Egypt Work Permit: Rules, Fees, Documents and How to Apply

An Egypt work permit is the licence that lets a foreign national work for an employer in Egypt, and every foreign employee needs one unless a specific exemption applies. Egypt has no separate work visa in the sense many countries use the term. Instead, the employer obtains a work permit from the Ministry of Labour, and the worker then applies for a work residence permit from the Passports, Immigration and Nationality Administration.

This guide explains the rules that now govern the Egypt work permit, what it costs, which documents to prepare, and how the process runs from job offer to residence card. For a wider view of how the work route sits alongside tourist, study, and property-based residence, see our guide to Egypt visa types.

What an Egypt Work Permit Is and Who Needs One

The Egypt work permit is a licence issued to the employer for a named foreign worker, a named job, and a fixed period. It is not a visa stamped in a passport. Because the permit covers one employer and one role, a worker who changes jobs needs a new permit, and the Ministry can cancel a permit used for a different profession or employer.

Paid work on a tourist visa is not allowed. Short-stay visitors, including those who entered on an e-visa or a visa on arrival, must not start work until the employer confirms they are authorised. Our guide on how to get a tourist visa for Egypt covers the visitor routes.

Who Does Not Need an Egypt Work Permit

Ministerial Decree No. 279 of 2025 exempts several groups from the permit requirement:

• Foreign nationals covered by an international agreement that Egypt has ratified
• Staff of embassies, consulates, and regional or international organisations
• Foreign press correspondents
• Unpaid foreign clergy
• Foreign crews of Egyptian ships working beyond territorial waters
• Staff of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• Members of certain architectural and antiquities research institutes
• Foreign investors who hold an investor residence permit (the exemption does not extend to their employees)

An employer that uses an exempt foreign worker must still notify the local Labour Directorate within seven days of the work starting and again when it ends.

Jobs Closed to Foreign Workers

Some professions remain reserved for Egyptian nationals. Foreign nationals cannot get an Egypt work permit for tour guiding, and export and customs clearance work is also closed to them. Palestinian nationals are exempt from the export and customs clearance restrictions.

Egypt Work Permit Rules Under Labour Law No. 14 of 2025

Egypt replaced its 2003 labour code with Labour Law No. 14 of 2025, enacted in May 2025 and in force since 1 September 2025. The law bars employers from hiring a foreign national without a Ministry of Labour licence and authorisation to enter and reside in Egypt for work. The detailed licensing rules sit in Ministerial Decree No. 279 of 2025, which the Official Gazette published on 24 December 2025 and which took effect the following day.

The 10% Cap on Foreign Staff

Foreign employees may not exceed 10% of an establishment’s Egyptian workforce, counted across all its branches. A company with 50 Egyptian staff can therefore employ up to five foreign nationals on Egypt work permits. The decree allows exceptions for free-zone companies, small establishments such as shops and restaurants, and cases approved by an Exceptions Committee. Projects under Egypt’s Investment Law follow their own 10% ratio, rising to 20% in specified cases.

Older guidance described the cap as a share of total headcount and added a limit on foreign workers’ share of payroll. Current summaries of Decree No. 279 mention no payroll limit, so treat figures from pre-2025 sources with caution.

Experience, Licences, and Egyptian Assistants

The Ministry of Labour grants an Egypt work permit only when the job meets the country’s economic needs and the employer shows a genuine need for a foreign hire. The worker generally needs at least three years of authenticated, relevant experience and, for a regulated profession, a professional licence. When an employer hires a foreign expert or technician, it must appoint two Egyptian assistants with matching qualifications, train them on the job, and submit periodic progress reports.

Egypt Work Permit Fees

Decree No. 279 of 2025 replaced the old flat charge with a fee that rises the longer a foreign worker stays. The first-year fee is EGP 6,000, and the annual fee climbs in bands until it reaches a ceiling of EGP 100,000. Part of a year counts as a full year. The authority can reduce fees in some cases, and certain nationalities pay no fee on a reciprocity basis.

Table 1: Egypt work permit fee by year

Permit year	Annual fee (EGP)	How it rises
Year 1	6,000	Starting fee
Years 2 to 3	7,500 and 9,000	Up EGP 1,500 a year
Years 4 to 6	12,000 to 14,000	Up EGP 1,000 a year
Years 7 to 10	17,000 to 20,000	Up EGP 1,000 a year
Year 11 onward	From 23,000	Up EGP 2,000 a year, capped at EGP 100,000
Source: Ministerial Decree No. 279 of 2025, as summarised by Egyptian law firms (January and August 2026). Year 2 and 3 figures are calculated from the published increments. Check current fees with the Ministry of Labour before paying.

Employers outside the 10% cap pay more. Where a quota exception applies, the Egypt work permit fee starts at EGP 10,000 in the first year and rises by EGP 3,000 a year, up to the same ceiling. Table 2 lists the other charges an employer may incur.

