Egypt passenger data record

The data protection law

The Digital Policy Alert database records that the President signed Law No. 151 of 2020, promulgating the Personal Data Protection Law, on 13 July 2020 ¹. The same entry gives 17 October 2020 as the date the law entered into force ¹.

The database says the law introduced rules for cross-border data transfers, which need prior approval from the Personal Data Protection Center ². This page did not open an official or intergovernmental copy of the law text, so its articles on sensitive data, scope and exemptions are not set out here ^1,2.

The regulator and the executive regulations

The Personal Data Protection Center runs a website at pdpc.gov.eg ⁴. The page this site opened did not show the Center's legal status or the text of the law ⁴.

The Minister of Communications and Information Technology adopted the executive regulations as Decision No. 816 of 2025 on 1 November 2025, according to the Digital Policy Alert database ³. The same entry says the regulations entered into force on 2 November 2025, the day after publication in the Official Gazette ³. This page did not open the Official Gazette text of the decision ³.

API and PNR

On 18 July 2024 the ICAO AFI SECFAL Plan Secretariat listed six African states with API in force and three with PNR in force ⁷. Egypt appeared on both lists, with Mali and Seychelles the other two PNR states ⁷.

On 2 July 2025 Civil Aviation Minister Sameh El-Hefny met the IOM Chief of Mission in Egypt, Carlos Oliver Cruz, as reported by Aya El Sayed in Amwal Al Ghad ⁸. The minister called for closer work on API and PNR systems and for more technical training ⁸. Oliver Cruz said IOM was ready to help train staff and upgrade passenger data systems ⁸.

This page did not open the decree that requires airlines to send API and PNR to Egypt, so its number, data fields, deadlines and penalties are not given here ^7,8.

E-visa and arrival records

The e-visa portal at visa2egypt.gov.eg carries the Ministry of Interior name in its footer ⁵. Applicants sign up with an email address and must create an application at least 7 days before departure ⁵. The portal FAQ lists tourist e-visa fees of $30 for a single entry and $65 for multiple entries, shown with a dollar sign and no currency code ⁶. Passports must be valid for at least 6 months from the arrival date ⁶.

On 8 April 2026 the Cairo Governorate website, citing Al-Ahram Online, reported that from 11 April 2026 Egyptian passengers at Cairo International Airport would no longer fill in paper passport control cards ⁹. A digital documentation system replaces them, and the Ministry of Civil Aviation said other airports would follow in a later phase ⁹. The report does not say what data the new system holds ⁹.

Border data contracts and official findings

This page found no official record or named-reporter report naming a supplier of an API, PNR, e-visa or border control system in Egypt ^{5,8 9}. It found no audit office, court or parliamentary finding on these systems ^7,8.