If you don’t live in a country that imposes exorbitant fees on smartphones, consider yourself lucky, because there are a number of countries that impose fees that may reach double the price of the phone itself, as if punishing the owners of this technology that has become essential for keeping up with development. Just as Apple presented the argument of preserving the environment and removing the charger from the contents of the phone box, these countries have arguments such as fighting smuggling and the greed of merchants. Egypt has recently joined these countries, and the Egyptian government decided to impose fees on mobile phones imported from abroad in order to regulate the market and protect consumers from unlicensed or smuggled phones, in addition to increasing public revenues. According to the decision, these fees will be applied starting in January 2025 to all phones that are not registered through the application. Learn with us about this application and what are the fees imposed on the iPhone.
Screenshot
This is a video from Egypt's Deputy Minister of Finance explaining some information about the new decisions regarding the application of taxes on smartphones.
Mobile app
The National Telecom Regulatory Authority in Egypt launched the “Telefoni” application for registering phones received from abroad on the Apple App Store for iPhones and the Google Play Store for Android phones, in preparation for the start of applying the fees imposed on these phones starting in January 2025.
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The app allows you to register and manage your mobile devices easily, conveniently and securely. You can simply check your passport and device number (IMEI), and even pay fees directly from the app! If you need to request an exemption, you can do that too.
What is IMEI number?
The IMEI number, which stands for “International Mobile Equipment Identity,” is a unique 15-digit code assigned to each mobile device. This number is considered a digital fingerprint for the device, as it is used to identify and verify the device, especially when connecting to a telecom network. This means that this number is associated with each SIM card you have, and each card has its own IMEI number. So if your device has two SIM cards, then you have two IMEI numbers, and therefore telecom companies can identify each card. If your device has an eSIM, this also has its own IMEI number, but it is only one number even if you can add more than one eSIM.
Telecom companies distinguish the device with this number. For example, if your device is stolen, the telecom company can identify it even if the thief changes the SIM card and phone number, and even if he reformats the device, this number does not change.
To know the IMEI number or numbers of your device, the matter is simple, and this is the easiest way.
Just open the phone app and call the number…
* # # 06
If you want to copy the IMEI numbers, you can go to iPhone Settings, then General, then About Device, and you will find the IMEI numbers and you can copy them by long pressing on the number
Now that you have the IMEI number, you can open a phone app and make sure that your device is free of any charges.
Open a phone app, and on the main interface you can put the IMEI number to make sure there are no charges on it.
If there are no charges on it, it will show you that the phone is registered and the charges will be zero…
If there are fees, it will show you that the device is not registered and the fees are…
Taxes or registration fees for iPhones in Egypt
The cost of registering an iPhone ranges from 3000 to 25000 Egyptian pounds, which comes to about $500.
For example, the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which was released more than four years ago, has a fee of 7500 pounds.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max, which was released more than three years ago, has a price tag double that of its predecessor, at 13000 pounds.
There are still some vague things in the decisions, and things will certainly become clear in the coming days, because there are some problems as some users explained that their device has fees even though it is their personal device that they have been using for years.
ربنا يكون بعون الشعب المصري أم دنيا راح فيها
Totally unjustified fees, nothing but taxes and sharing people's property without any right.
If they had the right to impose fees for breathing air, they would have done so...!!!!
Increasing the pressure on the Arab peoples in every possible way will lead to an explosion and the day will come when the peoples will rise up to liberate themselves from corruption and injustice, without a doubt. The same applies to this application, whose name has been changed to a tasteless and odorless name. Moreover, the creativity in the number and form of suffocating ads has become unreasonable. I hope you take my comment with an open mind and may God bless you and reward you with all good.
If they found a way to put taxes and fees on the air we breathe, they would have done so!!
Enough defending the thieving regime that is never satisfied. Enough theft and debts on the shoulders of the poor people. May God take them and rid us of such garbage regimes.
May God help you. By God, these are unjustified fees and taxes. They should be working on raising the value of the currency and supporting the local product, not looting the money of weak citizens. I ask God to relieve you.
Ya Mufleh 🙋♂️, we feel what you feel and understand your anger. However, economic matters are complicated and sometimes it is difficult to understand the decisions made by governments. We hope that things will improve in the future. Keep your good mood and smile 🍏😊.
May God suffice me and He is the best disposer of affairs against you, Sisi, you thief and traitor
Peace be upon you, I am from Libya and I want to go to Egypt. I have my iPhone 16. Am I required to pay fees? Thank you for your interest.
