Commercial property and offices in the New Administrative Capital
Commercial property is a different asset class from residential in Egypt, with different tenancy law, different tax treatment, and — for foreign buyers — a different ownership route entirely.
The New Capital's commercial core is Downtown and the Financial District, sold largely as office and retail units inside mixed-use towers. The pitch is capturing tenants as government and business relocate. The risk is the same timing question as the residential districts, with a longer lease cycle.
What is on the market
| Type | Arabic | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Office unit | مكتب إداري | Sold by the metre inside administrative towers; often core-and-shell. |
| Retail / shop | محل تجاري | Ground and first floor in mixed-use blocks. Footfall is the whole question. |
| Medical unit | عيادة | Clinic floors in dedicated medical towers. |
| Whole floor | دور كامل | Larger tickets, usually sold to occupiers or funds. |
How commercial differs from residential
- Foreign ownership. Law 230 of 1996 frames foreign ownership around residential use. Commercial acquisition by a non-Egyptian is normally structured through an Egyptian company, which has its own tax, reporting and governance consequences and needs proper advice before you commit.
- Tenancy. Commercial leases operate under a different framework from residential, with their own renewal and goodwill considerations. Get advice specific to commercial letting rather than assuming residential rules apply.
- Tax. Rental income, VAT treatment and the annual real estate tax all work differently for commercial property.
- Yield and vacancy. Commercial vacancy is longer between tenants and the fit-out cost falls somewhere — establish where in the lease.
What decides value in a commercial unit
- Footfall for retail, and the anchor tenants around it. A shop unit in a tower with no occupied offices above it has no customers.
- Floor plate and column layout for offices — a badly shaped unit is hard to let at any price.
- Parking ratio in the building.
- Whether the tower is delivered and occupied, or selling into an empty shell.
- Service charge and how it is apportioned between office and retail.
- The developer's record on commercial delivery specifically, which is often different from their residential record.
Owner listings on this site
Common questions
Can a foreigner buy an office in Egypt?
Not straightforwardly in a personal name — Law 230 is framed around residential use. Commercial purchases by non-Egyptians are normally made through an Egyptian company. Take advice before committing funds.
Are New Capital offices a good investment?
They depend on tenant demand arriving as businesses relocate. Until the towers around yours are occupied, both letting and resale are difficult.
Is retail or office the better buy?
Retail lives or dies on footfall, which does not exist until the offices fill. Offices depend on relocation pace. Both are bets on the same underlying question, with retail the more leveraged of the two.
Last reviewed September 2026. Prices, tax rates, residency thresholds and ownership rules in Egypt change frequently — verify anything you are relying on.