Overview

Following a series of decrees issued by the Ministry of Labour since the enactment of Egypt’s new Labour Law No. 14 of 2025 (the “Labour Law”), the Minister of Labour issued Decree No. 214 of 2025 (the “Decree”) on 5 October 2025, governing employment contracts and clarifying the filing procedures thereof with the competent Labour Offices.

1. Contract Drafting and Filing

In line with the Labour Law, the Decree confirms that employers must prepare the employment contract in Arabic, in four (4) original copies, with one (1) copy retained by the employer in the employee’s file, one (1) copy provided to the employee, one (1) copy submitted to the competent Social Insurance office, and one (1) copy submitted to the competent local Labour Directorate, either in hard copy or electronically via the Labour Directorate official email, as specified in the annex attached to the Decree.

If the employee is a foreigner and does not speak Arabic, the employment contract may be written in Arabic and the employee’s language, or in Arabic and English. In case of any discrepancy in interpretation, the Arabic language will prevail.

In the event that employers opt for electronic submissions, the following requirements must be fulfilled:

• employment contracts must be sent from the company's official registered email address;
• a certified copy of the company’s commercial/industrial register and tax card must be attached;
• a copy of the national ID or passport of the employer or the chairman of the board of directors, as the case may be, must be attached;
• the email must include the company’s name, its headquarters or branch, as the case may be, its insurance number, and the number of employment contracts attached to the email;
• a statement must be provided listing the names of all employees, their national ID numbers, salaries, job titles, and the term of their contracts (if the contracts are fixed-term), noting that the statement must be provided in both PDF and Excel formats, with each version affixed with the company’s stamp; and
• each contract must be submitted in a separate PDF file, with each file name consisting of the employee’s full name and national ID number.

It is worth noting that the employer is exempt from the aforementioned requirements if employment contracts are of an indefinite term and were concluded before the Labour Law came into effect (i.e., 1 September, 2025).

However, for fixed-term employment contracts concluded prior to the Labour Law’s effective date, a copy thereof must be submitted upon the first renewal.

2. Renewal and Termination Notifications

A copy of the renewal of fixed-term employment contracts, or any document indicating the renewal thereof, must be submitted in the same manner as clarified in Section one (1) above. The competent Labour Directorate must also be notified in cases where the employment contract expires or is terminated for any reason, within a period not exceeding fifteen (15) days from the date of renewal, non-renewal, or termination.

3. Advisory Role of the Ministry of Labour

The Decree assured the role of the Ministry of Labour and its Directorates to provide necessary advice and guidance to both parties to the employment relationship—upon their request—to:

• determine the appropriate nature and form of the employment relationship;
• distinguish the employment relationship from other legal relationships, and assess whether the work is performed on behalf of an employer or for oneself;
• determine whether work performed is carried out for the benefit of the employer or constitutes self-employment;

The Decree stipulated that the Ministry of Labour and its Directorates may consider some factors such as the method of performing the work, the regularity of wage payment, elements of subordination or supervision, and any other relevant factors, to advise on the above.

Conclusion

The Decree clarifies the requirements and submission procedures with respect to employment contracts, as provided under the Labour Law, ensuring clarity, compliance, and proper oversight of employment relationships.

The contributors to this article are Alia Monieb, Partner, and Head of Employment, Rawan Roshdy, Managing Associate and Hoda Khira , Junior Associate.