Author
While applications from Palestinians, Sudanese and Eritreans are considered in the Egyptian context as well-founded, this does not amount to more immediate access to protection or rights. What it entails is that their asylum application has to be less detailed as the respective country contexts are recognised as situations of war.
Palestine
Palestinians in Egypt face persisting challenges related to their legal residency. The process of renewing their permits is complex, and failing to meet the required conditions can result in the permanent loss of legal status. Movement through the Rafah crossing remains restricted due to political and security considerations,[1] which continues to obstruct thousands of Palestinians, especially patients, students and those with foreign residency. In the labor market, Palestinians are not allowed to work in public sector jobs and encounter security-related barriers in the private sector. Any attempt to start a business requires an Egyptian partner.[2] In education, Palestinians struggle with high tuition fees and complex admission procedures. Public healthcare services are not provided free of charge, which adds to their financial burden.
Palestinians arriving from Syria face an even more precarious situation as they are not included in the mandate of UNRWA or UNHCR. This leaves them in a legal vacuum with no access to protection or basic services, and at risk of forced return.[3]
After October 7, 2023, following the outbreak of the war in Gaza, scores of Palestinians were evacuated to Egypt through security coordination and were granted a 45-day temporary residence permit upon arrival. However, when this permit expired, the Egyptian authorities did not issue any decision to regularize their legal status. As a result, they lost access to essential services and freedom of movement. The Refugees Platform in Egypt, along with local human rights organizations, documented the authorities’ refusal to issue residence permits to these Palestinians, exposing them to violations including exploitation and denial of education and healthcare.[4]
This legal exclusion is not a recent development. The Egyptian government has never established a stable legal framework that guarantees the rights of Palestinians. Their status has long depended on shifting regional political dynamics. With no recognition from UNHCR and no access to UNRWA services in Egypt, they remain without legal protection at both the national and international levels. As regional crises worsen, Palestinians in Egypt continue to live in legal uncertainty, which requires urgent action to safeguard their basic rights and protect them from further harm.
Syria
The past year saw major changes in the Egyptian state’s policies toward Syrians residing in the country, reflected clearly in stricter residency and visa procedures and the imposition of new fees on various categories.[5] In August 2024, the Egyptian authorities canceled the previous exemptions that Syrians had enjoyed from visa and residency fees, and began collecting new fees amounting to 25 USD per application. In September 2024, Syrian students were surprised by a massive increase in student residency fees, which rose by more than 200 percent to 7,000 Egyptian pounds instead of 2,100, without any prior official announcement. This placed many students under additional financial pressure that threatens their ability to continue their education.[6]
The situation became even more complicated following the issuance of an internal order to deport any Syrian detained by security forces, regardless of their legal status and whether they are recognized refugees or hold valid legal residency. According to human rights reports, Egyptian authorities deported three Syrians who had celebrated the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, raising growing concerns about Syrians being targeted based on their political views.[7] This shift reflects a significant change in the Egyptian state’s treatment of Syrians, whose presence in the country has become more restricted and subject to strict security oversight.
In addition to the residency restrictions, on 14 December 2024, the Egyptian authorities issued a decision to cancel the previous exemptions granted to Syrians holding residencies in the United States, Schengen countries, the United Kingdom, and Canada. A prior security clearance became a mandatory condition for all Syrians entering Egypt. The decision was applied immediately and without prior announcement, which led to many Syrians being denied entry, with some being returned from Egyptian airports because they were unaware of the new procedures.[8]
On 29 December 2024, the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority issued a circular to all airlines and travel agencies requiring them to prevent Syrians from traveling to Egypt from any country, except for those holding temporary residency permits for non-tourism purposes.[9] The circular also imposed financial penalties on airlines that violated these instructions. This decision disrupted the travel plans of many Syrians, including families who had been living in Egypt and relied on regular travel between Egypt and other countries.
At the same time, the Red Sea Ports Authority announced an Egyptian-Jordanian cooperation to facilitate the return of Syrians to their country through the Nuweiba seaport.[10] The first group of 40 people departed on the ferry “Ayla” and was transported by a Jordanian company to the Jaber border crossing between Jordan and Syria. While some media outlets indicated that these operations were voluntary, it was not possible to confirm that no forced deportations had taken place. Amid these developments, Egyptian security forces carried out a series of arrests targeting Syrians.[11] The most notable was the arrest of Syrian activist Laith Faris Al-Zoubi in Hurghada, after he published a video demanding that the Syrian consul in Egypt lower the Syrian regime’s flag and raise the flag of the Syrian revolution.[12]
These developments represent a clear trend of restricting the presence of Syrian nationals in Egypt, whether through stricter residency and visa measures or policies that effectively reduce the number of Syrians in the country. Whilst the reasons behind these actions remain unclear, they have become a serious concern for the thousands of Syrians who have made Egypt their home over the past years.
