Eviction Order in Egypt: How Landlords Actually Get One

If you're a landlord chasing an unpaid tenant, or a tenant who just got served with court papers, you need to understand what an eviction order in Egypt actually is — and how long it really takes to enforce one. Spoiler: it's slower than most people expect, and the rules changed again in 2025.

Quick answer

An eviction order (حكم بالإخلاء) in Egypt is a court judgment ordering a tenant to vacate the property. Landlords file at the summary court (المحكمة الجزئية) where the property sits, prove a legal ground — non-payment, misuse, expiry of a fixed-term lease, or one of the grounds under Law 164 of 2025 for old rent-controlled units — and then enforce through a bailiff (محضر). Realistically, a straightforward case runs 6 to 18 months from filing to physical eviction. Contested cases stretch longer.

Grounds you can actually use

For post-1996 leases under Law 4 of 1996 and the Civil Code, the common grounds are non-payment of rent, subletting without permission, using the unit for something other than what the contract says, damaging the property, or the lease term simply ending. Non-payment is by far the most common.

For old rent-controlled contracts, everything changed with Law 164 of 2025. The law finally set an end date for extended "old rent" leases — 7 years for residential and 5 years for non-residential from the date the law entered into force — and added new grounds to reclaim units earlier, including tenants who own another suitable unit or who've left the place empty for over a year.^[1][2]

Miss the legal ground and your case gets dismissed. Landlords who try to evict "because I feel like it" waste a year and pay court fees for nothing.

Filing and getting the eviction order

You file at the summary court in the district where the property is located. The petition needs the lease, proof of the ground you're claiming (usually a formal notice — إنذار على يد محضر — for non-payment), your ID, and the tax card if you're claiming commercial rent.

Court fees are modest — typically a percentage of the annual rent value plus fixed stamp duties — but lawyer fees are the real cost. Budget EGP 15,000 to 50,000+ for a lawyer depending on complexity and city.

The tenant gets served, hearings get scheduled, and both sides file memos. If the tenant shows up and contests, expect multiple sessions. If they don't show, you can get judgment faster but the court still verifies the claim. Once judgment issues, the tenant has 40 days to appeal to the court of first instance sitting as an appellate chamber.^[3]

Watch out: for non-payment cases, if the tenant pays the full arrears plus court costs before the judgment becomes final, the eviction claim is extinguished under Article 18 of Law 136 of 1981. This is why many landlords never actually get to enforce — tenants pay at the courthouse steps.

Enforcing the eviction order

A judgment on paper doesn't remove anyone. You take the certified final judgment (الصيغة التنفيذية) to the execution judge (قاضي التنفيذ), who assigns a bailiff. The bailiff serves an execution notice giving the tenant a short window — usually 8 days — to leave voluntarily.

If they don't, the bailiff schedules a physical eviction, coordinates with local police, and removes the tenant and their belongings. In practice this stage alone takes 2 to 6 months from getting the final judgment, sometimes longer in Cairo and Alexandria where bailiff calendars are packed.

Tenants' belongings must be inventoried and stored — you cannot just dump them on the street. Self-help eviction (changing locks, cutting utilities) is illegal and exposes the landlord to criminal liability under Article 369 of the Penal Code for trespass and forced entry.

Honestly, the enforcement phase is where most landlords lose patience and try shortcuts. Don't. A tenant who's been illegally locked out can walk into the misdemeanor court and reverse everything.

What tenants can actually do

If you've been served with an eviction claim, don't ignore it — that's how default judgments happen. Show up, file a defense memo, and if the ground is non-payment, deposit the disputed rent with the court treasury (إيداع الأجرة). That single step often defeats the claim.

You can also request installment payment of arrears, challenge the notice's validity if it wasn't properly served, or dispute the amount claimed. Once judgment issues against you, you have 40 days to appeal, and appeal generally suspends enforcement unless the court ordered provisional execution.

For old-rent tenants worried about Law 164 of 2025, the transition period gives you years, not months — but start planning now. The alternative housing provisions the government promised are still being implemented, and waiting until year 6 to figure out where you'll go is a bad plan.

For more on tenant protections and lease disputes, see our tenancy answers.

Timeline you should actually expect

• Formal notice to tenant: 15 days minimum before filing (for non-payment)
• Filing to first hearing: 4 to 8 weeks
• First hearing to judgment: 4 to 12 months for contested cases, 2 to 4 for uncontested
• Appeal window: 40 days
• Execution phase: 2 to 6 months after final judgment

Total: 6 to 18 months for typical cases. Old-rent cases under Law 164/2025 have their own statutory clock running to 2032 (residential) and 2030 (non-residential).