Even though public drinking of alcohol is seen as a major sin, its consumption is tolerated in Egypt more than any other Muslim country; therefore foreigners should take a moderate approach to drinking. Adults are allowed to bring in one liter of alcohol and two cartons of cigarettes along with their luggage, including such items bought from the duty free zones at the airports. At the duty free areas, tourists are allowed to buy four additional cartons of cigarettes and four liters of alcohol. In case you do not take advantage of that, you can take your passport later and head to the duty free area to purchase such items.

Cellular phones require permits at present but this will change shortly so check carefully prior to departure and make sure such phones support GSM networking as it is the only network available in Egypt. To be on the safe side, add major electronic items when you enter the country to your shipping lists.

Certain restrictions apply to certain items that are not permitted to leave the country, but generally, travelers are free to buy and export Egyptian goods. Items that are not allowed to leave the country are antiques comprising either ancient Egyptian or Islamic as well as precious jewels, carpets and paintings or other works older than 100 years.