Sudan
Before the outbreak of war in Sudan in 2023, Sudanese nationals were allowed to enter Egypt without having secured a visa, under certain conditions. Entry was permitted for women and children, as well as males under the age of 16 or over the age of 50. However, entry for these individuals was conditional on holding a valid passport with at least six months of validity and presenting a yellow fever vaccination certificate. Upon arrival at the Egyptian border, they would receive an entry stamp after paying the required fees, in accordance with the agreement on freedom of movement, residence, work, and property signed between Egypt and Sudan in April 2004, known as the “Four Freedoms Agreement”.[13]
For other categories, particularly males aged between 16 and 50, entry into Egypt required obtaining a prior visa. This visa could be requested from the Egyptian consulate in Wadi Halfa. At the start of the conflict in April 2023, Egyptian authorities continued to apply the Four Freedoms Agreement, which allowed some Sudanese to cross without prior procedures. However, the slow pace of movement during the first two weeks led to overcrowding of displaced people at the border crossings.[14]
On May 25, Egyptian authorities issued a decision to stop recognizing temporary travel documents issued to Sudanese nationals. These documents had been in use since the start of the armed conflict in Sudan, and Egyptian authorities had previously allowed their holders to cross the border following routine procedures. This was a crucial channel for elderly people, children, and patients who did not hold valid passports to enter Egypt.[15]
The Sudanese authorities had issued emergency travel documents in cases of expired or lost passports for those eligible to enter Egypt without a prior visa—namely women, children under 16, and men over 50—through Sudanese passport offices located near the border. On June 7, 2023, Egypt issued another decision requiring those previously exempt from visa requirements under the Four Freedoms Agreement to obtain a prior visa starting June 10. This escalated the crisis for displaced people and effectively closed the northern border to most of them. Notably, this decision was issued on the same day that the Egyptian Cabinet announced its approval of the draft law on the status of foreign asylum.[16]
In September 2024, Egyptian authorities imposed new restrictions on Sudanese nationals arriving from third countries.[17] These included the requirement to obtain prior “security approval” in addition to a visa. According to a notice from the Passports and Immigration Administration, affiliated with the Egyptian Ministry of Interior, Sudanese passengers arriving in Egypt must obtain both a prior entry visa and a security clearance from Egyptian embassies in the countries from which they are traveling, effective as of September 18, 2024. This decision also revoked previous instructions that allowed Sudanese entry with a visa alone, provided they had proof of residence in Gulf countries or European Union states. However, this decision does not apply to travelers coming directly from Sudan. The most recent decision still in effect allows Sudanese nationals holding prior entry visas issued by the Egyptian embassy in Sudan to enter without needing additional security clearance.[18]
[1] Palestinian News Agency: Egypt to open Rafah border only to return Gazans, August 2021, available here
[2] Labor Ministry Resolution No 700 of 2006, available here
[3] ARIJ, ‘Syrian-Palestinians in Egypt: When children are kept out of the classroom in the name of the law, July 2024, available here
[4] The Refugee Platform in Egypt: ‘Urgent government action is required regarding residency permits for Gaza residents in Egypt’, December 2023, available here
[5] Syria TV, ‘Disappointment for Syrians: Egypt issues new decision on foreigners’ residency’, August 2024, available here
[6] The Refugees Platform in Egypt, ‘A case report and legal memorandum on the Egyptian government’s decisions regarding the entry and residence of Syrians’, March 2025, available here
[7] EIPR condemns the arrest of Syrians celebrating the fall of Assad, voices concern over the potential deportation, December 2024, available here
[8] The Refugees Platform in Egypt, ‘A case report and legal memorandum on the Egyptian government’s decisions regarding the entry and residence of Syrians’, March 2025, available here
[9] News report: Egypt [imposes] New requirements for Syrian entry, January 2025, available here
[10] The Red Sea Ports Authority: press statement, December 2024, available here
[11] EIPR condemns the arrest of Syrians celebrating the fall of Assad, voices concern over the potential deportation, December 2024, available here
[12] News report: Syrian Activist Laith Al-Zoubi Arrested in Egypt Over Revolutionary Flag Incident, January 2025, available here
[13] Law No 144 of 2004 on the agreement on freedom of movement, residence, work, and ownership between the governments of Egypt and Sudan, available here
[14] The Refugees Platform in Egypt, ‘From Sudan to Egypt: Status report’, April 2023, available here
[15] The Refugees Platform in Egypt, ‘Congestion and Crossing Crisis at Egyptian-Sudanese Borders’, May 2023, available here
[16] The Refugees Platform in Egypt, ‘From Sudan to Egypt: Egyptian Decisions Spark High-Risk Irregular Migration Movement’, March 2024, available here
[17] News report: ‘New restrictions on the entry of Sudanese nationals into Egypt’, September 2024, available here
[18] Ibid.