Now I know the answer to "Are you Egyptian?"

My answer has changed over time depending on how I define myself, or how much I think the asker needs to know. But after seeing this article (in Arabic), I can confidently say, "No, and neither are you!". ^_^

It turns out if someone accuses you of not being Egyptian, there's no way you can prove it, at least realistically. And in all other cases the accuser should bring evidence, but in this one case it's the accused person's job to come up with evidence of his/her innocence. Your National ID number, passport,  birth certificate even your military service certificate (for men) aren't enough to prove your citizenship.

So how do you get proof of Egyptian citizenship? Well, anyone who has settled in Egypt before November 5, 1914, and isn't a national of a foreign country, is Egyptian by law. That date is when Egypt ceased to be part of the Ottoman Empire.

To get the certificate proving your citizenship you need:

1. Both your parent's birth certificates
2. Your grandparents' birth certificates
3. Your great-grandparents' birth certificates etc. all the way back to 1914
4. Then you need to prove that your grandfather's grandfather had been residing in Egypt before that date by coming up with (1) a receipt for electricity, gas or telephone payment & (2) a property contract registered before the said date.

So have fun proving it!