When does the new Labour Law apply in Egypt?

If you are an employer or an employee wondering when the new Labour Law applies in Egypt, the short answer is that it was issued as Law No. 14 of 2025, published in the Official Gazette in May 2025. However, the date of entry into force is not the date of publication. Read the details below.

Quick Answer

New Labour Law No. 14 of 2025 was issued in May 2025, and its final article provides that it shall come into force six months after the date of its publication in the Official Gazette. This means that actual application begins around early September 2025, replacing the old Labour Law No. 12 of 2003. During the six-month period the old law remains in force, and employers are granted time to bring their arrangements into compliance with the new provisions.^[1][2]

Actual Date of Entry into Force and the Grace Period

Law No. 14 of 2025 was ratified and published in the Official Gazette in May 2025. The final article sets a vacatio legis of six months before mandatory application begins.

Why this period? To give the Ministry time to issue the executive regulations, and to give establishments time to amend employment contracts, disciplinary codes, and internal rules.

In practice, this means that any labour dispute arising before the date of entry into force is decided under old Law No. 12 of 2003, while disputes arising after that date are governed by the new provisions — except where the legislature has expressly provided otherwise in the transitional clauses.^[1]

Note: The executive regulations may be issued after the law itself enters into force. Check ministerial decrees on the official website of the Ministry of Manpower on a rolling basis before applying any detailed provision.

What Actually Changes Upon Application?

The substantive provisions that take effect when Egypt's new Labour Law enters into force include:

• Establishment of specialist labour courts with jurisdiction over individual and collective labour disputes, replacing the ordinary civil courts. This is a major shift — frankly, labour disputes used to languish for years in the ordinary courts.
• New regulation of fixed-term contracts, with clearer rules for their renewal and conversion into open-ended contracts.
• An increase in the annual periodic increment linked to a specified minimum percentage of the contributory wage.
• Amendment of the wrongful dismissal rules and the compensation entitlements arising from them.
• Express regulation of remote work and flexible working for the first time.
• New leave entitlements, including paternity leave and amendments to maternity leave.

For further details, see the Egyptian Labour Law guide.

Who Is Covered and Who Is Exempt?

The law applies to all workers in the private sector within the Arab Republic of Egypt, whether Egyptian nationals or foreigners working under Egyptian employment contracts.

The following are excluded from its provisions:

1. Employees of the State's administrative apparatus and the public sector (governed by their own laws).
2. Domestic workers and those in a similar position — a contentious exclusion carried over from the old law.
3. Members of the employer's family who are genuinely dependent on the employer.

Contracts concluded before the date of entry into force continue in effect on their original terms, but the mandatory provisions of the new law (such as minimum wage rules and termination-of-service rules) apply immediately by operation of law, even if the contract stipulates otherwise.^[2][3]

What Should You Do Now as an Employer or Employee?

If you are an employer: Review your contract templates, disciplinary code, and wage structure. Amend anything that conflicts with the new provisions before the grace period expires. Register your workforce properly with the competent labour office and the National Organisation for Social Insurance — penalties for violations are heavier under the new law.

If you are an employee: Keep a signed copy of your contract, wage receipts, and any formal warnings or correspondence. If a dispute arises after the date of entry into force, the competent forum will be the new specialist labour court, not the civil court.

Are you confident that your current contract complies with the new mandatory provisions? If in doubt, do not wait until a dispute arises.