories, the foreign factory that made your goods must itself be registered with GOEIC before the goods can clear Egyptian customs.
This runs under Decree 43/2016 and its updates. Registration requires the manufacturer to submit company documents, quality system evidence such as ISO 9001, and product details.
Two things follow from that.
It is not your registration and not your buyer's. It belongs to the factory. If you are trading goods made by someone else, you need to confirm that factory is on the register before you place the order.
It takes time. This is a months-long process, not a days-long one. A product from an unregistered factory cannot be fixed by paperwork at the port.
Egypt has ports on two seas, and which one suits you depends on where your buyer sits.
The largest general cargo and container complex in the country, on the Mediterranean. Serves Alexandria itself and the Delta, and connects to Cairo by road and rail.
Port Said East holds the Suez Canal Container Terminal, at the northern mouth of the canal. Port Said West handles other traffic. Strong transhipment role, which helps service frequency.
Mediterranean container and general cargo port serving the eastern Delta.
On the Gulf of Suez, and the closest Egyptian port to Cairo by road. For Cairo-bound cargo it can beat the Mediterranean ports on inland cost, because a ship from Jebel Ali reaches it without transiting the Suez Canal.
That last point is worth pausing on. Cargo from Dubai enters the Red Sea and can either discharge at Sokhna, or continue north through the canal to Alexandria, Damietta or Port Said. Sokhna is a shorter voyage. The Mediterranean ports may suit Delta destinations better. Tell us where your buyer actually is.
Containers. 20ft and 40ft dry, high cube, open top, flat rack and reefer. Request at booking.
Cairo International is the main cargo gateway. Since 1 January 2026 air shipments need an ACID like sea shipments do.
| Airport | Code | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cairo International | CAI | Principal cargo gateway |
| Borg El Arab, Alexandria | HBE | Serves the north coast |
| Hurghada | HRG | Red Sea, tourism-driven |
| Sharm El Sheikh | SSH | Sinai, tourism-driven |
Chargeable weight. Airlines charge for weight or space, whichever is bigger. Space becomes a weight figure: length × width × height in cm ÷ 6000.
The change that matters. ACI for air was postponed several times before finally taking effect on 1 January 2026. If you shipped air freight to Egypt in 2024 or 2025 without an ACID, that experience no longer applies.
Most commercial cargo, subject to the two gates above.
| Goods | Notes |
|---|---|
| Machinery and spare parts | Send make, model, serial number, condition |
| Building materials and hardware | Large category. Standards-sensitive |
| Chemicals and plastics | Safety data sheet, classification, usually a permit |
| Electrical goods and appliances | Frequently need GOEIC factory registration |
| Foodstuffs | Health, labelling and shelf-life rules |
| Medicines and medical devices | Registration and approval before import |
| Consumer goods | Check GOEIC scope by product |
| Project and industrial cargo | Moves regularly, especially to the New Administrative Capital and Red Sea developments |
| Vehicles | Strict rules. See below |
For a cargo check, send us: exact description, HS code, maker and factory name, country of origin, packed size and weight, your buyer's details, and whether the factory is GOEIC-registered.
Freight, plus duty, plus 14% VAT on the duty-inclusive value, plus the ACI filing cost.
| Method | Priced by |
|---|---|
| Sea FCL | Per container by size and type |
| Sea LCL | Per CBM or per 1,000 kg, whichever is more |
| Air | Per kg of chargeable weight |
On top of freight: UAE pickup, export handling, CargoX verification and ACI filing fees, insurance, terminal handling, agent fees, customs duty, VAT, storage, demurrage, and inland delivery.
Duty runs on the customs value and varies by HS code. VAT is charged at 14% on the customs value plus the duty, so a higher duty rate raises your VAT too. Contact us for the current vessel schedule or rate
Six cartons, each 60 × 40 × 50 cm and 18 kg.
That is 11% more than the scale weight, caused only by box shape.
This shows how the price is worked out. It is not what your shipment will cost.
For a first shipment, the CargoX verification clock starts before the freight clock.
We do not publish fixed transit times on this route. Schedules move, and a number that was right last quarter misleads you this one. Send us the cargo details and we will give you a current range from the carrier or consolidator actually carrying it.
| Method | Route | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Air | DXB / DWC → CAI | Contact us to check |
| Sea FCL | Jebel Ali → Ain Sokhna | Contact us to check |
| Sea FCL | Jebel Ali → Alexandria | Contact us to check |
| Sea FCL | Jebel Ali → Port Said or Damietta | Contact us to check |
| Sea LCL | Jebel Ali → Alexandria | Contact us to check |
What changes it: whether you are already CargoX-verified, whether the ACID has been issued, whether the ACID appears correctly on every document, which port you use, Suez Canal transit for Mediterranean ports, customs examination, and the inland leg.
