Skip to main content

    AI by country · North Africa

    AI in Egypt: the rules, the readiness and where to start

    Last checked: 29 October 2026

    What should a company in Egypt know before starting with AI?

    Egypt has no AI law in force as of 29 October 2026. The rule that applies today is the Personal Data Protection Law, No. 151 of 2020, whose executive regulations were issued on 1 November 2025 and which gives companies one year to comply. AI projects that use personal data need consent or a legal basis, a licence from the Personal Data Protection Center, and a separate licence before data goes abroad.

    At a glance

    Egypt at a glance

    Key facts about Egypt
    Data protection lawPersonal Data Protection Law, No. 151 of 2020, in force; executive regulations (Ministerial Decision 816 of 2025) issued 1 November 2025
    RegulatorPersonal Data Protection Center (PDPC)
    AI policyNo dedicated AI law as of 29 October 2026. National AI Strategy, Second Edition 2025 to 2030; national AI guidelines released March 2026
    Time zoneUTC+2 from 30 October 2026 (UTC+3 in summer, from the last Friday of April); India is 3.5 hours ahead in winter
    CurrencyEGP (Egyptian pound)
    Business languageArabic and English

    Why now

    Why Egypt is worth watching

    Each point links to the document it comes from.

    • The National AI Strategy, Second Edition 2025 to 2030, sets 2030 goals of 30,000 AI professionals and more than 250 successful AI companies in Egypt.[4]

    • The same strategy expects 36% of the general public to have access to AI products in daily life within five years, and says the ICT sector can contribute 7.7% of GDP by 2030.[4]

    • The executive regulations of the data protection law were issued on 1 November 2025. The law gives companies one year from that date to bring their processing into line.[3]

    • On 14 March 2026 the national AI council released national generative AI guidelines and a guide to Egypt's AI governance framework.[5]

    • The strategy describes an Egyptian AI law as being in its final development phase. We found no sign that it has been passed.[4]

    The rules

    The rules that matter for AI

    What each law or policy means when you build or buy an AI system.

    Personal Data Protection Law, No. 151 of 2020

    In force2020Personal data may be collected or processed only with the person's explicit consent or where the law allows it (article 2). People can access, correct and delete their data, and object to processing or its results when it conflicts with their basic rights. Breaches must be reported to the PDPC within 72 hours (article 7). Data can go abroad only to a country with equal or better protection and with a PDPC licence or permit (article 14), with listed exceptions that need explicit consent (article 15).[1]

    Law No. 151 of 2020: licences and penalties

    In force2020The PDPC issues licences or permits for processing, sensitive data, direct electronic marketing and cross-border transfers (article 26). Processing without consent or legal basis carries fines of EGP 100,000 to 1 million (article 36). Unlawful handling of sensitive data, or a transfer abroad that breaks articles 14 to 16, can mean at least 3 months in prison and/or EGP 500,000 to 5 million (articles 41 and 42).[1]

    Executive regulations of the Personal Data Protection Law (Ministerial Decision No. 816 of 2025)

    Phased2025Issued on 1 November 2025. Article 6 of Law 151 gives companies one year from issuance to comply, which a law firm reads as 1 November 2026. The same firm says the text was not public until 25 December 2025, so the PDPC may treat the deadline differently. The regulations set licence tiers, data protection officer duties and breach notice to affected people.[2]

    Egypt AI law (government draft)

    Draft2025The national AI strategy lists issuing an AI law as a governance initiative and says the draft will protect citizens against high-risk or prohibited AI. We found no official draft text and no record of a vote. Status unclear as of 29 October 2026.[4]

    Where AI fits first

    Where AI fits first

    Banking

    Arabic and English customer chatbots, document checks and fraud monitoring.

    Article 3 of Law 151 excludes data held by the Central Bank of Egypt and the entities it supervises, except money transfer and exchange companies. Those entities follow the central bank's own data rules instead.[1]

    Customer service and outsourcing

    Call summaries, Arabic speech-to-text and draft replies, with human agents in charge.

    If an AI service processes call data on servers outside Egypt, that is a cross-border transfer that needs a PDPC licence or a listed exception under articles 14 to 16.[1]

    Health care

    Summarising patient records and booking support, with clinicians making decisions.

    Health data is sensitive data. Processing it needs a specific PDPC licence or permit (article 26), and misuse can bring prison terms (article 41).[1]

    Public services and education

    Arabic-language assistants and learning tools.

    The national strategy names health care, education and agriculture as priority sectors and plans a national Arabic foundation model.[4]

    Your first steps

    Your first steps

    1. Check whether your company holds, or has applied for, the PDPC licence or permit that matches your processing. The one-year compliance period runs from 1 November 2025.
    2. List the personal data each AI use will touch, and record the explicit consent or legal basis you rely on (article 2).
    3. Find out where your AI vendor stores and processes data. If it is outside Egypt, plan for a cross-border transfer licence or permit before you start.
    4. Treat health, financial and biometric data as sensitive, and get the specific licence before using it in AI.
    5. Name a data protection officer and set up a breach process that can reach the PDPC within 72 hours.
    6. Test any model in Arabic and English on your own documents before it faces customers.
    7. Read the March 2026 national generative AI guidelines and follow news of the draft AI law.

    AI services for Egypt

    AI consulting and development for teams in Egypt

    We work remotely with companies in Egypt, in your time zone, and keep your data under the rules described above.

