Nationality constitutes a legal and political bond between the individual and the State, defining the person’s status as a citizen and the rights and obligations arising from that status. Accordingly, Egyptian Nationality Law No. 26 of 1975 does not leave the loss of nationality to unrestricted administrative considerations, but instead regulates specific cases of withdrawal, deprivation, and loss, assigning different grounds and legal effects to each.
The distinction between these concepts is important because withdrawal of nationality primarily concerns acquired nationality, whereas deprivation of nationality may apply to any person who holds Egyptian nationality when one of the grounds specified by law is established. Loss of nationality, on the other hand, may arise as a legal consequence in certain cases, most notably where an Egyptian acquires a foreign nationality after obtaining legal permission to naturalize without retaining Egyptian nationality.
First: What Is the Difference Between Withdrawal, Deprivation, and Loss of Nationality?
1. Withdrawal of Nationality
Article 15 of the Nationality Law regulates cases in which Egyptian nationality may be withdrawn from a person who has acquired it. Withdrawal therefore relates, in principle, to nationality acquired through naturalization, marriage, or other methods of acquisition permitted by law, and is not equivalent to deprivation of nationality from a person who was originally Egyptian.
Withdrawal is ordered by a reasoned decision of the Council of Ministers where one of the cases specified by law is established and within the applicable statutory time limits.
2. Deprivation of Nationality
Article 16, by contrast, permits the Council of Ministers, by reasoned decision, to deprive any person who holds Egyptian nationality of that nationality if one of the grounds set out in the Article is established.
The scope of deprivation is therefore broader in terms of the persons to whom it may apply, because it is not limited to those who acquired nationality at a later stage, but may also apply to persons who held Egyptian nationality from birth where one of the cases specified in Article 16 exists.
3. Loss of Nationality
Loss does not necessarily mean that a decision of withdrawal or deprivation has been issued.
One of its most important examples is Article 10 of the Nationality Law, which regulates the naturalization of an Egyptian in a foreign nationality. If an Egyptian obtains permission to naturalize in a foreign nationality and that permission does not authorize retention of Egyptian nationality, actual acquisition of the foreign nationality results in the loss of Egyptian nationality in accordance with the law.
However, if an Egyptian acquires a foreign nationality without obtaining the required permission, the person does not automatically lose Egyptian nationality, but remains Egyptian in all respects unless the Council of Ministers decides to deprive the person of nationality pursuant to Article 16.
Second: Cases of Withdrawal of Egyptian Nationality Under Article 15
The law establishes two principal categories of withdrawal, each differing in terms of the applicable period and the underlying ground.
Withdrawal Due to Fraud or False Statements
By reasoned decision of the Council of Ministers, Egyptian nationality may be withdrawn from any person who acquired it through fraud or on the basis of false statements, provided this occurs within the ten years following its acquisition.
This may arise, for example, where it is established that an applicant for naturalization concealed a material fact or submitted inaccurate documents or information that affected the decision granting nationality.
Withdrawal Within Five Years in Certain Naturalization or Marriage Cases
Nationality may also be withdrawn from a person who acquired it through naturalization or marriage within the five years following its acquisition in the following cases:
- If the person is convicted in Egypt and sentenced for a felony, or to a custodial sentence for an offense involving dishonor.
- If the person is judicially convicted of an offense prejudicial to State security, whether from abroad or internally.
- If the person ceases to reside in Egypt for two consecutive years without an excuse accepted by the Minister of Interior.
It is important not to expand the grounds for withdrawal beyond the cases established by law. Not every criminal judgment, administrative violation, or dispute involving the person constitutes an automatic ground for withdrawal of nationality.
Third: Cases of Deprivation of Egyptian Nationality Under Article 16
Deprivation is more serious than withdrawal in terms of the range of persons to whom it may apply, and the law therefore specifies its grounds with precision.
The Council of Ministers may, by reasoned decision, deprive a person of Egyptian nationality in the following cases:
- Acquiring a foreign nationality in violation of Article 10, meaning naturalization in a foreign nationality without following the legally prescribed permission procedure.
- Accepting service in the armed forces of a foreign State without obtaining the required prior authorization.
- If the person’s ordinary residence is abroad and a judgment has been issued convicting the person of a felony prejudicial to State security from abroad.
- If the person accepts employment abroad with a foreign government or a foreign or international body and continues in that employment despite a reasoned order from the Council of Ministers requiring the person to leave it, where continuation in such employment would threaten the supreme interests of the country, after expiry of the statutory period from the date of notification of the order.
- If the person’s ordinary residence is abroad and the person joins a foreign organization whose purposes include undermining the social or economic order of the State by force or by any unlawful means.
