Offices for sale in Egypt

The first question on any Egyptian office is whether the unit is licensed as administrative — مكتب إداري — or is a residential flat being used as one. The second is far more common than buyers realise, and it is not the same asset.

Egypt has a large informal office market: apartments in Mohandessin, Dokki and Nasr City occupied by small firms for decades. They trade at residential prices and carry a risk that purpose-built administrative units do not.

Licensed administrative unit, or a flat in use as an office

Ask for the licence and check what use it permits.
A residential unit used commercially can face objection from other owners in the building, and the building's bylaws may prohibit it outright.
Utility tariffs differ between residential and commercial use, and a reclassification can be backdated.
Some activities require sector licensing on top of the building use — medical, educational and food-related uses in particular.
On resale, the buyer pool for an unlicensed office flat is limited to people willing to take the same risk.

None of this means avoid them. It means the discount should be real and deliberate rather than accidental.

Where office demand actually is

Area	Character
Fifth Settlement / New Cairo	The modern corporate cluster — purpose-built administrative buildings.
Smart Village / Sheikh Zayed	Technology and multinational back-office demand.
New Capital Downtown	New supply, tenant demand tied to relocation pace.
Mohandessin, Dokki, Agouza	The informal market — converted flats, small firms, long-established.
Nasr City, Heliopolis	Mixed, with genuine local professional demand.
Maadi	NGOs, embassies, multinationals — a distinct and stable tenant base.

What makes an office lettable

Floor plate and column layout. An awkward shape is hard to let at any rent.
Parking ratio. In Cairo this is frequently the deciding factor for a tenant.
Power supply and whether there is a generator covering the unit.
Lift capacity and waiting times in the building.
Fit-out. Most offices sell core-and-shell; establish who pays for fit-out and how it is amortised in the lease.
Internet — actual fibre to the building, not a promise.
Reception and security presence, which matters to corporate tenants.

Common questions

Can I use a residential apartment as an office in Egypt?

It happens widely, but it depends on the building's bylaws and the unit's licensed use, and it can be objected to by other owners. Establish the licensed use before buying.

Can foreigners buy an office in Egypt?

Not straightforwardly in a personal name. Commercial purchases by non-Egyptians are normally structured through an Egyptian company.

Are offices delivered finished?

Usually not. Core-and-shell is the norm, and fit-out is a substantial extra cost that should be in your numbers from the start.

Last reviewed September 2026. Prices, tax rates, residency thresholds and ownership rules in Egypt change frequently — verify anything you are relying on.