Contract templates in Egypt: the rules to know

• Permanent employment contract

  Hiring for a permanent position

  In Egypt, the new 2025 Labour Law makes the open-ended contract the rule and sets strict form requirements.

  • Law No. 14 of 2025, published in the Official Gazette on 3 May 2025, has been in force since 1 September 2025 and replaces Law No. 12 of 2003.
  • The open-ended contract is the rule; a fixed term is allowed only where the nature of the work requires it.
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• Fixed-term employment contract

  Assignment or replacement with an end date

  The 2025 Labour Law allows a fixed term only where the nature of the work requires it and requires a written contract in Arabic.

  • A fixed-term contract is allowed only if the nature of the work requires it; otherwise the contract is deemed open-ended.
  • If the parties continue performance after the end date without a written agreement, the contract becomes open-ended.
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• Internship agreement

  Internships and first-job schemes

  In Egypt, the 2025 Labour Law (Law No. 14 of 2025) governs the vocational apprenticeship contract.

  • An apprentice is a person engaged by an employer to learn a trade, craft or profession for pay (Law No. 14 of 2025, art. 1).
  • Apprentices must be at least 14; children may be trained from that age if it does not harm their schooling (arts. 28 and 62).
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• Resignation letter

  Leaving a job properly

  In Egypt, since Decree No. 187 of 2025, resignation is made in writing and certified by a labour relations office; the length of notice remains to be confirmed.

  • Resignation in writing, signed by the employee or a special proxy, and certified by a labour relations office after an identity check (Decree No. 187 of 2025).
  • The employer may never file the resignation with the office itself (Decree No. 187 of 2025, art. 3).
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• Service agreement

  Work carried out for a client

  The Civil Code generally treats a service as a contract for work (muqawala), with rules on defective performance, subcontracting and termination.

  • Under a muqawala, one party undertakes to make a thing or perform work for a fee (art. 646), with or without supplying the materials (art. 647).
  • If performance is defective, the client may give notice to correct, then seek termination or have the work completed at the provider's cost (art. 650).
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• Agreement between two parties

  Mutual commitments in writing

  The 1948 Civil Code and the 1968 Law of Evidence govern the agreement, including judicial reduction of an excessive penalty clause.

  • The contract is the law of the parties; it may be amended or revoked only by mutual consent or on legal grounds (art. 147 para. 1).
  • The contract is performed in good faith and also binds the parties to its consequences under law, custom and equity (art. 148).
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• Freelance contract

  Independent professional and client

  In Egypt, a freelance contract is in principle treated as a contract for work (muqawala) under the Civil Code.

  • A freelance contract falls in principle under the contract for work (Civil Code, Art. 646), the contractor working without subordination.
  • The client may end the assignment before completion by compensating the freelancer, including lost profit (Civil Code, Art. 663).
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• Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)

  Sharing sensitive information

  In Egypt, no specific statute covers NDAs: the contract falls under the Civil Code, and Law No. 82 of 2002 protects undisclosed information.

  • Information is protected if it is secret, derives commercial value from being secret and is subject to reasonable confidentiality measures (Law 82/2002, Article 55).
  • The lawful holder must take appropriate measures to preserve confidentiality (Article 57).
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• Partnership agreement

  Joint project between companies

  An innominate contract governed by the Civil Code, with a risk of recharacterisation as a company and limits set by competition law.

  • A cooperation agreement is an innominate contract governed by general law (Civil Code, arts. 147-148).
  • If the parties contribute property or work to a joint project to share its results, the agreement may be recharacterised as a company (art. 505).
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• Sale of goods

  Selling goods and movable property

  In Egypt, the Civil Code governs sales and Law No. 181 of 2018 protects consumers; Egypt has been a party to the CISG since 1 January 1988.

  • The seller transfers ownership for a money price (arts. 418, 428); item lost before delivery without the seller's fault: sale rescinded, price refunded (art. 437).
  • Warranty of promised qualities and hidden defects existing at delivery; the claim is time-barred one year after delivery (arts. 447 and 452).
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• Influencer agreement

  Brand and creator collaboration

  In Egypt, the media law allows accounts with 5,000 or more followers to be suspended or blocked for unlawful content, and an influencer may qualify as an advertiser under consumer law.

  • Personal account with 5,000 or more followers: false news or unlawful content may lead the Supreme Council to suspend or block it (Law No. 180 of 2018, Art. 19).
  • An "advertiser" is anyone who promotes a product directly or through others, as is the medium used (Law No. 181 of 2018, Art. 1): an influencer may be covered.
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• Residential lease

  Renting a home

  Properties never let before, or whose lease has ended, are governed by the Civil Code rather than the old rent laws (Law No. 4 of 1996, art. 1 and 2).

  • A lease is the contract by which the landlord gives the tenant the use of a specific thing for a fixed term in return for a known rent (art. 558).
  • Term and rent are freely agreed by the parties; the tenant returns the premises when the lease ends.
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• Commercial lease

  Renting business premises

  In Egypt, the Civil Code defines the lease; Law No. 164 of 2025 phases out old non-residential leases.

  • A lease is the contract by which the landlord gives the tenant the use of a specific thing for a fixed term and a fixed rent (Civil Code, art. 558).
  • Old non-residential leases granted to natural persons end five years after Law No. 164 of 2025, published on 4 August 2025, comes into force (art. 2).
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• Acknowledgment of debt

  Money lent between individuals

  A written document is required above EGP 1,000; an acknowledgment interrupts limitation and supports a payment order.

  • In civil matters, a debt above EGP 1,000 or of undetermined value cannot be proven by witnesses: a written document is required (Evidence Law, art. 60).
  • An express or implied acknowledgment of the debt by the debtor interrupts the limitation period (Civil Code, art. 384).
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• Car sale agreement

  Selling a used vehicle

  The Civil Code governs the sale and the warranty; the Traffic Law governs the registration transfer.

  • The seller undertakes to transfer ownership for a price in money and to do what is needed for that transfer (Civil Code, art. 418 and 428).
  • The seller warrants the promised qualities and hidden defects existing at delivery (art. 447).
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• Power of attorney

  Acting on someone else's behalf

  In Egypt, a power of attorney takes the form required for the act it covers, and acts of disposal require a special power.

  • The power of attorney must take the form required for the legal act it covers, unless a provision states otherwise (Civil Code, art. 700).
  • A power in general terms covers administration only; selling, mortgaging, donating, settling, admitting or agreeing to arbitration requires a special power (art. 701-702).
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