Medical Letters and Records for Egypt

U.S. Medical Letters and Records for Use in Egypt

Medical documents from the United States are needed in Egypt more often than people expect: by patients continuing treatment with an Egyptian doctor, by Egyptian employers and insurers, by social insurance offices assessing disability or sick leave, and by families dealing with schools or courts. When an Egyptian office relies on the document officially, rather than just reading it as a clinical summary, it usually needs to be legalized through the Egyptian Embassy.

Common uses

Continuing care: a typed treatment summary from your U.S. physician, covering diagnosis, treatment so far, current medications and recommendations, helps an Egyptian specialist and avoids repeating tests. Employment and insurance: medical reports supporting sick leave, fitness for work, disability or an insurance claim. Social insurance: Egyptians who worked or were treated abroad may need medical reports for disability or survivor assessments. Schools: immunization records and, for children with additional needs, medical or developmental reports.

Medicines and Egyptian rules

Egypt controls narcotic and psychotropic medicines strictly. Travellers bringing prescription medication should carry the prescription and a physician’s letter naming each medicine, its dose, quantity and medical purpose, and should check the current rules before travelling, especially for controlled medicines or larger quantities. Note also that some requirements in Egypt, such as the premarital medical examination, are carried out in Egypt itself, and a U.S. letter does not replace them.

Notarization and legalization

A physician’s letter is a private document. To be legalized, the physician signs it on practice or hospital letterhead, with credentials and license number, in front of a U.S. notary, whose seal must sit on the same page as the signature. For hospital records, the custodian of records signs a certification of true copies before a notary. The notary’s state authenticates the notarization, the U.S. Department of State authenticates the state, and the Egyptian Embassy or consulate legalizes it. Egypt does not accept apostilles.

Practical points

Send only what the Egyptian office needs. A concise summary is cheaper to legalize and translate than a full record set. Typed letters with standard terminology translate far more reliably than handwritten notes. Allow several weeks for the legalization chain. Medical letters are often time-sensitive, so ask the Egyptian recipient how recent the letter must be.