Egypt Transfers Commercial Registry Authority to Ministry of Investment via Draft Law

The House of Representatives referred a 17-article draft law to a joint committee, transferring the affiliation of the Commercial Registry Authority from the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade to the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade.

The draft law mandates the preparation of a comprehensive digital transformation plan within one year, and the creation of a unified nationwide electronic commercial registry linked to company incorporation, the Tax Authority, and Social Insurance. Electronic integration means that company data is registered once and shared automatically among entities instead of being duplicated at each agency.

The Prime Minister must form a supreme committee within 30 days, with the transfer of affiliation completed within one year across three phases. These timelines are usually set to ensure that services provided to clients are not disrupted during the transfer of responsibility between the two ministries.

The draft law preserves the grades, financial, and insurance rights of the authority's employees, ensuring their entitlements are not affected by the transfer process.

What Do These Terms Mean?

Commercial Registry: An official database in which commercial companies and establishments are registered, and they cannot legally conduct their activities prior to registration in it.

Digital Transformation: Transferring paper-based services and procedures into electronic systems completed online without the need for physical presence.

Joint Committee: A parliamentary committee comprising members from more than one standing committee, to which draft laws affecting multiple jurisdictions are referred.