Egyptian expats will soon be able to settle their military conscription status through an online application with a fee of $5,000 and renew their passports.
The application, which will be available on the country’s foreign affairs website from August 14, will mean that expats will be able to submit documents, specify their reasons for staying abroad whether it is for educational purposes, employment or medical treatment, the ministry announced on Thursday.
Passport renewal for Egyptian expats
According to the announcement, men aged between 19 and 30, who are subject to mandatory military service, will be eligible to settle their status. Men over the age of 30 will also be required to update their status. Those who fail to do so will be unable to renew their passport after it expires.
This comes as a relief to many Egyptian expats who live abroad for several purposes, one of them being to avoid military conscription and pursue higher education or career opportunities abroad instead. This meant that they were unable to travel back to their home country without enrolling in mandatory military service.
This predicament has been particularly pressing for young men, prompting most of them to remain abroad until they turn 30. This has also impacted those in need of passport renewals while residing abroad.
Applicants will be required to submit photocopies of their national ID and passport and they will be required to provide their military identification number (if applicable), the date of exit from Egypt and current country of residence.
The application fee of $5,000 must be deposited in Banque Misr’s Abu Dhabi branch. However, the announcement did not specify if this applies to UAE-based expats or all Egyptian expats abroad.
Those who fail to settle their status will not be able to renew their passport after it expires.
There are over 12 million Egyptians living abroad, many of whom are men, according to recent estimates.
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