What Is Law No. 151 of 2020 on the Protection of Personal Data, with Executive Regulations No. 816 of 2025?
Egypt's current Personal Data Protection Center site identifies Law No. 151 of 2020 together with its Executive Regulations No. 816 of 2025 as the operative framework for PDPC operation — a currentness finding that an earlier, dated 21 August 2026 source inventory had not recorded. The PDPC currently describes itself as the national authority responsible for enforcing the law and regulations, and it publishes licensing, guidance, DPO, and complaint-related materials. This is the regulator's current framework description, not proof of every statutory commencement detail or a guaranteed complaint outcome. The current PDPC scope summary covers electronically processed personal data of Egyptian citizens inside or outside Egypt, and of non-Egyptian citizens residing in Egypt. The official Egyptian government summary also lists subject-matter exclusions, including personal-use processing, qualifying media processing, judicial records, and national-security data, so a universal scope claim is not supportable.
At a glance
- Full name
- Law No. 151 of 2020 on the Protection of Personal Data, with Executive Regulations No. 816 of 2025
- Short code
- Law No. 151 of 2020
- Jurisdiction
- Egypt
- Enacted
- 2020
- Last major update
- Executive Regulations No. 816 of 2025 confirmed as the operative implementing regulations alongside the 2020 law
- Regulator
- Personal Data Protection Center (PDPC)
- Private right of action
- Limited
Scope, who Law No. 151 of 2020 covers
Protected data
Data subject rights
Rights framework confirmed to exist under Law No. 151 of 2020 and Executive Regulations No. 816 of 2025, with the complete rights list, deadlines, and statutory exceptions not yet fully mapped in the 7 September 2026 review from the controlling Arabic text
Notable features
The PDPC's January 2026 DPO guideline states juridical-person data users must appoint a DPO regardless of processing scale and make DPO contact details available, while expressly disclaiming that the guideline is a binding administrative decision — regulator-published implementation guidance rather than a blanket statutory conclusion.
Enforcement & penalties
Regulator: Personal Data Protection Center (PDPC)
Penalties: Not yet independently confirmed from the controlling Arabic text in the 7 September 2026 review.
Private right of action: The PDPC publishes complaint-related materials and DPO guidance, but a complete complaint procedure, deadline structure, and outcome guarantee have not been independently confirmed from the controlling Arabic law and regulations in the 7 September 2026 review.
Relevance to data brokers
No jurisdiction-specific data-broker or public-record route has been confirmed in the 7 September 2026 review. Complete rights, deadlines, complaint-form mechanics, sector and cross-border rules, and penalties remain open questions requiring a dedicated review of the controlling Arabic law and regulations.
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FAQ
Who enforces data protection in Egypt?+
The Personal Data Protection Center (PDPC), which describes itself as the national authority responsible for enforcing Law No. 151 of 2020 and its Executive Regulations No. 816 of 2025, and which publishes licensing, guidance, DPO, and complaint-related materials.
Does Egypt's data-protection law cover everyone in the country?+
The PDPC's current scope summary covers electronically processed personal data of Egyptian citizens inside or outside Egypt, and non-Egyptian citizens residing in Egypt — but it lists exclusions for personal-use processing, qualifying media processing, judicial records, and national-security data, so it is not a universal rule.
Official sources & citations
Other international privacy regimes
Law No. 151 of 2020 sits in a global ecosystem of data-protection laws. Start with these comparative frameworks, or visit the privacy research hub for the complete jurisdiction index: