The Short Version
- Ras El Hekma is a coastal megaproject on Egypt's North Coast, for which ADQ — an Abu Dhabi sovereign investment vehicle — struck a landmark $35 billion deal in 2024, appointing Modon Holding as master developer.
- Foreign nationals can buy here. The developer's published materials state freehold ownership is open to all nationalities, but you should still have an independent Egyptian lawyer confirm the exact ownership mechanism for your nationality before signing.
- The buying process runs through an expression of interest, a 5% reservation deposit, a second 5% instalment around three months later, then the remaining 90% over up to 8 years, interest-free, with handover from 2028.
- Purchases from $300,000 may qualify for Egypt's Golden Residency programme — worth confirming independently, not just taking on trust.
- This is a pre-construction purchase in an early-stage masterplan. That's not a reason to avoid it, but it is a reason to go in with a clear, informed process — which is what this guide is for.
What Is Ras El Hekma?
In early 2024, ADQ — an Abu Dhabi-based sovereign investment and holding company — signed a deal reported at roughly $35 billion to develop Ras El Hekma, a stretch of Egypt's Mediterranean coastline around 200km west of Alexandria. Later that year, ADQ appointed Modon Holding, a developer listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, as master developer for the site.
The masterplan covers 44 kilometres of coastline and is intended to unfold over many years and multiple districts, or "precincts." Wadi Yemm is the first of these — released in four products: Boulevard Apartments, Beach Plaza Apartments, Wadi East villas and townhouses, and Montage-branded villas. The community is planned around pedestrian boulevards, championship golf, marinas, beach clubs, and direct beach access.
As with any megaproject at this stage, it's worth being plain: infrastructure and district-level construction contracts have been awarded and the first residential buildings are in active sales, but most of what appears in renderings does not exist yet. That's ordinary for a project of this scale — it isn't unique to Ras El Hekma — but it's the context that should sit underneath everything else in this guide.
Why this guide exists
Most people researching a purchase like this don't read a full 3,000-word article — they skim, look for the numbers that matter to them, and want a way to get real answers without reading everything first. That's exactly why the request-a-price-list button sits near the top of this page, not buried at the bottom. Everything below is here for when you're ready to go deeper.
Can Foreigners Actually Buy Here?
This is usually the first practical question foreign buyers ask, and the honest answer has two parts.
Part one: Egypt's general property law places some restrictions on foreign ownership outside designated development zones — for example, limits on the number of properties and how soon a property can be resold. Part two: large national investment projects like Ras El Hekma are structured under a separate regulatory framework specifically intended to enable foreign and GCC participation. The developer's published materials state that freehold ownership at Ras El Hekma is open to all nationalities, and that the Egyptian government has structured ownership rights here to facilitate foreign investor access.
That framework is genuinely favourable — and it's also exactly the kind of claim that shouldn't be taken purely on a developer's word, not because anyone is being misleading, but because ownership structures are set by government policy and can carry conditions specific to your nationality. Before committing any money, have an independent, licensed Egyptian real estate lawyer confirm in writing the exact ownership mechanism that applies to you.
Talk to an advisor directly — no obligation, no scripted pitch.
The Step-by-Step Buying Process
Buying off-plan property abroad can feel opaque from the outside. Here's how the process actually unfolds for a foreign buyer at Ras El Hekma, stripped of sales language.
- Register interest and review current availability.You'll receive the live, unit-by-unit price list — prices and inventory shift as phases sell, so always work from the current figures, not older marketing material.
- Select a unit and phase.Choose based on budget, intended use (lifestyle, rental, long-term hold), and which of the four Wadi Yemm products fits — apartment, beach-plaza apartment, townhouse/villa, or Montage-branded villa.
- Pay the expression of interest.Published from EGP 150,000, this secures priority booking and locks in current pricing ahead of full reservation.
- Sign the reservation contract and pay the 5% down payment.This is the point at which the unit is formally reserved in your name.
