Precleared

Guides

Is cold email legal in Egypt?

Yes, to a company's general mailbox (for example info@) at a business identified as a company. Egypt's Personal Data Protection Law protects natural persons only (article 1), so a company's general mailbox is not personal data and the consent rule in article 17 does not reach it. This is a reading of the definitions, not regulator guidance.

No, to a named person or a free or personal mailbox, without consent. Article 17 prohibits electronic direct marketing to a data subject without consent, and the Executive Regulations (Decree 816 of 2025, article 18) require that consent to be explicit.

Check an address

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The address is checked to give the answer and handled as described in our privacy policy.

The verdict will appear here.

In practice

  • Identify the sender, give a valid and complete address, say clearly that the message is direct marketing, and give a clear, simple way to opt out (article 17).
  • Keep evidence of consent for three years from the last message (article 18).
  • Breaches carry a fine of EGP 200,000 to 2,000,000 (article 43).

The rules Precleared applies

Before an agent sends a cold or marketing email to someone in Egypt, these are the rules that decide whether it may. Each one is quoted from its legal source and checked on the date shown. Precleared applies them to one address at a time and returns the rule that decided, what the footer must include and a signed receipt.

Consent needed first

A free or personal mailbox identifies a natural person, so the address is personal data under Egypt's Personal Data Protection Law (Law 151 of 2020). Article 17 prohibits any electronic communication for direct marketing to a data subject unless the person has consented, and the Executive Regulations (Decree 816 of 2025, article 18) require that consent to be explicit.

Footer must include: Identify the sender, give a valid and complete address where the sender can be reached, say clearly that the message is direct marketing, and give a clear, simple way to opt out or withdraw consent (Law 151 of 2020, article 17).

Next step: Do not cold email this address. Use the person's work address at a company, or get explicit consent first and keep the record for three years from the last message (article 18), then re-check.

An electronic communication for the purpose of direct marketing to a Data Subject must not be made unless: the Data Subject's consent has been obtained

Personal Data Protection Law (Law 151 of 2020), article 17

Checked on 7 November 2026

Allowed

This is a company mailbox (for example info@) at a business identified as a company. Egypt's Personal Data Protection Law protects natural persons only (article 1), so a company's general mailbox is not personal data and the consent rule in article 17 does not reach it. No Egyptian rule we have found prohibits a business-to-business email to such an address. Neither the law nor the Executive Regulations say how a company mailbox with no named person is treated, so this is a reading of the definitions, not regulator guidance. Follow the article 17 content rules anyway, and never market to a person who replies without their consent.

Footer must include: Identify the sender, give a valid and complete address where the sender can be reached, say clearly that the message is direct marketing, and give a clear, simple way to opt out or withdraw consent (Law 151 of 2020, article 17).

Next step: Check your opt-out list first, keep the message about the company's business, and stop for good if they ask you to.

any data relating to an identified natural person or to a natural person who can be identified, directly or indirectly

Personal Data Protection Law (Law 151 of 2020), article 1 (definitions of Personal Data and Data Subject)

Checked on 7 November 2026

Consent needed first

A named address identifies a natural person, so it is personal data under Egypt's Personal Data Protection Law. Article 17 prohibits electronic direct marketing to a data subject without consent, the Executive Regulations require that consent to be explicit (Decree 816 of 2025, article 18), and the sender must keep evidence of it for three years from the last message (article 18 of the law). Breaches carry a fine of EGP 200,000 to 2,000,000 (article 43).

Footer must include: Identify the sender, give a valid and complete address where the sender can be reached, say clearly that the message is direct marketing, and give a clear, simple way to opt out or withdraw consent (Law 151 of 2020, article 17).

Next step: Do not cold email. Get the person's explicit consent first (an opt-in you can evidence), or write to the company's general mailbox instead and re-check.

An electronic communication for the purpose of direct marketing to a Data Subject must not be made unless: the Data Subject's consent has been obtained

Personal Data Protection Law (Law 151 of 2020), article 17

Checked on 7 November 2026

Consent needed first

We could not confirm that this mailbox belongs to a company rather than a person. Egypt's Personal Data Protection Law prohibits electronic direct marketing to a data subject without consent (article 17), and Egypt has no free company register we can query, so the legal form has to come from the recipient's website or your own records.

Footer must include: Identify the sender, give a valid and complete address where the sender can be reached, say clearly that the message is direct marketing, and give a clear, simple way to opt out or withdraw consent (Law 151 of 2020, article 17).

Next step: Confirm the business is a company (S.A.E., L.L.C., joint stock or limited liability on its website or commercial register extract) and re-check with company_name, write to a company role address instead, or get explicit consent first.

An electronic communication for the purpose of direct marketing to a Data Subject must not be made unless: the Data Subject's consent has been obtained

Personal Data Protection Law (Law 151 of 2020), article 17

Checked on 7 November 2026

Sources

Check one address

curl https://precleared.dev/api/v1/check \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer pc_live_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "recipient_email": "jane@example.com.eg",
    "sender_country": "GB",
    "pitch": "Bookkeeping software for small firms",
    "address_source": "published",
    "recipient_country": "EG"
  }'

Over MCP, call contact_check with the same fields at https://precleared.dev/mcp.

Common questions

Can I cold email an Egyptian company's info@ address?

Yes, if the business is a company (for example an S.A.E. or an LLC). Follow the article 17 content rules and stop for good if they ask you to.

Can I cold email a named person at an Egyptian company?

Not without their explicit consent. A named address is personal data, and article 17 prohibits direct marketing to a data subject without consent.

Is there an Egyptian company register I can check?

There is no free company register we can query. The legal form has to come from the company's website or your own records, such as a commercial register extract.

Across countries

Other countries

Decision support with sources, not legal advice.