Parliament reduces foreigners’ work permit fee in new law

CAIRO – 12 May 2017: The fee of foreigners’ work permits in Egypt will range from 5,000-30,000 EGP, rather than a maximum of 50,000 EGP as earlier proposed by the government, parliament’s Manpower Committee said on Friday.

The committee is working on the draft labor law, and the amendments aim to facilitate procedures and reduce fees to attract foreign entrepreneurs and small projects, said head of the committee Gebaly al-Maraghy.

An expat’s entry and residency in Egypt must be based on his work purposes, and employers may not hire a foreigner without a permit from the ministry related to the field of the job.

The concerned minister determines the cancellation of the permit, or exempting a foreigner from permits. Exemptions, however, would only be in urgent cases, such as the work at Dabaa Nuclear Plant, Maraghy said.

Every foreigner exempt from a permit must notify the administrative entity that offered him the job within seven days of working with them, as well as when his contract ends.

The ministry will also determine the maximum percentage of foreigners to work at a certain entity, exemptions and jobs that foreigners are not allowed to assume.

An employer must return foreign staff to their respective countries at the company’s expense, unless the contract states otherwise, according to the draft law.