- If the person works for the benefit of a foreign State or government while it is at war with Egypt, or where diplomatic relations with it have been severed, and such conduct would prejudice Egypt’s military, diplomatic, or economic position or affect another national interest.
- If the person has, at any time, been characterized by Zionism, according to the current wording of Article 16.
These cases should not be reduced to broad expressions such as “harm to national security” or “membership in a prohibited organization” without referring to the specific statutory ground on which the decision is based, because deprivation of nationality is tied to the provisions and conditions laid down by the legislature for each case.
Fourth: Recent Applications of Deprivation of Nationality
The provisions of Article 16 are not merely historical rules that are no longer applied; decisions depriving persons of Egyptian nationality continue to be issued on their basis.
Among recent applications were decisions issued by the Council of Ministers during 2026 depriving persons of Egyptian nationality because of joining the military service of a foreign State without obtaining prior authorization.
During the same year, a decision was also issued depriving a female citizen of Egyptian nationality because of naturalizing in a foreign nationality without obtaining the legally required prior permission.
These applications illustrate in practice the distinction noted above: acquiring a foreign nationality without permission does not, by itself, cause Egyptian nationality to cease at the moment of naturalization, but constitutes one of the cases in which the Council of Ministers may issue a decision depriving the person of it.
Fifth: Nationality Acquired Through Investment
Law No. 140 of 2019 introduced a special route permitting the grant of Egyptian nationality to a foreign national in specified investment cases, while Law No. 28 of 2023 later expanded the scope of real estate purchases so that they were no longer limited to properties owned by the State or public legal persons.
Article 4 bis of the Nationality Law regulates this route, while Prime Ministerial decisions determine the applicable requirements, financial thresholds, and procedural details.
One of the current routes is the purchase of one or more properties with a value of no less than USD 300,000, subject to the prescribed rules.
However, acquiring nationality through investment does not make it immune from review. It remains acquired nationality and continues to be subject to the general provisions of the Nationality Law, including withdrawal where it is established that nationality was obtained through fraud or false statements and within the statutory time limits.
Sixth: Does Selling the Property Before Five Years Automatically Result in Withdrawal of Nationality?
No.
This is one of the points that requires correction in many published materials concerning the nationality program.
The current rules require the property to be retained for five years. However, if the naturalized person disposes of the property before expiry of that period, the system permits retention of Egyptian nationality on condition that an amount of USD 250,000 is deposited with the Central Bank of Egypt as direct revenue accruing to the State Treasury and not refundable, in accordance with the applicable rules.
This deposit is not required if the property is transferred without consideration in favor of the State.
Accordingly, an early sale is not, in itself, a direct ground for immediate withdrawal of nationality. Rather, the alternative financial obligation established by the system and the extent of compliance with it must be considered.
Seventh: What About the Investment Project?
A similar approach applies to the investment project route.
If the investor chooses to establish or participate in a project under the program and subsequently liquidates, suspends, or disposes of the project or the investor’s share in it before five years have elapsed from the date on which it commenced operations, the governing rules require — for retention of nationality — payment of the prescribed alternative amount of USD 250,000 as direct revenue to the State Treasury, unless the transfer is made without consideration in favor of the State.
It is therefore inaccurate to use a general statement that “liquidation of the project results in withdrawal of nationality” without explaining this rule.
Eighth: The Effect of Withdrawal on the Wife and Children
Article 17 of the Nationality Law regulates the effects of withdrawal and deprivation differently.
In the case of withdrawal of nationality pursuant to Article 15, withdrawal applies in principle to the person concerned, although the decision may also extend to those who acquired nationality with that person by way of dependency, whether all or some of them.
It is therefore incorrect to state that withdrawal of nationality from one family member automatically results, by operation of law, in its loss by the wife and all children.
The result depends on the legal basis upon which each person acquired nationality and on the terms of the withdrawal decision itself.
Ninth: The Effect of Deprivation on the Family
In the case of deprivation of nationality pursuant to Article 16, the law provides that loss of nationality applies only to the person against whom the decision is issued.
This is an important distinction between withdrawal and deprivation. Article 17 permits a withdrawal decision to extend to some persons who acquired nationality by way of dependency, while making the effect of deprivation personal to the person against whom the decision is issued.
Tenth: When Does a Withdrawal or Deprivation Decision Take Effect?
Article 22 provides that decisions concerning acquisition, withdrawal, deprivation, or restoration of nationality take effect from the date of their issuance.
Such decisions must also be published in the Official Gazette within thirty days from the date of issuance, without prejudice to the rights of third parties acting in good faith.
Article 19 complements this rule by providing that withdrawal or deprivation of nationality does not, in principle, have retroactive effect unless the law expressly provides otherwise.
