How to Receive USD in Egypt: Business Guide (2026)

Key takeaways

Article 212 of Law No. 194 of 2020 lets any person or company retain any amount of foreign currency and make transfers in and out, through banks or licensed entities.
Since 6 March 2024 the Central Bank of Egypt has allowed the exchange rate to be determined by market forces.
Exporters of the goods listed under Decision No. 273 of 2025 and Decree No. 235 of 2013 must receive the full value in foreign currency through a bank in Egypt before shipment.
An Egyptian IBAN has 29 characters, and since 30 June 2020 Egyptian banks have required an IBAN for transfers.
Egyptian banks' weekly holiday is Friday and Saturday, so a dollar wire sent from the US on a Thursday afternoon may not be credited until Sunday.
Article 206 of Law No. 194 of 2020 prohibits trading or operating platforms for cryptocurrencies without a CBE license, so stablecoins are not a route for receiving payment in Egypt.

How to receive USD in Egypt: the short answer

An Egyptian business receives US dollars by bank wire into a foreign currency account at a bank in Egypt, or into USD account details abroad from a provider that accepts Egyptian customers. The bank route works for every business. The provider route suits agencies, software firms and freelancers whose US clients prefer to pay by ACH, the low-cost US domestic transfer system.

The steps for a typical payment from a US client are:

Open a US dollar account at your bank in Egypt in the company's registered name and get its IBAN, the bank's SWIFT code and the bank's US correspondent details.
Put those details, the invoice number and the agreed charge code on every invoice.
The payer sends a wire. It settles in the United States on Fedwire, the Federal Reserve's system for large dollar payments, and travels to Egypt by SWIFT, the network banks use for cross-border payments.
Your bank credits the dollar account, usually after checking the purpose of the payment, and you keep the dollars or sell them for Egyptian pounds at the bank's rate.

Exporters of goods on Egypt's export-proceeds list follow a stricter sequence, with payment through an Egyptian bank before shipment. For the full account options, including the US company route, see our guide to USD business accounts in Egypt.

Egyptian rules on receiving and keeping dollars

Part Five of Law No. 194 of 2020, the law of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) and the banking sector, sets the foreign exchange rules. In the English translation published by Andersen Egypt, the provisions that matter for receiving dollars are these.

Rule	What it says	What it means when you are paid in USD
Article 211	The pound's exchange rate is determined by supply and demand in the foreign exchange market	Your bank quotes its own buying rate when you convert
Article 212	Any natural or legal person may retain any amount of foreign currency and make inward and outward transfers through banks or licensed entities	You may keep the dollars you receive rather than sell them
Article 212	Domestic transactions must be conducted in Egyptian pounds unless an exception applies	Invoice foreign clients in USD, but local sales in pounds
Article 215	Banks report all foreign exchange operations to the CBE	Expect your bank to ask for the purpose and documents of each receipt
Article 206	Issuing, trading or promoting cryptocurrencies, or operating platforms for them, is prohibited without a CBE Board license	Do not accept USDT or USDC as payment
Decision No. 273 of 2025	Added 65 commodities to the list of exports whose full value must be paid in convertible foreign currency through a bank in Egypt	For listed goods, a payment into an account abroad does not satisfy the rule

Sources: Law No. 194 of 2020, English translation by Andersen Egypt; RegAlert text of Decision No. 273 of 2025. As published on 29 October 2026. The Arabic text in the Official Gazette is authoritative.

On 6 March 2024 the CBE's Monetary Policy Committee announced that it would allow the exchange rate to be determined by market forces, describing the unification of the exchange rate as crucial to clearing foreign exchange backlogs. For a business paid in dollars, this means the rate your bank offers moves with the market, so compare quotes before converting large amounts.

Exporters of listed goods

Ministerial Decree No. 235 of 2013 lists goods whose full export value must be paid in convertible foreign currency through a bank in Egypt, and Decision No. 273 of 2025 added 65 commodities to it, such as flour, polypropylene, methanol, fertilizers and soybean oil. Payment must be by documentary credit, full transfer before shipment or a bank's guaranteed method, and the exporter gives customs a bank certificate before the goods leave. Check the customs codes with your bank before you agree payment terms with a buyer. Our page for exporters covers how collections work in other markets.

Your options for receiving USD

The table compares the routes open to an Egyptian business. It is not a ranking: most companies keep their bank account in Egypt and add one other route for clients who want to pay by ACH.

Route	Who it suits	How the payer pays	Points to check
Foreign currency account at a bank in Egypt	Every business; required for listed export goods	SWIFT wire to your IBAN	Bank's inward charges and buying rate; documents for each receipt
USD account details from a provider abroad	Agencies, software firms, freelancers	ACH or wire to US details	Whether the provider accepts Egypt and companies; withdrawal cost to Egypt
Card or platform payout	Freelancers on marketplaces	Through the platform	Platform and withdrawal fees
Letter of credit or documentary collection	Exporters of goods	Through the buyer's bank	Bank charges; documents must match exactly
USDT or USDC	Not available	Not applicable	Article 206 prohibits crypto activity without a CBE license

Sources: Law No. 194 of 2020 (Andersen Egypt translation); providers' own pages. As published on 29 October 2026.

