Hire in Egypt
Arab Republic of Egypt — 105 million population, $3,700 GDP per capita. Everything you need to know about employment law, tax, compliance and hiring in Egypt.
Capital
Cairo
Currency
Egyptian Pound (EGP)
Languages
Arabic
Time zones
UTC+2 (EET)
Hiring overview
- Typical time to hire
- 1-3 weeks for contractor, 3-5 weeks for full-time
- Entity requirement
- Egyptian LLC or joint stock company. Registration at GAFI (General Authority for Investment).
- EOR available
- Yes — from $399/employee/month through a Corpshore entity
- Contractor of record
- Yes — from $39/worker/month
Employment law
- Standard workweek
- 48 hours (8 hours/day, 6 days)
- Maximum weekly hours
- 48 hours
- Minimum annual leave
- 21 days (30 days after 10 years or age 50+)
- Public holidays
- 7 per year
- Maternity leave
- 90 days at full pay (for up to 3 times during employment)
- Paternity leave
- No statutory provision
- Notice period
- 2-3 months depending on tenure
- Severance
- No statutory severance. End of service benefit may be provided under contract or collective agreement.
- Probation
- 3 months maximum
- Overtime rules
- 35% premium (day), 70% (night). Maximum overtime varies by sector.
Tax overview
- Income tax range
- 0% to 27.5%
- Corporate tax
- 22.5%
- Social contributions
- Employer: ~18.75%. Employee: ~11%.
- VAT / GST
- 14%
- Tax year
- Calendar year
- Treaty network
- Over 55 tax treaties
Compliance landscape
- Worker classification
- Labour Law No. 12 of 2003 governs. Subordination is the key test for employment status.
- Data protection
- Data Protection Law No. 151 of 2020 (executive regulations pending full implementation).
- Right to work
- Work permit required for foreign nationals. 10% foreign workforce limit (with exceptions).
- Non-compete
- Enforceable if limited to 3 years, specific geography, and same type of business.
- Collective bargaining
- Protected under the Labour Law. Egyptian Trade Union Federation is the main body.
Payment rails
ACH Egypt handles interbank clearing. Mobile payments growing rapidly. InstaPay (CBE instant payment) launched 2022.
Key considerations for hiring
- Egypt has the Arab world's largest population and a young, growing workforce
- New Administrative Capital development is creating massive infrastructure demand
- Growing tech ecosystem: Cairo has been dubbed 'Africa's new startup capital' alongside Lagos and Nairobi
- Pound devaluations (2016, 2022-2023) have made Egyptian talent very cost-competitive in USD terms
Business and cultural context: Egypt
Business culture
Relationship-oriented and hierarchical. Personal connections (wasta) influence business. Hospitality is central. Business pace can be slower than expected.
Key industries
Talent pool strengths
Historical context
Egypt's Suez Canal handles ~12% of global trade. The New Suez Canal (2015 expansion) doubled capacity. Cairo's tech ecosystem has grown rapidly, producing unicorns like Swvl (transport) and MNT-Halan (fintech). Egypt's 105M population makes it the largest Arabic-speaking market.
Ready to hire in Egypt?
Use our EOR service from $399/month and we handle employment law, payroll, tax and compliance in Egypt for you.