Law No. 159/198 mandates that a minimum of two members of a company’s board of directors must be nationals. Reports indicate that this requirement extends across various sectors, including computer and related services, telecommunications, and internet services. Art. 181 stipulates that the Government must be represented by at least two members on the administrative boards of companies for which it guarantees a minimum level of profits.

According to Art. 281 of the Executive regulations of the Companies Law, at least one manager of a limited liability company must be a national.

Foreign investment in Egypt is subject to screening based on criteria such as the investor’s nationality and the nature of the company’s activities, as certain sectors and nationalities face restrictions under Egyptian law and must meet specific conditions. Security clearance is required for any foreign individual to work or conduct business, although the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI) generally approves incorporations and shareholding changes without prior clearance, except for certain nationalities including China, Russia, Ukraine, Nigeria, Israel, Iran, Belarus, Bangladesh, Iraq and Palestine which require advance approval. While companies may operate during the often lengthy screening process, rejection obliges them to cease operations and pursue an extended appeals procedure. Businesses have reported hesitancy among Egyptian clients to enter long-term contracts with firms lacking clearance, alongside concerns about arbitrary refusals, lack of transparency and delays in appeals.

Only Egyptian joint-stock companies incorporated in accordance with Egyptian law can apply for and obtain internet service provider (Class A) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) licenses in Egypt. This means that ISPs and VoIP services of foreign providers with no commercial presence in Egypt and minimum Egyptian stocks are not permissible in Egypt.

Art. 52 of Egypt Implementing Regulations for Law No. 82 of 2002 on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights requires an applicant who is not a resident of the Arab Republic of Egypt to appoint an Egyptian patent agent to whom all notifications, documentation, and submissions provided for under the Law or these Regulations shall be sent.

It is reported that Egypt lacks an effective framework for the early resolution of potential patent disputes.

Egypt is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

A preference for Egyptian Industrial Products in Government contracts for projects is applied by concerned entities according to Law No. 5 of 2015 Concerning the Preference of Egyptian Products in Government Contracts (Art. 3) and is operationalised by the Ministerial Decree No. 656/2015 (Chapter 2, Art. 2). They require concerned Governmental entities to include a clause in project proposals and contracts that obliges bidders and contractual parties to ensure that the Egyptian industrial content is not less than 40% of the overall value of the offer or contract.

Egypt is a signatory of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA) of 1996, but is not a signatory of its 2015 expansion (ITA II).

According to Art. 75 of Law No. 182 of 2018, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Egypt are entitled to secure at least 20% of available government contracts annually. This right was also established under the previous legislation, Tenders Law No. 89 of 1998.

Art. 59 of Law No. 182 of 2018 allows "local tenders" in which only Egyptian companies of a certain governorate can participate. This applies when the total price of the tender does not exceed EGP 2 million (approx. 127,000 USD).

Art. 35 of Law No. 182 of 2018 accords price preference to products that satisfy the percentage of Egyptian industrial components if their value exceeds that of the lowest unsatisfying product within the maximum of 15%. The article also stipulates that the bid submitted for services or technical works shall be considered the lowest price if its value is 15% (or less) higher than the value of the lowest foreign bid.

Art. 3 of Basic Decision No. 7548 regulates banking and financial operations conducted through applications or software installed on mobile or fixed electronic devices, stipulating that such transactions using bank cards and/or accounts of customers from different banks are permissible only within defined limits. Each customer may transmit, via a single application, no more than LBP 15,000,000 (approx. USD 170) per day and LBP 150,000,000 (approx. USD 1.700) per month for transactions in Lebanese pounds, and USD 300 per day and USD 3,000 per month, or their equivalent in other foreign currencies approved by the Banque du Liban Clearing House, for transactions in US dollars or other authorised currencies. Similarly, the total amount received by each customer shall not exceed LBP 15,000,000 (approx. USD 170) per day and LBP 150,000,000 (approx. USD 1.700) per month in Lebanese pounds, and USD 600 per day and USD 6,000 per month, or their equivalent in approved foreign currencies. The Banque du Liban may exceptionally authorise higher ceilings for legal persons such as merchants, industrialists, or self-employed professionals. Service providers offering such operations may also integrate an electronic wallet (e-wallet) service into these applications, subject to additional restrictions: for natural persons, monthly movements shall not exceed USD 10,000 and the balance shall not exceed USD 3,000 or their equivalent in Lebanese pounds; for legal commercial persons, monthly movements shall not exceed USD 50,000 and the balance shall not exceed USD 30,000 or their equivalent in Lebanese pounds.