Egypt Finalises Executive Regulations to the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) 

Egypt has published Executive Regulations No. 816/2025 (issued on 1 November 2025 and publicly circulated in December 2025), completing the regulatory framework that operationalises the Personal Data Protection Law (Law No. 151/2020). These Regulations establish clearer standards for implementation, oversight, and compliance ahead of expected enforcement from 1 November 2026 (the end of the one‑year grace period).  

Key Insights from the Executive Regulations 

The Regulations confirm the Personal Data Protection Center (PDPC) as the supervisory authority responsible for implementation, monitoring, and enforcement, and set more detailed requirements across core data protection principles and data subject rights. 

• Purpose, consent & permitted processing: Processing must remain aligned with declared purposes. Where purposes change, organisations should plan for an updated legal basis and updated consent (where consent is relied upon). 

• Licensing & approvals (including cross-border transfers): The Regulations introduce a more structured approvals model through PDPC processes. Cross-border transfers require a separate PDPC licence/permit, with applications expected to specify the destination, purpose, data categories, and safeguards. Additional approvals also apply to activities such as electronic marketing and certain public-space surveillance use cases.  

• Governance and accountability: Organisations must maintain secure records and apply retention/deletion practices aligned to processing purpose. Foreign entities processing personal data relating to individuals in Egypt may need to appoint an authorised local representative. Depending on the scale and sensitivity of processing activities, some organisations may also be required to appoint a PDPC‑registered Data Protection Officer. 

• Safeguards & Oversight: Additional safeguards apply to children’s data, including guardian consent requirements for those under 15 and sector‑specific limits on data use and retention. Personal data breaches must be notified to the PDPC within 72 hours of becoming aware, and affected individuals must be informed within three business days.   

Why This Matters for Businesses 

The Executive Regulations introduce detailed operational requirements that will shape how organisations manage data governance, licensing obligations, cross‑border transfers, and incident response. With enforcement expected from November 2026, businesses should: 

1. assess processing activities and determine whether licensing or permit requirements apply; 

2. review cross-border data flows and approval readiness; 

3. confirm whether local representative/DPO obligations are triggered; and 

4. validate incident response timelines and communications processes against the new rules.   

Access Partnership continues to track developments in data protection and digital regulatory frameworks across the Middle East. If you would like to learn more about the implications of Egypt’s PDPL Executive Regulations or wider data governance trends, please contact Dana Ramadan at [email protected] or Cerys Stansfield at [email protected].