For a repeat shipper with registration in place, this is a straightforward lane. For a first-timer it is not, and the delay is administrative rather than physical.
Everything is filed through Nafeza. The ACID number ties it together.
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| ACID number | On every document. Nothing clears without it |
| Commercial invoice | In the official Nafeza structured template, not PDF |
| Packing list | Size and weight per package |
| Bill of lading or air waybill | Showing the ACID |
| Certificate of origin | Showing the ACID |
| Importer's registration and tax details | Your buyer, on Nafeza |
| GOEIC factory registration | Where the product category requires it |
| Product approvals | Food, medicines, devices, telecom equipment |
| Insurance certificate | If insured |
HS codes set your duty rate, your VAT base and whether GOEIC registration or another approval applies. Send us the product details and we will check the code before booking.
| City | Route |
|---|---|
| Cairo and Giza | Sokhna by road, or Alexandria. CAI for air |
| Alexandria | Direct from the port. HBE for air |
| Port Said | Direct from the port |
| Damietta | Direct from the port |
| Suez | Sokhna or Suez port |
| New Administrative Capital | Sokhna, then road |
| Tanta, Mansoura, Zagazig | Alexandria or Damietta, then road |
| Ismailia | Port Said or Sokhna, then road |
| Assiut and Sohag | Alexandria or Sokhna, then road or rail |
| Luxor and Aswan | Alexandria or Sokhna, then road or rail south |
| Hurghada and Marsa Alam | Safaga or Sokhna, then road. HRG for air |
| Sharm El Sheikh | Sokhna, then road. SSH for air |
Egypt applies strict conditions on vehicle imports, including model year restrictions. Confirm the current position before you buy anything.
What does apply with certainty:
The ACI system covers vehicles. An ACID number is required like any other consignment.
Duty and VAT apply on the assessed value, with vehicle rates varying by engine capacity and specification.
Cars travel in containers or on RoRo. The vehicle must be clean, empty of personal items, with papers matching the chassis number.
Send us before booking: make, model, year, chassis number, engine capacity, fuel type, whether new or used, and your importer's details. We confirm the current rules before advising, not after.
Nearly all first-shipment delays are administrative and happen before loading. That is fixable if you start early.
| Problem | Sort it out before |
|---|---|
| Exporter not registered or not verified on CargoX | Accepting the order. Verification takes time |
| No ACID number issued | Booking. Your buyer requests it on Nafeza |
| ACID missing from one of the documents | Despatch. It must be on all of them |
| Commercial invoice in the wrong format | Filing. Nafeza requires a structured template |
| ACID expired | Booking. Valid six months |
| Factory not GOEIC-registered | Placing the order. This takes months |
| Wrong HS code | Booking |
| Air shipment treated as exempt | Booking. Air has needed an ACID since 1 January 2026 |
| Declared value queried | Invoicing |
| Wrong port for the buyer's location | Booking |
Yes, for every shipment. The ACID is a 19-digit Advance Cargo Information Declaration number. Your Egyptian buyer obtains it on the Nafeza platform using a proforma invoice, and it must appear on your commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin and transport document.
You do. Nafeza is the platform for Egyptian importers. CargoX is the platform for foreign exporters. You need to register and complete company verification before you can file ACI documents, and verification is not instant, so start before you need it.
Yes, since 1 January 2026. It applied to sea freight from October 2021 and air was postponed several times before taking effect. If you shipped air to Egypt before 2026 without an ACID, that experience no longer applies.
It can be refused entry, held, or returned. The system is designed so that customs assess risk before the goods ship, which means the problem surfaces at loading rather than on arrival. That is better for you, but only if you have planned for it.
For many product categories the foreign factory that made the goods must be registered with GOEIC before the goods can clear. It belongs to the manufacturer, not to you or your buyer, and it takes months. Confirm your supplier's factory is registered before placing the order.
It depends where your buyer is. Ain Sokhna on the Gulf of Suez is closest to Cairo by road and does not require a Suez Canal transit from Dubai. Alexandria, Damietta and Port Said sit on the Mediterranean and suit Delta destinations. Landing on the wrong side adds inland cost.
Sea FCL per container, LCL per cubic metre or per 1,000 kg whichever is more, air per kg of chargeable weight. Add customs duty on the customs value, VAT at 14% on the customs value plus duty, and the ACI filing fees. Compare landed cost, not freight quotes.
Egypt applies strict conditions on vehicle imports, including model year restrictions. We verify the current position before advising rather than publishing figures that change. What is certain is that the ACI system covers vehicles like any other consignment.
Send the goods description, HS code, package count, sizes, weights, UAE pickup address, delivery city and ready date. Tell us whether you are already CargoX-verified and whether your buyer has an ACID number. If this is your first shipment to Egypt, tell us that too. The registration takes longer than the sailing.