Manal Awad, the Minister of Local Development in Egypt, has announced that the process of obtaining building permits in Egyptian cities will be simplified, reducing the number of steps from 15 to 8. This effort aims to make it easier for citizens and reduce the time needed to obtain a building permit.
Minister Awad stated that the relevant administrative authority, represented by the technological center and the planning and organization department in the governorate’s local units, will now issue permits. This means that specialized university units will no longer be involved and a registered property contract is not required; proof of ownership will be sufficient.
Additionally, the authority will offer survey services to applicants for a fee. Awad emphasized that these changes have significantly decreased the time required to obtain permits, which now takes 26 working days if no insurance document is required, or 40 days if such a document is necessary.
She explained that these changes are in line with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s directives to lighten the burden on citizens and streamline the building permit process. The objective is to promote urban development and construction across the governorates, ultimately increasing the private sector’s contribution to the availability of diverse housing units for citizens. This is expected to generate more job opportunities in the construction and building sectors within the governorates.
According to Daily News the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, is committed to encouraging private-sector companies to expand their operations across all economic sectors in the country. Regarding the detailed building permit procedures, the process begins with the assessment of site suitability. Citizens submit a request to the technological center, only needing to provide a copy of their national ID and a site sketch.
The requirement for a registered property contract and site coordinates has been eliminated. After this, the applicant pays a fee for a site survey conducted by one of the designated surveying entities, such as the Military Survey Department or the Directorate of Surveying, which is completed within 15 days.
Subsequently, the administrative authority verifies planning, building requirements, and the project’s architectural character and issues the site suitability statement through the technological center within five days. The total time required for this initial assessment is 20 days. The next phase involves obtaining the building permit itself.
The citizen submits an application, along with a contract with a certified engineer, a power of attorney, and the required architectural and engineering drawings, which must be approved by the engineer. If necessary, proof of land ownership and an insurance document must also be provided.
The insurance syndicate should issue the insurance document within 15 days. The technological center and the planning and organization department then review the application to ensure compliance with building codes, planning requirements, and architectural standards, which takes 15 days.