A documentary credit, or letter of credit, is a bank's promise to pay the exporter when the shipping documents match the agreed terms. Documentary collection sends the documents through the banks, and the buyer receives them only after paying. For how buyers abroad choose between these methods, see our guide on receiving USD from overseas buyers.

What to give the payer

Egyptian banks adopted the IBAN standard in 2020. IBAN, the International Bank Account Number, identifies an account across borders. As reported by Daily News Egypt, an Egyptian IBAN has 29 characters: the country code EG, two check digits that catch typing errors, and the domestic bank account code. The same report states that from 30 June 2020 transfers would not be accepted without an IBAN.

Field on the invoice	What to write	Common mistake
Beneficiary name	The company's registered name exactly as on the account	A brand name or an English spelling that differs from the bank record
Beneficiary IBAN	29 characters starting EG, written without spaces	The old account number without the IBAN
Beneficiary bank and SWIFT code	The bank's full legal name, branch and 8 or 11 character SWIFT code	A code for a different branch or bank
Intermediary (correspondent) bank	The US bank your bank uses for dollars, with its SWIFT code	Left out, so the payment routes slowly
Payment reference	Invoice number and a short description of the service or goods	No reference, so the bank asks for the purpose
Charges code	OUR, if the contract says the payer bears all fees	SHA by default, so the amount arrives short

Sources: Daily News Egypt, 4 July 2020, on the IBAN standard; field list compiled by the Helm Editorial Team. As published on 29 October 2026.

OUR, SHA and BEN are SWIFT charge codes. OUR means the sender pays all fees. SHA means fees are shared, so intermediary fees come out of the amount. BEN means the receiver pays them all. Check your bank's SWIFT code with our SWIFT code lookup before you print it on an invoice.

How long a USD payment takes to arrive

A dollar wire needs a business day in New York and a business day in Egypt. The two calendars overlap less than many payers expect.

Step	Timing	What can delay it
Payer's bank sends the wire on Fedwire	Fedwire accepts customer transfers until 6:45 p.m. Eastern Time and closes at 7:00 p.m.	US weekend or Federal Reserve holiday
Correspondent bank forwards the payment by SWIFT	Same or next business day	Compliance checks; missing intermediary details
Egyptian bank credits the account	On an Egyptian banking day, Sunday to Thursday	Friday and Saturday weekly holiday; Egyptian public holidays; questions about the purpose
Bank customer service hours	8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on regular working days; 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Ramadan	Shorter hours in Ramadan

Sources: Federal Reserve Financial Services, Fedwire Funds Service operating hours; CBE Regulation Book 1.7, working hours. As published on 29 October 2026.

Because Egyptian banks close on Friday and Saturday and Fedwire closes on Saturday and Sunday, a wire sent from the US on a Thursday afternoon may not be credited until Sunday, and a wire sent on a Friday in New York usually arrives on the following Sunday or Monday. Ask clients to pay a few business days before the date you need the money, especially before Egyptian holidays and US federal holidays.

What it costs: published charges

Each bank and provider publishes its own charges. The tables show examples, as an indication of what to compare.

Mashreq Egypt item	Published charge
Inward foreign currency transfer credited to a foreign currency account	0.1%, minimum $2, maximum $10
Inward remittance credited to a pound account	0.1%, minimum EGP 5, maximum EGP 50
Export documentary collection, handling commission	0.25%, minimum $50
Export letter of credit, advising	$50 for a Mashreq client
Export letter of credit, payment or negotiation	0.3%, minimum $75

Source: Mashreq Egypt, corporate service charges. As published on 29 October 2026. Other banks set their own charges.

At these rates a $15,000 wire credited to a dollar account costs $10, because the cap applies. The larger cost is often outside your bank: on SHA terms, intermediary banks can deduct fees before the money arrives, and when you sell dollars the bank's buying rate decides how many pounds you receive.

Provider	Receiving USD	Moving money to Egypt
Payoneer	Free into a local currency receiving account; 1% for a payer's US ACH bank debit; up to 3.99% plus $0.49 by card	Withdrawals with conversion 1.2% to 4%; annual fee $29.95 for accounts receiving under $6,000 in 12 consecutive months
Grey	0.8% on ACH deposits, minimum $2, maximum $10	Conversion 1%, capped at $6; Egypt withdrawal fee $2
Raenest	Flat $2 on ACH receipts	Withdrawal to an Egyptian bank; fee not stated on the page

Sources: Payoneer fees page (last updated 1 January 2026) and pricing page; Grey, Egypt freelancer guide; Raenest, receiving payments from the US in Egypt (1 July 2026). As published on 29 October 2026.

Providers and eligibility for Egypt

Not every well-known provider serves Egypt. The statements below come from each provider's own pages.

