Can I enter Egypt's medical market without paying anything upfront?
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Yes — on a sell-through model. The partner funds the market study, pricing, EDA registration, import, customs duty and VAT, warehousing, marketing and selling, and pays you when your goods sell; you supply the goods and the documents only a manufacturer can issue. What stays on your side is what every exporter to Egypt pays on any route: a one-time USD 15 CargoX verification (Switzerland Global Enterprise), CargoX fees of 160 units per shipment's ACID (CargoX), freight to the point named in your Incoterm, and producing — and, where EDA requires it, legalising — your certificates.
UltraTeb Market Access is a zero-upfront-fee route into Egypt's medical market: UltraTeb registers, imports, markets, stores and sells your product, shares the risk, and pays you when it sells.
What does a launch in Egypt usually cost before the first sale?
| Fact | Value | Source | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customs duty, non-FTA origin | 5% of the CIF value on syringes (HS 9018.31); 10% on medical gloves (HS 4015.12) | nafeza.gov.eg | |
| Customs duty, FTA origin | 0% for EU, EFTA, UK and Turkish goods with valid proof of origin on the medical lines checked | nafeza.gov.eg | |
| Import VAT | 14% on the duty-paid value; 5% for medical devices used to provide a service since 29 July 2026 | vatupdate.com | |
| EDA import approval | Needed for every shipment, before shipping; the fee is charged by invoice-value band | edaegypt.gov.eg | |
| EDA variation study | EGP 2,000 per post-registration variation case study | edaegypt.gov.eg | |
| UPA supplier registration (as published in 2020) | Agents of foreign companies USD 2,000 first / USD 1,000 renewal; foreign companies up to USD 5,000 / USD 2,000 | souqaldawaa.com | |
| Your own importing company | Minimum paid-up capital EGP 2 million for partnerships, LLCs and one-person companies on the Importers Register | shandpartners.com | |
| Partner search, for example | US Commercial Service Gold Key: USD 950 (small), 1,850 (medium), 2,400 (large company) | trade.gov | 2025 |
| CargoX, on any route | One-time exporter verification USD 15 | s-ge.com | 2025 |
| CargoX document fees | 160 units per ACID plus 3 units per document, maximum 15; never more than 175 units per ACID | cargox.help | |
| Refund on unsold, returned stock | Duty and taxes refunded only if goods lacking similar local products are re-exported in kind within 1 year of payment | kadmar.com | 2020 |
Duty and VAT figures are official rates; confirm your 10-digit HS line with a customs broker. The UPA fee schedule is the one published in 2020 and may have been revised.
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Who pays what before the first sale, route by route?
| Cost before the first sale | Your own subsidiary | Distributor that buys stock | UltraTeb Market Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market study and pricing | You | Varies | Free — funded by UltraTeb |
| EDA registration work and import approvals | You | Often negotiated | Funded by UltraTeb |
| Customs duty and VAT at the port | You | The distributor, once it buys | Funded by UltraTeb |
| Warehousing | You | The distributor | Funded by UltraTeb |
| Marketing and a sales team | You | The distributor | Funded by UltraTeb |
| Your certificates, legalised where EDA requires it | You | You | You |
| CargoX and freight to your Incoterm point | You | You | You |
| When money reaches you | When your company sells | When the distributor buys | When your goods sell, on a monthly statement |
What does “zero upfront” actually cover?
Everything needed to land and sell your product in Egypt: the market study and pricing, preparing and filing the EDA registration and each import approval, customs clearance, duty and VAT at the port, warehousing with lot and expiry tracking, marketing in Arabic and English — including any advertising approval EDA requires, because medical devices may not be advertised without it (EDA) — and selling to private hospitals, lab chains, clinics and, where the product can compete, public tenders.
What do I still pay?
The costs every exporter to Egypt has, whatever the route: producing your own documents (and legalising them in your country where EDA requires it), the CargoX verification and document fees, and freight up to the point named in your Incoterm. You also supply the goods — on sell-through terms, so you are paid for what sells.
How does the partner earn, then?
From the margin on each sale. That is why a sell-through partner only takes on products it believes it can sell, and why the free market study comes first. We share the risk: if the product does not sell, we do not earn either.
What are the trade-offs?
Zero upfront does not mean no terms. The duration of the agreement, any exclusivity, the transfer price per SKU, reporting, and what happens at the end — notice, unsold stock and the costs we funded — are all agreed in writing in the distribution agreement before your first shipment. Read them as you would read any distribution agreement; our agreement checklist lists every clause to look for.
Is this the same as consignment?
Economically it is close: you are paid when goods sell. Legally, in Egypt selling goods for a foreign owner's account counts as commercial agency (Law 120/1982), so the model is built as a sell-through distribution agreement with the goods imported in our name.
“We do everything, we give you full access, and we only make money once we sell.” — Mohamed Dabees, founder, UltraTeb
What does UltraTeb Market Access fund for you?
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Market study and pricing
Real demand, competing products and a realistic Egyptian price, free.
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Registration
We prepare, file and follow your EDA file and every import approval.
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Import, duty and VAT
We clear your goods and pay duty and VAT on arrival.
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Warehousing, marketing and selling
Storage with lot and expiry tracking, marketing in Arabic and English, and our sales team.
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Full visibility
You see your stock and sales, and you are paid when we sell.
Frequently asked questions
Is there really no upfront fee?
Yes: you pay us nothing before your products sell. The market study, pricing, registration, import, customs duty and VAT, warehousing, marketing and the sales launch are funded by UltraTeb. All commercial terms are agreed in writing in the distribution agreement before your first shipment.
Who pays customs duty and VAT?
We do, at clearance. Duty is charged on the CIF value and VAT on the duty-paid value — 14%, or 5% for medical devices used to provide a service since 29 July 2026.
Do I pay for EDA registration?
No upfront fee. Registration is funded by UltraTeb. Your own costs stay on your side: producing your documents and legalising them in your country where EDA requires it.
What if my product does not sell?
The agreement sets out what happens to unsold stock. Egyptian customs refunds duty on goods re-exported within 1 year (for goods lacking similar local products), so return decisions are planned inside that year. That is also why the market study comes before any shipment.
Which products qualify?
Medical devices, sterile and non-sterile consumables, and laboratory and IVD products — not medicines. See the partner requirements.
Can I end the partnership?
The terms for ending the partnership — notice, unsold stock and the costs we funded — are agreed in writing in the distribution agreement before your first shipment.
Zero upfront fees. We handle everything.
Tell us about your product in 2 minutes. We do the market study and pricing for free, then handle registration, import, duties, warehousing and selling. You're paid when we sell.