Foreign Worker Permit and Employment Residence in Egypt — January 2025 snapshot
Egypt's foreign-worker permit framework is the principal pathway for a foreign national who will work for an Egyptian employer or establishment.
Employer-led authorization
The Ministry of Labour's official service states that companies seeking to recruit foreign workers from abroad must apply for approval to bring the worker into Egypt and obtain a work permit. The employer supplies the foreign national's identifying and job information and the Ministry coordinates with the Passports, Immigration and Nationality authority on entry for work.
For a worker recruited from outside Egypt, the official procedure says entry should follow the relevant security approval and work-entry process. After arrival, the employer's representative must continue the work-permit formalities within the required period.
Work permit and residence are not the same thing
A lawful job in Egypt involves both the employment authorization and the appropriate immigration/residence status. A visitor or tourist stay must not be treated as open work permission.
For investment projects governed by the Investment Law, the Executive Regulations also cap foreign workers at 10% of the project workforce, with a possible increase to 20% where suitably qualified Egyptian workers are unavailable and the statutory approval conditions are met.
Skilled workers
There is no separate open "skilled-worker visa" in the Tier-1 January 2025 framework reviewed here. Skilled foreign personnel use the employer-led foreign-worker permit/residence process applicable to their job and employer.
Remote workers and freelancers
The reviewed official framework does not establish a dedicated digital-nomad, remote-work or generic freelancer visa. A person should not infer permission to work in Egypt from visitor status or from having clients outside Egypt.
Compare the Investor Residence, Egypt immigration hub, work visas, Africa, methodology, and legal disclaimer.
Official and supporting sources
- Official Egyptian government sourcegovernment · accessed 2026-10-01