No, there is a 90 day grace period for tourism.
Young Egyptians, don’t worry. If the decision is implemented, the system must be reset every year, otherwise tourism will suffer. Remember my words very well.
Türkiye, before you, and against their will, they zero out the system every year, especially for modern devices.
Hi
Ok, if I am a tourist and I came to Egypt for tourism, does this decision apply to me?
Peace be upon you, Abdul Mohsen Al-Yafei 🌷, if you will only use your personal phone during your visit to Egypt, this decision does not apply to you. However, if you are planning to bring a new phone that is not already registered in Egypt, the decision may apply to it. Enjoy your visit and don't forget to tour the pyramids! 🏜️📱😉
The aim of the application is that mobile companies that manufacture mobile devices in Egypt complained to the government about smuggling operations that affect manufacturing inside Egypt. But the question is, let's assume that a person finds out that his device has a tax on it. What will force him to pay? Maybe he will "get his head around it"?
According to the person in charge... if the due tax is not paid within 90 days... the mobile will not work after this specified period.
Telecom companies will cut off his service after 90 days, until he pays the tax.
Thank you for your interest and continuous effort.
Accordingly, do you think it is appropriate to download the aforementioned program?
Welcome Men Agle Zalek 😊, of course, downloading the “Telefoni” app is a wise and necessary step in light of the new decisions. It helps you register your device and make sure there are no fees due on it. Go and download the app, and don’t forget to come back to us with new news! 📲👍
This will be applied to phones entering the country starting from January 2025, XNUMX.
Gentlemen, do I understand correctly or wrongly?
I mean, our phones that we have had for a long time and bought from here and have been working for years are not included in this talk. Is that true or what?
Thank you all
Welcome Men Agle Zalek 🍏! You understand perfectly well. This decision will include phones that will enter the country starting from January 2025, and will not include the phones that you have had for a long time and bought from here. Basically, these fees are set on devices imported from abroad to control the mobile market and limit smuggling. So, you can rest assured, your iPhone is safe 😄📱! Thank you for your comment and questions.
We want an application for the New Year
As I said in the first comment, these fees will be on mobile phones that have not entered the country until January 1st and no SIM card has been installed, whether actual or virtual.
Dear Sirs, please pay close attention.
After downloading the application and before creating an account
There is a place that asks you to check your IMEI number to clarify the registration status (and you can check up to 10 numbers). After entering the number, you click on CHECK or check. Your mobile model, type, and registration status will appear.
***Thank God, all the family phones are registered*****
Welcome Mohsen Abu Al Nour, 🙋♂️
Thank you for your detailed explanation of the registration verification process through the app. I am sure that such information will help many of our users to verify the registration status of their phones. 📲👌
Feel free to share any additional tips or information in the future! 😄
Dear admin
What is it but a new method of taxation!?
There is no respectable country that practices these methods except to preserve the local industry, which is supposed to compete with foreign products.
This does not apply in any way to this decision.
Hello Ahmed Hashem Othman 🙋♂️, Thank you for contacting us and expressing your valuable opinion. Of course, fee decisions differ from one country to another and express their financial and economic policies. Sometimes, this type of fee is applied to protect the local industry or to control the market and other reasons. We remain to follow the developments of this issue in Egypt and hope that it will be in the interest of the consumer in the end. 😊💪📱
I understand from this that it is mandatory for every iPhone holder to download the application and enter his data on it, even if he has had the phone for years.
Hi Rania 🌷, don't worry, it's not necessary to enter your data into the app if you bought the device years ago. The main idea here is to regulate the market and protect consumers from unlicensed or smuggled phones. The "Telefoni" app will focus on registering phones imported from abroad starting in January 2025. But if you've had your device for years, there's no need to worry 😌📱.
After the spelling correction: Double injustice to people to solve economic problems that they are not guilty of, and it is also possible to increase surveillance of phone users.
[Note: If we had the option to edit our comments here, it would be better. Sometimes we make mistakes.]
Double injustice to people to treat economic problems that are not their fault, and it is also possible to increase surveillance of phone users and
It's all theft, they will never get enough
I think the fees are for devices arriving after January 1st, but devices inside Egypt that were activated before January will not be subject to anything. This is just an assumption, and as you said, things are still unclear.
I need a link to the Digital Egypt program for iPhone and Android, please.