Business Letters for Egypt

Company Letters for Egyptian Authorities, Employers and Partners

U.S. companies communicate with Egypt through letters as much as through formal contracts. A parent company appointing the manager of its Egyptian branch, an employer confirming an engineer’s experience, a bank asking for a parent’s comfort letter, or a ministry asking a supplier to confirm its relationship with a local agent: each is a letter on company letterhead. To be relied on in Egypt, it must go through the Egyptian legalization chain.

Setting up and running a presence in Egypt

When a U.S. company registers a branch or representative office through the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), the file typically includes letters from the parent: an appointment letter naming the branch manager or representative and setting out their authority, and sometimes a letter of undertaking in which the parent accepts responsibility for the branch. Egyptian banks opening accounts or extending facilities to a local subsidiary often ask for a comfort or guarantee letter from the parent.

Employment and professional letters

Engineers, doctors and other professionals returning to Egypt, or registering with an Egyptian professional syndicate, are frequently asked for experience letters from U.S. employers stating their position, duties and dates of employment. Employers of foreign staff in Egypt may also need letters supporting work permit applications. A short letter with exact dates and a clear job description is more useful than a general reference.

Commercial and regulatory letters

Egyptian distributors, tender committees and regulators such as the Egyptian Drug Authority often ask a foreign supplier to confirm, in writing, its relationship with a local company, its product range or its support commitments. Where the letter appoints an agent or authorizes registrations, see our letter of authorization for Egypt page.

From signature to Egyptian legalization

Print the letter on current letterhead, date it and have a named officer sign it in ink in front of a U.S. notary, whose seal must sit on the same page as the signature. Next, the state where the notary is commissioned issues an authentication certificate, the federal Office of Authentications in Washington certifies the state seal, and the Egyptian Embassy or consulate adds its legalization. Egypt does not accept apostilles. Most Egyptian offices then want an Arabic translation, made by a certified translator in Egypt, unless the letter is bilingual.