The legal system of Egypt
A civil-law system whose private law derives from the 1949 Civil Code, drafted by Abd al-Razzaq al-Sanhuri and the single most influential codification in the Arab world — Libya, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait and others took it as their model, so Egyptian doctrine carries weight well beyond Egypt. Article 2 of the constitution makes the principles of Islamic Sharia the principal source of legislation, and unusually this is not merely declaratory: the Supreme Constitutional Court has developed a working test distinguishing the immutable principles of Sharia from rules open to legislative discretion, and has struck down statutes on that basis. Personal status is administered under religious rules by community, with the Coptic and other Christian churches applying their own canon law to their members.
Legal tradition
Egypt belongs to the civil law with islamic law as principal source tradition. A civil-law system whose private law derives from the 1949 Civil Code, drafted by Abd al-Razzaq al-Sanhuri and the single most influential codification in the Arab world — Libya, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait and others took it as their model, so Egyptian doctrine carries weight well beyond Egypt. Article 2 of the constitution makes the principles of Islamic Sharia the principal source of legislation, and unusually this is not merely declaratory: the Supreme Constitutional Court has developed a working test distinguishing the immutable principles of Sharia from rules open to legislative discretion, and has struck down statutes on that basis. Personal status is administered under religious rules by community, with the Coptic and other Christian churches applying their own canon law to their members.
How power is divided
Unitary, with 27 governorates headed by governors appointed by the President. There is no legislative devolution — governorates administer central policy, and local popular councils have been without elections for over a decade.
Where law comes from
- The Constitution
- Supreme; enforced by the Supreme Constitutional Court.
- Principles of Islamic Sharia
- Article 2 makes them the principal source of legislation; justiciable before the SCC.
- Legislation
- Statutes of the House of Representatives; presidential decree-laws when it is not in session, requiring later ratification.
- The Civil Code 1949
- Al-Sanhuri's code; the backbone of obligations, contract and property.
- Custom and equity
- Article 1 of the Civil Code directs judges to custom, then Sharia principles, then natural justice, where no text applies.
The legal profession
A single fused profession of advocates enrolled with the Egyptian Bar Association, with rights of audience tiered by seniority — appearance before the Court of Cassation requires years of practice and separate admission. Judges are career appointments recruited largely from the prosecution service and trained through the National Centre for Judicial Studies; the Council of State maintains a separate judicial career for administrative judges.
Law by topic in Egypt
- Family LawCodified Islamic personal status, with separate rules for Christian communitiesMuslim personal status runs under Law 25/1920 and Law 25/1929 as amended, with the 2000 procedural reform introducing khul divorce. Christian communities apply their own denominational rules on marriage and divorce.
- Civil ProcedureFrench-model civil procedure with Economic Courts for commercial disputesThe Code of Civil and Commercial Procedure of 1968 governs ordinary litigation. The Economic Courts, created in 2008, handle defined commercial and investment matters with shorter timetables.
- Tax LawIncome tax under Law 91/2005 and VAT under Law 67/2016Corporate income tax is levied at 22.5 per cent with higher rates for oil and gas, personal income tax is progressive, and VAT at 14 per cent replaced the older general sales tax in 2016.
- Constitutional LawA 2014 constitution with a Supreme Constitutional Court that does strike laws downThe 2014 constitution, amended in 2019 to extend presidential terms, establishes a semi-presidential republic. The Supreme Constitutional Court has a genuine record of invalidating legislation, including election laws that dissolved parliament.
- Immigration & NationalityEntry and residence under Law 89/1960, with a large de facto refugee populationForeign entry, residence and work permits run under Law 89/1960 and its implementing decrees. Egypt hosts a very large refugee population, but registration and status determination are conducted by UNHCR rather than by a domestic asylum authority.
- Criminal LawA French-model penal code, with military and emergency jurisdiction over civiliansThe Penal Code of 1937 and the 1950 Criminal Procedure Code follow the French inquisitorial model. Counter-terrorism legislation and Article 204 of the constitution allow military trial of civilians in defined cases.
- Business & CorporateThe Sanhuri civil code plus a modern companies and investment regimeCompanies are formed under Law 159/1981 or the newer one-person and simplified vehicles, with the General Authority for Investment (GAFI) as the central gateway. The 1948 Civil Code still supplies the law of obligations.
- Property & LandRegistered title plus a very large unregistered urban stockOwnership and registration are governed by the Civil Code and the Real Estate Registration Law, but a substantial share of urban housing was built without permits and is held on unregistered contracts.
- Employment & LabourLabour Law 12/2003, with a new 2025 code replacing itLaw 12/2003 governed individual and collective employment for two decades. A new Labour Law was enacted in 2025, restructuring dismissal, dispute resolution and leave, and creating specialised labour courts.
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