This means that the decision does not automatically erase all transactions and legal statuses that arose before it was issued.
Eleventh: What Happens to Egyptian Documents After Nationality Ceases?
Once a withdrawal or deprivation decision becomes effective, the person’s legal status changes in terms of possession of Egyptian nationality, and subsequent documents and transactions are dealt with according to the person’s new status.
Legally, however, it is more accurate not to reduce the effects of the decision to an expression such as “cancellation of all civil records,” because events such as birth, marriage, and other civil status matters do not cease to exist merely because nationality has been lost.
What changes is the nationality status and the rights and documents connected to it, such as the ability to continue using an Egyptian passport or national identification card as an Egyptian citizen.
Twelfth: Can Nationality Be Restored After Withdrawal or Deprivation?
Yes. The law regulates this in Article 18.
By decision of the Minister of Interior, Egyptian nationality may be restored to a person from whom it was withdrawn or who was deprived of it after five years have elapsed from the date of withdrawal or deprivation.
It may also be restored before expiry of that period by decision of the President of the Republic.
The law further permits the Minister of Interior to revoke a withdrawal or deprivation decision if it is found to have been based on fraud or error.
This route differs from restoration of nationality to a person who lost it after obtaining permission to naturalize in a foreign nationality without retaining Egyptian nationality, which is also regulated separately by law.
Thirteenth: Judicial Review of Nationality Decisions
Withdrawal and deprivation decisions are issued by the competent administrative authority pursuant to the Nationality Law, but this does not place them beyond judicial review.
A person disputing the legality of such a decision may have recourse to the State Council courts in accordance with the rules governing annulment actions, provided the admissibility requirements and applicable time limits are satisfied.
The dispute may include an application to stay execution of the decision where the legal requirements are met, although merely filing the action does not automatically suspend the decision.
Judicial review may, depending on the circumstances, concern matters such as:
- Whether the authority issuing the decision had jurisdiction.
- Whether the legal ground relied upon by the decision existed.
- The accuracy of the facts on which it was based.
- Compliance with the conditions and procedures required by law.
- The correctness of the legal characterization of the facts as constituting a case of withdrawal or deprivation.
Fourteenth: Common Errors in Understanding Withdrawal and Deprivation of Nationality
- Treating withdrawal and deprivation as the same thing: Although each has a different scope, grounds, and legal effects.
- Stating that acquiring a foreign nationality without permission automatically causes loss of Egyptian nationality: The correct position is that the person remains Egyptian unless a decision depriving the person of nationality is issued in accordance with law.
- Treating any criminal offense as a ground for withdrawal: Whereas Article 15 specifies particular types and conditions.
- Believing that deprivation applies only to persons who acquired nationality: Whereas Article 16 refers to every person who holds Egyptian nationality.
- Stating that selling property under the nationality program before five years automatically results in withdrawal: Whereas an alternative financial mechanism exists for retaining nationality.
- Assuming that the wife and children automatically lose nationality: Whereas Article 17 distinguishes between the effects of withdrawal and deprivation.
- Believing that the decision erases all previous legal effects: Whereas the general rule is that withdrawal and deprivation do not have retroactive effect.
Fifteenth: Practical Advice for Persons Who Have Acquired Egyptian Nationality
- Retain all documents on which the decision granting nationality was based.
- Do not submit inaccurate information in nationality applications or subsequent documents.
- In investment programs, document all financial transfers, contracts, and documents issued by the competent authorities.
- Do not dispose of the property or project before examining the consequences of the transaction and the prescribed alternative financial obligation.
- Review the legal position before acquiring a foreign nationality or joining military service in another State.
- If a withdrawal or deprivation decision is issued, review its grounds, date of issuance and publication, and the documents on which it was based before pursuing the appropriate judicial route.
Conclusion
Egyptian nationality law clearly distinguishes between withdrawal, deprivation, and loss of nationality. Withdrawal primarily concerns acquired nationality and is subject to specified periods and grounds, whereas deprivation may apply to any person holding nationality in the cases listed in Article 16. Loss, by contrast, may arise from an independent legal cause, as in the case of naturalization in a foreign nationality after obtaining Egyptian permission without retaining Egyptian nationality.
Nationality acquired through investment is also not excluded from the general rules. At the same time, however, it is not automatically withdrawn merely because of an early disposal of the property or project, as the program provides specific alternatives for retaining nationality in such cases.
Each case must therefore be assessed by reference to the statutory provision governing it, the contents of the decision issued, the date and method of acquisition of nationality, rather than by using general expressions such as “loss of nationality” or “withdrawal of nationality” without identifying the precise legal basis.