EGYPT Law and Practice Contributed by: Mohamed Hashish, Heba El Abd, Mariam Rabie, Mohamed Selim and Abdelaziz Mohamed, Soliman, Hashish & Partners
shareholders in a JSC to legitimise their legal status by increasing the number of shareholders to reach the minimum required number.
does not speak Arabic. However, in the event of any discrepancy between the two versions, the Arabic text shall prevail. As stipulated above, the employment contracts shall be made in four counterparts: one retained by the employer, one by the employee, and one submitted to the competent Social Insurance Office, and one copy to be submitted to the competent administra - tive authority (ie, the Labour Directorate within the employer’s jurisdiction or submitted online via the Directorate’s email). Pursuant to the Labour Law, in the absence of a written contract, both the employee and employer have the right to prove the employment relationship, its duration, and all associated rights through any means of proof. However, it is worth noting that, in the absence of a written employment contract, there is a presumption that the contract is concluded for an indefinite period. The employment contract may be concluded for either a definite or indefinite period or for the execution of a specific task or project. Notably, the Labour Law does not determine the maximum or minimum duration of the employment contract. 4.3 Working Time According to the Labour Law, the maximum applica - ble working hours of employees shall not exceed eight hours per day or forty-eight hours per week excluding rest breaks. These limits are regulated by public order rules and cannot be superseded or extended by any form of agreement. The New Labour Law provides that overtime work is only allowed in cases of emergency, unusual and/or exceptional circumstances in work conditions, pro - vided that: • the employer notifies the competent Labour Office within the employer’s jurisdiction and this shall be certified consequently by the Labour Directorate within seven days of the occurrence of extraordi - nary work conditions or exceptional circumstances, providing justifications for additional work and the duration of the required work; and
4. Employment Law 4.1 Nature of Applicable Regulations
On 3 May 2025, the New Egyptian Labour Law No 14 of 2025 (the “Labour Law”) was officially published in the Official Gazette. In accordance with its provisions, the Labour Law entered into force on the first day of the month following the lapse of 90 days from the date of its publication (ie, 1 September 2025). The Labour Law replaced the previous Labour Law No 12 of 2003. Under the Labour Law, any condition or agreement that violates the provisions of the Labour Law and/ or derogates from the employee’s rights and entitle - ments, shall be considered invalid. However, in the event that a rule and/or a stipulation originating either from the employment contract, employment practice, or any other employer resolution or internal work regu - lation, grant the employee better rights and/or benefits not provided by the provisions of the Labour Law, the said rule and/or stipulation shall remain valid as it pro - vides better benefits in the interests of the employee. 4.2 Characteristics of Employment Contracts In accordance with the provisions of the Labour Law, an employer must conclude an employment contract with an employee. It must be drafted in Arabic and provided in four identical copies. The employment contract must include the following information: • start date of the contract; • employer’s name and place of employment; • employee’s name, qualifications, profession or craft, social insurance number and residence; • the nature and type of work to be carried out by the employee; • agreed salary, method and time of payment; and • any other benefits, in cash or kind. Furthermore, according to the Labour Law, the employment contract may be issued in a bilingual format – Arabic and the employee’s native language – provided that the employee is a foreign national and
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