How to Give Notice of Termination in Egypt?

Notice of Termination in Egypt: What Employers and Workers Owe

If you're ending an employment relationship in Egypt — whether you're the employer letting someone go or the worker walking away — the notice of termination is the piece most people fumble. Get the timing wrong and you owe compensation. Get the form wrong and a labour court will say the termination didn't happen.

Quick answer

Under Egypt's Labour Law No. 12 of 2003, a notice of termination for an indefinite contract must be in writing and served in advance: 2 months if the worker has less than 10 years of service, 3 months if 10 years or more. Either side can trigger it, but employers can only terminate for a "sufficient legitimate reason" defined in Article 110, otherwise the dismissal is arbitrary and the worker can claim compensation of at least 2 months' total wage per year of service. Fixed-term contracts generally can't be cut short without paying the remaining wages.

Who has to give notice, and how long

The rule sits in Articles 110–111 of Law 12/2003. For an indefinite-term contract, the notice periods are:

• 2 months if the worker has been employed for less than 10 years
• 3 months if the worker has 10 years or more of continuous service ^[1][2]

Notice runs the same way in both directions. A worker resigning owes the employer the same period as an employer dismissing the worker. During the notice period, the employment continues in full — wages, allowances, social insurance contributions, everything. The worker is also entitled to one paid day off per week to look for a new job, under Article 112.

Skip the notice and you pay for it. The party who cuts short the notice owes the other side the wages for the missing days. That's not a penalty a court has to invent — it's written into the statute.

One thing people miss: the notice must be in writing. A WhatsApp message telling your manager you're done, or a verbal "you're fired" from a supervisor, is legally shaky. Use a signed letter, delivered by hand with acknowledgement or by registered mail. Keep the receipt.

When an employer can actually terminate

Notice alone doesn't make a dismissal lawful. Article 110 requires a "sufficient and legitimate reason" — the employer has to be able to justify why the worker is being let go. Bad performance, restructuring, and redundancy can qualify, but the employer needs documentation. Vague reasons don't survive challenge at the labour court.

For fixed-term contracts, the rules tighten. Article 110 doesn't really apply — a fixed-term contract runs until its stated end date. Terminate it early without cause and Article 123 kicks in: you owe the worker the wages for the remaining term, capped at 3 months unless the contract says otherwise.

Serious misconduct is a separate track. Article 69 lists the specific grounds — impersonation, gross error causing major loss, repeated violation of safety rules, disclosing employer secrets, more than 20 non-consecutive absences a year, and so on. In those cases the employer can dismiss without notice, but has to follow the disciplinary procedure in Articles 66–68, including a written investigation and the worker's right to defend themselves. Skip the procedure and the dismissal is void, even if the misconduct was real. ^[1]

Honestly, this is where employers slip up most often — they have a legitimate reason but botch the process, and the dismissal gets ruled arbitrary anyway.

Watch out: A woman worker cannot be dismissed during maternity leave, and dismissal for reasons related to pregnancy or marriage is prohibited under Articles 91–92. Any such notice of termination is null.

What "arbitrary dismissal" costs you

If a court finds the dismissal was without a legitimate reason, or that proper notice wasn't given, Article 122 sets the floor for compensation: no less than 2 months of the worker's total wage for each full year of service. "Total wage" here includes fixed bonuses and allowances, not just the basic salary — which is why the number often surprises employers.

That's on top of any unpaid notice, accrued leave, and the end-of-service gratuity for workers not covered by the social insurance pension scheme.

The worker has to file at the competent labour court within 1 year of the dismissal date, per Article 698 of the Civil Code and Article 134 of the Labour Law framework. Miss the deadline and the claim is time-barred.

Resignation: the worker's side

Workers can resign, but the notice rules cut both ways. Under Article 119, a resignation must be in writing, and the worker can withdraw it within 1 week of the employer receiving it. After that week, it's locked in.

If the worker walks off the job without serving notice, the employer can claim compensation equal to the wage for the unserved notice period. In practice, employers often deduct it from the final settlement — legally allowed as long as the amount is calculated correctly and the worker is given a written breakdown.

Fixed-term contract? A worker who quits early without cause can be liable for the employer's damages, though these are harder to quantify and rarely pursued unless the role was senior or specialised.

For more on how these disputes play out, see our overview on Egyptian employment law questions.

What to put in the notice letter

Keep it short and specific. The letter should state:

• The date the notice is served
• The last working day (respecting the 2 or 3-month period)
• The legal basis, if you're the employer (reference to Article 110 or 69)
• A request for acknowledgement of receipt

Deliver it by hand with a signed copy returned, or by registered mail with return receipt. If the other party refuses delivery, a notary (muwathiq) can serve it — an extra step, but it kills any later argument about whether notice was actually given.

Need this checked for your situation? Talk to a lawyer licensed in Egypt →

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