By Egypt aims to issue about 1.33 million work permits for Egyptians working abroad in 2026, up from 1.18 million in 2025, Labour Minister Hassan Raddad told Asharq Bloomberg on Monday, as reported by Ahram Online. The minister spoke on the sidelines of Huawei’s employment fair, HiRE 7, held at the Grand Egyptian Museum.
Raddad said the additional overseas work permits were expected to boost remittances by 20 percent this year. Transfers from Egyptians abroad reached a record $47.3 billion in FY2025/2026, according to the Ahram Online report published Tuesday 27 October 2026.
What the 2026 target actually measures
The 1.33 million figure covers permits issued to Egyptian citizens taking jobs outside the country, not permits for foreign nationals working inside Egypt. The two systems are governed by different rules and different authorities, though they are often conflated in online guidance.
The outbound permit system is administered by the Ministry of Labour. The 2025 total of 1,182,500 permits included approximately 892,800 first-time permits and 289,800 renewals, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). That represented a 9.1 percent increase over the 1,083,600 permits issued in 2024.
The 2026 target of 1.33 million would require growth of roughly 12.5 percent over the 2025 figure. Whether that is achievable depends on demand from destination countries, bilateral labour agreements, and the capacity of Egypt’s labour offices to process applications.
How the outbound permit system works in practice
Egyptian citizens seeking to work abroad legally need a work permit issued through the Ministry of Labour before departure. The permit is tied to a specific job offer or employment contract from a foreign employer. Standard requirements typically include a valid national ID, passport, the foreign employment contract, a medical certificate, and police clearance. Men of military age must also provide proof of military service status.
Processing times and fees vary by labour office and destination country. The ministry has not published a single national fee schedule for outbound permits, and employers should confirm current requirements with the labour office in the governorate where the worker is registered.
The permit is distinct from any visa or residence permit required by the destination country. Egyptian workers still need to satisfy the immigration rules of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Italy, Greece, Germany, or wherever they plan to work. The Egyptian permit does not replace those requirements.
Why the government is pushing overseas employment
The remittance figure of $47.3 billion for FY2025/2026 is the clearest explanation for the policy direction. Remittances are a major source of foreign currency for Egypt, and the government has been trying to channel more workers into legal, documented employment abroad rather than informal migration.
The minister’s comments at the Huawei fair also point to a skills strategy. Raddad said the challenge extends beyond providing vacancies to preparing workers to keep pace with technological change and compete in domestic and international labour markets. He said the ministry follows the principle of “employment training,” with programmes assessed by whether participants secure suitable jobs, remain employed, and advance professionally.
The employment drive follows President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi’s May directive to establish a national labour market platform supporting employment at home and abroad. The ministry has not yet published full details of how that platform will interact with the overseas permit process.
What HR and payroll teams should watch
For employers in Egypt with staff planning to work abroad, the permit is an administrative step that sits alongside contract verification, social insurance status, and payroll continuity. Workers going abroad on secondment or direct hire should have their Egyptian permit in place before departure, and employers should keep a record of the permit number and expiry date.
For foreign employers hiring Egyptian nationals, the Egyptian permit is the worker’s responsibility, but employers can help by providing a clear, verifiable employment contract. The Ministry of Labour and Egyptian labour attachés in destination countries can verify contracts and intervene in disputes, though the practical reach of those protections varies by country.
The ministry’s memorandum of understanding with Huawei Egypt, signed on the sidelines of the fair, covers vocational training, digital skills, and employment opportunities for people with disabilities. It includes activating Huawei’s ICT academy, making self-paced courses available, and equipping vocational training centres with a laboratory. The National Telecommunications Institute and Huawei have trained and certified more than 2,000 instructors since 2020, who teach more than 135,000 trainees across over 193 Huawei academies in Egyptian universities.
The inbound permit system remains separate
Foreign nationals working in Egypt are governed by Law 12 of 2003 and Resolution No. 700 of 2006, amended by Resolution No. 485 of 2010. Under those rules, foreign workers generally cannot exceed 10 percent of an establishment’s total workforce, and a work permit must be secured before employment begins. Security clearance is required, and employers must demonstrate a need for foreign expertise.
That inbound system has nothing to do with the 1.33 million outbound permit target. HR teams managing mixed workforces should keep the two processes separate in their compliance calendars.
The 2026 target is a policy goal, not a guarantee of demand. Whether Egyptian workers can secure 1.33 million overseas permits depends on labour market conditions in destination countries, bilateral agreements, and the speed of Egypt’s own processing system.
Sources: Ahram Online
Photo: Egyptian Embassy, Sarajevo by Niegodzisie, CC BY-SA 4.0
