Egypt has launched a new Commercial Premises Licensing service through the Digital Egypt platform, enabling business owners to apply for, track and receive licences electronically as part of the country’s wider digital government transformation. The service was introduced jointly by the Ministries of Local Development and Communications & Information Technology in partnership with the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development.
The new system replaces multiple administrative procedures with a unified digital process across all governorates, offering real-time application tracking, electronic licence issuance, temporary operating permits and a maximum three-month timeframe for regulatory approvals. Authorities also announced a 50% reduction in licensing fees through coordination with participating government entities and confirmed that businesses operating in unlicensed buildings will be eligible for temporary licences until the end of 2027 while their legal status is regularised.
Communications Minister Raafat Hindi said the service is the first government application to utilise Egypt’s Digital Treasury, allowing verified digital documents to be reused across multiple government services. He added that the Digital Egypt platform now offers more than 240 digital services to over 12 million users, supported by a digital infrastructure linking 105 government entities and more than 100 government databases.
Officials said the initiative aims to simplify licensing procedures, encourage businesses to join the formal economy, improve transparency and strengthen Egypt’s investment climate through faster, paperless public services. Representatives of the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce pledged to support awareness campaigns among the country’s more than 5.4 million member businesses to encourage wider adoption of the new platform.
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