Close it or sell it?
Work it out in a minute: how long and how much liquidating takes, what keeping a dormant company open costs a year, and the alternative of selling it.
If you close it
5–12 months
- Government fees about EGP 1,000 – EGP 2,000
- Liquidation services start from about EGP 8,000
- A liquidator, newspaper notices and a 120-day window for tax and social insurance before strike-off.
- The tax clearance certificate is refused while anything is owed.
If you keep it open, idle
EGP 54 – EGP 2,030 a year
- Chamber of commerce dues: EGP 24 – EGP 2,000
- 5 tax returns a year, even with zero sales
If you sell it
Free, no commission
- Listings never show the company name; buyers accept an NDA before details.
- Some buyers want a registered company with history to start faster than incorporating.
- Up-to-date returns make selling easier: buyers will ask about the tax position.
Indicative figures from published laws and fees (Unified Tax Procedures Law 206/2020, Chambers of Commerce law, GAFI services). Not legal or tax advice; accountant and lawyer fees vary. Ask your accountant before deciding.
Liquidation in short
- 1General assembly (or owner) resolves to liquidate and appoints a liquidator, approved by GAFI.
- 2The register is annotated “under liquidation” and notices run in the Investment Gazette and a daily paper within 7 days.
- 3Tax, customs and social insurance are notified and have 120 days to claim.
- 4Taxes are settled, the clearance certificate issued and the social insurance file closed.
- 5Final accounts are approved and the company is struck off the register.
Where the numbers come from
GAFI fees (EGP 400 per approved copy), the 120-day window in Investment Law 72/2017, chamber dues (0.2% of capital, EGP 24–2,000) and return fines in the Unified Tax Procedures Law 206/2020. Liquidation fees have no official figure, so we show the lowest published provider price.