- Pay the second instalment, roughly 5%, around three months later.Together with the down payment, this typically covers the first 10% of the purchase price.
- Have an independent Egyptian lawyer review the sales agreement.Before — not after — you commit to the remaining instalment schedule. This is the single most important step in the process, and it's the one buyers most often skip.
- Proceed through the instalment schedule.The remaining 90% is spread over instalments across up to 8 years, published as interest-free, tied to the agreed schedule rather than construction milestones.
- Registration and title transfer at handover.Scheduled from 2028, phased by unit type. This is when standard Egyptian registration and transfer procedures are completed and the property is formally titled in your name.
A plain-language example
On a $380,000 one-bedroom Boulevard apartment, a 5% down payment is roughly $19,000, followed by a further ~$19,000 around three months later. The remaining ~$342,000 would then be spread across instalments over as long as 8 years. This is illustrative — always request the exact figures and schedule for the specific unit you're considering.
Real Prices by Unit Type
These are published starting prices as of mid-2026. They're set in Egyptian Pounds, since that's the actual contract currency — the USD figures are indicative conversions that move with the exchange rate, not fixed prices. Always request the current, live figure before relying on any number here.
| Phase | Unit Type | Starting Price (EGP) | Approx. USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boulevard Apartments | 1 Bedroom | 18,941,000 | ≈ $380,000 |
| Boulevard Apartments | 2 Bedrooms | 21,602,000 | ≈ $430,000 |
| Boulevard Apartments | 3 Bedrooms | 25,244,000 | ≈ $505,000 |
| Beach Plaza Apartments | 1–3 Bedrooms | from 23,795,000 | ≈ from $475,000 |
| Wadi East | Townhouse (Middle) | 39,860,000 | ≈ $795,000 |
| Wadi East | 3–5 BR Villa | 64,164,000 – 101,928,000 | ≈ $1.29M – $2.04M |
| Montage Villas | 3–5 BR, branded | 135,240,000 – 203,625,000 | ≈ $2.7M – $4.07M |
Prices sourced from the developer's published price list and are subject to availability and change without notice. This is not the full list of unit combinations — request a complete breakdown for your budget and preferred phase.
How the Payment Plan Works
Marketing language often simplifies payment mechanics into something friendlier-sounding than the actual structure. Here it is as published:
| Step | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Expression of Interest | From EGP 150,000 | To secure priority booking and lock a price ahead of full reservation |
| Down Payment | 5% | On reservation / contract signing |
| Second Instalment | 5% | Approximately 3 months after booking |
| Remaining Balance | 90% | Spread in equal instalments over up to 8 years, published as interest-free |
| Handover | — | From 2028, phased by unit type |
On top of that, the developer states a 10% maintenance fee applies. Published terms describe this as a founder's-phase plan, meaning it may vary by unit type and could change for later releases — a normal feature of off-plan sales, but worth knowing rather than assuming today's number will still apply next year.
We'll send the official breakdown for the unit type you're considering.
Golden Residency, Honestly
The developer states that purchases of $300,000 or more may make you eligible for Egypt's Golden Residency programme. For many foreign investors, particularly from the GCC, this is a meaningful part of the appeal — but it's also exactly the kind of claim to verify rather than assume.
Residency eligibility rules are set by the Egyptian government, can carry specific conditions, and can change over time. If residency is a factor in your decision, confirm current eligibility directly with an immigration lawyer at the time of purchase — not from a brochure or a sales conversation, however well-intentioned.
Costs Beyond the Purchase Price
- The published 10% maintenance fee, applied on top of the unit price.
- Standard Egyptian property registration and transfer costs — ask for current figures, as these are set by regulation rather than the developer.
- Any optional furnishing package, if you want more than the fully finished baseline (A/Cs and kitchen cabinets are included as standard from Phase 1 onward, per published materials).
- Ongoing service charges once the community is operational — request the anticipated post-handover fee structure in writing.
- Independent legal fees for your own Egyptian lawyer to review the contract — money well spent on a purchase of this size.