Wise does not list Egypt among countries where customers can hold money.
Airwallex does not list Egypt as a supported registration location and states that unlisted locations cannot be processed.
Payoneer describes receiving accounts as bank details in a specific country and currency; its FAQ states that payments must come from business accounts and that receiving accounts can receive but not send funds.
Grey describes a personal sign-up for Egypt that generates an account number and routing number, with withdrawal to a local Egyptian bank.
Raenest describes a US account number and routing number in the user's name, with conversion to Egyptian pounds and withdrawal to an Egyptian bank.

Most of these services are built for individuals. A company should check whether the provider opens accounts in the company's name and whether the US details carry the company name as beneficiary, because a US client's accounts payable team usually checks that the beneficiary matches the invoice. Provider pages used: Wise country list, Airwallex eligible countries, Payoneer receiving accounts FAQ, Grey Egypt and Raenest Egypt.

Where Helm fits, and a checklist

Helm is a financial technology company, not a bank. Accounts are held with regulated partner institutions. Helm provides USD account details in your company's own name, with a US routing and account number that receives ACH, Fedwire and SWIFT payments, so a US client can pay an Egyptian agency or software firm as it pays any US vendor. Dollars can be held in USD, converted, or sent to the company's bank in Egypt. Each account has a named account manager, and Helm agrees pricing in writing before the account opens.

Two Egyptian rules set the limits. Exporters of listed goods must still be paid through a bank in Egypt before shipment, so a Helm account does not replace that bank for those shipments. And although Helm accounts support USDC and USDT elsewhere, Article 206 of Law No. 194 of 2020 prohibits crypto activity in Egypt without a CBE license, so stablecoins are not a route for an Egyptian company.

Checklist

Open a USD account in the company's registered name and get the IBAN, SWIFT code and correspondent details in writing.
Check whether your goods are on the export-proceeds list before agreeing payment terms.
Put the 29 character IBAN, SWIFT code, correspondent bank and invoice number on every invoice.
Agree OUR charges in the contract when the exact amount matters.
Ask clients to pay a few business days early around Friday and Saturday and holidays in both countries.
Compare your bank's buying rate with the market before converting large receipts.
Keep contracts and invoices ready, because your bank reports each foreign exchange operation to the CBE.

Open a Helm account

USD, EUR and GBP accounts in your company's name, with a named account manager.

Open account

Questions

How do I receive USD in Egypt?

Give the payer your company's Egyptian IBAN, your bank's SWIFT code and its US correspondent bank, and have the wire credited to a US dollar account at your bank in Egypt. Service firms and freelancers can also use US account details from a provider that accepts Egyptian customers.

Can an Egyptian company keep dollars instead of converting them?

Yes. Article 212 of Law No. 194 of 2020 lets any natural or legal person retain any amount of foreign currency and make inward and outward transfers through banks or licensed entities. Domestic transactions must still be conducted in Egyptian pounds.

How many characters is an Egyptian IBAN?

An Egyptian IBAN has 29 characters: the country code EG, two check digits and the domestic bank account code. Egyptian banks adopted the IBAN in 2020 and require it for transfers.

How long does a USD wire to Egypt take?

The wire settles on Fedwire in the US, is forwarded by SWIFT the same or next business day, and is credited on an Egyptian banking day if the correspondent details are correct. Egyptian banks' weekly holiday is Friday and Saturday, so a wire sent late in the US week may be credited on Sunday or Monday.

What do Egyptian banks charge to receive a USD transfer?

Each bank publishes its own charges. Mashreq Egypt lists 0.1% of the amount, minimum $2 and maximum $10, for an inward foreign currency transfer credited to a foreign currency account. Intermediary banks may also deduct fees unless the payer pays on OUR terms.

Do Egyptian exporters have to receive payment through an Egyptian bank?

For goods on the export-proceeds list, yes. Decision No. 273 of 2025 added 65 commodities to the list under Decree No. 235 of 2013, whose full value must be paid in foreign currency through a bank in Egypt, with a bank certificate given to customs before shipment.

Can I open a Wise account in Egypt to receive USD?

Wise does not list Egypt among countries where customers can hold money. Airwallex also does not list Egypt as a supported registration location, so check each provider's own eligibility page before applying.

Can I receive USDT or USDC in Egypt?

Article 206 of Law No. 194 of 2020 prohibits issuing, trading or promoting cryptocurrencies, or operating platforms for them, without a license from the CBE Board. Egyptian businesses should not accept stablecoins as payment.

Is the Egyptian pound exchange rate fixed?

No. On 6 March 2024 the Central Bank of Egypt announced that it would allow the exchange rate to be determined by market forces. Banks quote their own buying rate when you convert dollars to pounds.

References

HelmHelm is a business account for companies that trade internationally: USD, EUR and GBP accounts, international payments, collections and currency exchange, with a named account manager. Questions: [email protected].

This guide is general information for businesses, not financial, legal or tax advice. Rules, fees and timings were checked against the sources listed on the review date and may change.

How to receive USD in Egypt