What to buy in Cairo

The Egyptian Customs Authority sets the traveller's allowance at one carton of 200 cigarettes or 25 cigars or 200g of tobacco, one litre of spirits, and new items up to 15,000 Egyptian pounds provided they are for personal use and not in quantities that carry the character of trade.

Arrivals duty free is open for 48 hours after you land, capped at 200 US dollars of goods for tourists, per the Egyptian Customs Authority.

A maximum of 5,000 Egyptian pounds may be brought into or taken out of Egypt, on both the UK and Canadian advice. On foreign currency the two differ slightly in wording: the UK Foreign Office says you must declare foreign currency worth more than 10,000 US dollars on arrival, and the Government of Canada says to declare any amount equivalent to 10,000 US dollars or more.

The Egyptian Customs Authority allows medicines for personal use as assessed by the competent regulatory authority. The Government of Canada says not to enter with more than three months' supply, to carry the original prescription and keep the medication in its original packaging, and warns that narcotic and psychotropic medications will be seized even with the original prescription. The UK Foreign Office says some prescribed and over-the-counter medicines are controlled substances in Egypt, that you may need permission from Egypt's Ministry of Health before you arrive, and that you should carry a letter from your doctor stating the condition, the amount of medication and that it is for your personal use.

Military or camouflage clothing, knives and bladed weapons, colour printers, and agricultural seeds and pesticides sit on the Egyptian Customs Authority's restricted list, and quantities beyond personal use are retained.