Table 2: Other Egypt work permit charges

Charge	Amount (EGP)
Work permit card	300
Replacement of a damaged card	500
Quota-exempt employer, first year	10,000, rising by 3,000 a year to 100,000
Short assignment of 1 to 14 days	10% of wages, minimum 15,000, maximum 100,000
Regularising a worker employed without a permit	15,000 (may be reduced or waived)
Fine for employing a foreign worker without a permit	20,000 to 100,000 per worker, doubled for repeat offences
Sources: Decree No. 279 of 2025 and Labour Law No. 14 of 2025, via law-firm summaries published in 2026. Figures are reported, not checked against the official Arabic text.

In 2025, the Ministry of Labour also ran a campaign to regularise foreign domestic workers, with an annual permit of EGP 2,500, and offered annual permits for workers in small establishments such as restaurants at EGP 3,000, according to the Cairo Governorate. These reduced fees do not apply to larger employers or higher-paid staff.

The work residence permit carries its own fee. Since 2023, applicants must pay residence fees in US dollars or another convertible currency and convert them to Egyptian pounds through an authorised bank or exchange office.

Documents Required for an Egypt Work Permit

The employer assembles most of the file. Requirements vary by activity and nationality, and the Ministry can ask for more, but a typical Egypt work permit application includes the documents below.

From the Worker

• A valid passport, copies, and recent photographs
• Academic certificates and experience letters, authenticated and translated into Arabic where required
• An employment contract or approved appointment letter covering the job, workplace, pay, benefits, and term
• A professional licence, if the profession is regulated
• An HIV test certificate from a Ministry of Health laboratory or an approved government hospital
• Security clearance documents

From the Employer

• Articles of association, a commercial register extract, and a tax card
• Operating licences and a description of the company’s activity
• Workforce and social insurance records showing the ratio of foreign to Egyptian staff
• Approvals from any sector regulator with authority over the role
• Proof of fee payment

The UK government’s travel advice for Egypt confirms that applicants must show HIV test results to apply for a work permit. The Ministry exempts some categories from the test, so the employer should check before booking it.

How to Apply for an Egypt Work Permit

The employer leads the process and files at the Ministry of Labour, a regional Labour Directorate, or the Ministry’s offices inside the investment and petroleum authorities. For a comparison with sponsored routes elsewhere, see our guide on how to apply for a work visa.

Step 1: Confirm the Role Qualifies

Check that the job is not reserved for Egyptians, that the company is within the 10% cap or qualifies for an exception, and that the candidate meets the experience requirement.

Step 2: Get Security Clearance and Prepare the File

The employer requests security clearance for the candidate and gathers the worker and company documents listed above. Translations and attestations often take the longest, so start them early.

Step 3: Submit the Application and Pay the Fee

Once the Ministry accepts the file, the employer receives a receipt, often called the Form 4 receipt, which can serve as temporary work authorisation while security approval is pending. The worker completes the HIV test at an approved laboratory during this stage.

Step 4: Receive the Egypt Work Permit

The Ministry issues the Egypt work permit for one year or less. Reported processing times range from about one to two months after submission to three to six months from start to finish, depending on security clearance and the employer’s sector.

Step 5: Apply for the Work Residence Permit

With the permit approved, the worker applies to the Passports, Immigration and Nationality Administration for a residence permit that matches the permit duration. The worker usually needs to stay in Egypt with the original passport while this stage runs. Many workers enter Egypt on a visitor visa to complete these steps, but the visitor visa still does not allow work.

Work Residence Permit and Family Members

The work residence permit lets a foreign employee live in Egypt; the Egypt work permit lets them work. The two run in parallel and are renewed together. A spouse and children can apply for family residence once the work permit is issued, but family residence does not allow work. A dependant who takes a job needs an Egypt work permit of their own unless an exemption applies.

Residence on a work permit is renewable, but it does not automatically lead to permanent residence or citizenship. Our guide to Egypt visa types covers the property, deposit, and investment routes for longer stays.

Renewals, Changing Jobs, and Penalties

File the renewal at least two months before the current Egypt work permit expires. From the fourth year onward, renewals go to the Ministry’s central administration, and the employer must justify why it still needs the foreign worker. Each renewal also moves the worker into the next fee band.

Changing employers means a new permit. The Ministry can cancel a permit obtained with false information, used for a different job or employer, or held by someone convicted of a dishonesty offence. An employer must report an unexcused absence of 15 consecutive days within seven working days, and the absence can lead to suspension and then cancellation.

Labour inspectors check compliance. Fines for employing a foreign worker without a permit reportedly range from EGP 20,000 to EGP 100,000 per worker and double for repeat offences. An employer that discovers an unpermitted worker can regularise the position for EGP 15,000, a fee the authority may reduce or waive.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Egypt Work Permit