Minister of State for Immigration and Egyptians Expatriates Affairs Nabila Makram and Chairman of the Financial Supervisory Authority Mohamed Omran announced in a conference that they would implementing the first insurance for Egyptians working and residing abroad as of January 1, 2022.
Makram explained that applying insurance on Egyptian expatriates came from their requests, especially those working in the Gulf countries, who represent the largest segment of Egyptian expatriates.
The step came thanks to coordination between the Ministry of Interior, the Financial Supervisory Authority, the Insurance Federation of Egypt and the Egyptian Association for Travel Insurance Abroad which includes companies scheduled to implement insurance on Egyptian expatriates, she added.
Makram added during the press conference that expatriates will register through an e- platform dedicated for this purpose on the Egyptian Association for Travel Insurance Abroad’s website.
The annual insurance premium is set at only LE100, as the ministry aims to extend the insurance umbrella to include all Egyptian citizens around the world.
The step will meet the needs of citizens residing abroad, especially in cases of the transfer of deceased expatriates to their home country after death, and cases of accidents and the payment of appropriate compensation, according to Makram.
Makram said that the Ministry of Immigration communicated with Egyptian expatriates of all social classes to identify their needs, and the first of these needs was facilitating procedures for the transfer of dead bodies.
She added that the body was being shipped at the state’s expense by submitting an “insolvency certificate”, which needed several procedures amid the state of grief of the family of the deceased, which made it difficult for the deceased’s family.
Since assuming the responsibility of her office, Makram stressed that she tirelessly worked on a solution to this matter. A cooperation protocol was signed with the “Misr al-Khair” foundation regarding the transportation of the bodies, so that the foundation covers the costs of shipping.
The immigration bill which has been finalized and awaits approval from competent authorities addresses procedures for shipping the dead bodies, she added.
In the event of death resulting from an accident, the Egyptian Association for Travel Insurance Abroad will pay the actual cost of preparing, shipping and transporting the body to the homeland according to the documents submitted to the association and then distributes the remainder of the amount to the legal heirs according to the inheritance notification that is submitted to the association.
In the case of natural death, the association pays the actual cost of preparing, shipping and transporting the body only.
Makram confirmed that the Ministry of Immigration will publish the mechanisms of entry into the insurance umbrella for all Egyptian communities abroad so that they can benefit from it.
This insurance is the first of its kind and serves as reassurance to Egyptian expatriates, she said, noting that other insurance products will be made available to meet their needs.
The conference was attended by Assistant Minister of Immigration for Institutional Development Saber Suleiman, Assistant Minister of Immigration for Communities Affairs Amr Abbas Assistant Minister of Immigration for International Cooperation, Mohamed Khairat, Vice President of the Financial Supervisory Authority Reda Abdel Moati, and a number of members of the House of Representatives and Senate.