- Immigration/legal fees if you intend to pursue Golden Residency, since this is a separate process from the property purchase itself.
Due Diligence Checklist for Foreign Buyers
None of these questions imply distrust of the process — they're the questions that protect any buyer, regardless of who they're buying from.
- Confirm the exact legal entity named on the contract, and verify it is the registered Modon development entity for this specific district.
- Engage a licensed Egyptian legal advisor to review the sales agreement, title transfer process, and foreign ownership rules applicable to your nationality.
- Understand EGP–USD exchange rate exposure. Prices are set in Egyptian Pounds; the real cost of your instalments and eventual asset value in your home currency will move with the exchange rate over the life of the payment plan.
- Review the full payment schedule and confirm exactly what happens contractually if handover is delayed beyond 2028.
- Clarify whether resale is permitted before handover, and under what conditions.
- Get the itemised maintenance fee calculation in writing, including when it starts being charged.
- Ask what is actually built today versus what exists only in the masterplan renderings.
- If Golden Residency matters to you, verify current eligibility independently with an immigration lawyer.
Master plan, unit layouts, amenity guide, and payment plan — all in one document.
Risks Worth Understanding
Every off-plan coastal development carries a similar set of open questions. Better to name them plainly than let you discover them later.
Construction and delivery timing
Handover is scheduled from 2028. Large infrastructure projects anywhere in the world can and do shift on timeline. Contracts should specify what happens in the event of delay — read that clause yourself rather than relying on a summary of it.
Currency exposure
Prices are set and paid in Egyptian Pounds. If your income or savings are held in USD, AED, SAR, or another currency, the real cost of your instalments — and the eventual value of the asset in your home currency — will move with the exchange rate over an 8-year payment plan. That can work in your favour or against it; neither of us can predict which.
A seasonal rental market, today
Egypt's North Coast currently sees tourism concentrated in the summer months. If rental income factors into your plan, the honest starting point is that the local market is seasonal right now, and supporting infrastructure such as international air access is still expanding. The Montage-branded villas are structured around a hospitality-management model, which is a different proposition to self-managing a short-term let — but even that carries no guaranteed yield.
You'd be buying into an early phase of a much larger plan
Wadi Yemm is the opening chapter of a masterplan intended to unfold over many years and further districts. That's part of the appeal to some investors — earlier phases of comparable regional megaprojects have historically seen values move as the surrounding city matured. It is also, by definition, not something that can be promised in advance. Treat comparisons to how other developments performed as context, not as a projection for this one.
Is This the Right Investment for You?
Better to decide this isn't the right fit now than two years into a payment plan. Here's an honest attempt at both sides.
This tends to suit foreign investors who...
- Can commit to a multi-year payment plan without financial strain
- Are comfortable with pre-construction risk and a 2028+ horizon
- Want a Mediterranean lifestyle property or long-term hold, not a quick flip
- Are able to budget for independent legal and financial advice before signing
Worth pausing if you...
- Need income from the property in the short term
- Aren't in a position to absorb currency movement over 8 years
- Are uncomfortable buying before a community is physically built
- Haven't yet had a lawyer confirm ownership rules for your nationality
Key Takeaways
- Ras El Hekma is developed by Modon under a master developer mandate from ADQ, part of a deal reported at roughly $35 billion in 2024.
- Foreign nationals can buy freehold, but ownership structures should always be confirmed by an independent Egyptian lawyer specific to your nationality.
- The purchase process runs through an expression of interest, 5% down, 5% at roughly 3 months, then 90% over up to 8 years — plus a 10% maintenance fee.
- Prices start around $380,000 for Phase 1 apartments and rise to several million dollars for branded villas, denominated in EGP.
- Golden Residency may apply above $300,000 — verify current eligibility independently before factoring it into your decision.
- This is a pre-construction purchase in an early-stage megaproject, with the ordinary off-plan risks that implies around timeline, currency, and rental demand.