    AI agents and automation

    Agents that finish multi-step work across your tools, with people approving what matters.
    Learn more

    Document Q&A (RAG)

    Answers from your own documents, with the source shown for every answer.
    Learn more

    AI governance and data protection

    Policies, review steps and audit trails that fit your local data law.
    Learn more

    Software and cloud engineering

    Web apps, integrations and cloud platforms built around your AI use case.
    Learn more

    How we work with you

    How we work with you

    We work remotely with clients worldwide, in the client's time zone. From 30 October 2026 Egypt is on UTC+2 and India on UTC+5:30, a 3.5 hour gap. Taking a 09:00 to 17:00 day in Cairo and 09:30 to 18:30 in India, the overlap is 6 hours, from 09:00 to 15:00 Cairo time. In summer (UTC+3) it grows to 7 hours, 09:00 to 16:00.

    Questions

    Common questions about AI in Egypt

    Does Egypt have an AI law?

    Not in force as of 29 October 2026. The national AI strategy describes an AI law in its final development phase, but we found no official text or vote. For now, Law 151 of 2020 and sector rules apply.

    When do we have to comply with the data protection law?

    The law gives one year from the issue of the executive regulations, which were issued on 1 November 2025. That points to 1 November 2026. Because the text was published late, confirm the exact date with the PDPC or a lawyer.

    Can we use a foreign cloud AI service with customer data?

    Only if the destination country's protection is at least equal to Egypt's and you hold a PDPC licence or permit, or a listed exception applies with the person's explicit consent. A wrongful transfer can bring prison and fines of up to EGP 5 million.

    Do banks follow the same rules?

    No. Law 151 does not apply to data held by the Central Bank of Egypt and the institutions it supervises, except money transfer and exchange companies. Banks follow the central bank's own rules on personal data.

    What does a breach cost?

    Failing the controller duties or the 72-hour breach notice can mean fines of EGP 300,000 to 3 million (article 38). Repeat offences double the penalties.

    Complimentary tools

    Try these first

    Three complimentary tools from our AI Toolkit that suit a team starting out.

    AI readiness score

    Answer a few questions and see where your team stands, in about five minutes.
    Open the tool

    AI use case triage

    Test an idea against data, risk and effort before you spend on it.
    Open the tool

    AI project cost estimator

    Get a rough build and run cost range for a first AI project.
    Open the tool

    Read next

    Sources

    Sources

    Facts checked on 29 October 2026. Numbers in square brackets above match this list.
    1. [1] Arab Republic of Egypt (English translation hosted by the Association of Corporate Counsel), 2020-07-13. Law No. 151 of 2020 Promulgating the Personal Data Protection Law(acc.com)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Law No. 151 of 2020 Promulgating the Personal Data Protection Law. Unofficial English translation of the law, read in full. The official text is the Arabic one in the Official Gazette. Used for promulgation articles 3, 6 and 7 and law articles 2, 7, 14 to 16, 26, 36, 38, 41 and 42. The date is the date the President issued the law. We could not reach the PDPC website (pdpc.gov.eg).

    2. [2] CMS (law firm), 2026-01-13. Egypt's PDPL: Executive regulations issued, one year compliance countdo…(cms.law)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Egypt's PDPL: Executive regulations issued, one year compliance countdown begins. Law-firm summary, used for interpretation only: the 1 November 2026 reading of the deadline, the 25 December 2025 public release, licence tiers, DPO duties and breach notice to individuals.

    3. [3] Digital Policy Alert, 2025-11-01. Minister of Communications and Information Technology adopted Executive…(digitalpolicyalert.org)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Minister of Communications and Information Technology adopted Executive Regulations of the Personal Data Protection Law (Decision No. 816 of 2025). Secondary tracker. Used for the decision number and the adoption date of 1 November 2025. We did not find the Official Gazette text online.

    4. [4] National Council for Artificial Intelligence and Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, 2025-01-16. Egypt National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, Second Edition (2025-2…(api.oecd.ai)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Egypt National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, Second Edition (2025-2030). Primary document, read via the OECD.AI-hosted copy. Used for the 2030 targets, priority sectors, the national foundation model and the AI law initiative. The date comes from the file name; the document itself states no date.

    5. [5] Digital Policy Alert, 2026-03-14. National Council for AI, Quantum Computing and Emerging Technologies re…(digitalpolicyalert.org)
      Full title and what we used it for

      National Council for AI, Quantum Computing and Emerging Technologies released Egypt's National Generative AI Guidelines. Secondary tracker. Used for the release date. It does not say whether the guidelines are binding, and we could not open the official document.

    6. [6] Digital Policy Alert, 2026-03-14. National Council for AI released guide to Egypt's National AI Governanc…(digitalpolicyalert.org)
      Full title and what we used it for

      National Council for AI released guide to Egypt's National AI Governance Framework. Secondary tracker. Used for the governance framework guide released the same day. Its legal status is not stated.

    7. [7] Misr Connect, 2026-08-18. Egypt winter time 2026(misrconnect.com)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Egypt winter time 2026. Press report. Used for the end of summer time at the end of Thursday 29 October 2026 under Law No. 24 of 2023, and the summer start on the last Friday of April.

    This is general information, not legal advice. Egypt's data protection regulations are new, the compliance deadline is close, and the AI law is still a draft. Check your plans with a qualified Egyptian lawyer. Facts were checked on 29 October 2026.

    Other country guides

    Starting with AI in Egypt?

    Talk to an engineer. The first call is free, and we start with a readiness assessment before any budget is committed.

    Talk to our team Get your AI score