A system arriving governorate by governorate

Law No. 2 of 2018 created Egypt’s universal health insurance system, usually shortened to UHI. Law-firm guidance on the law describes three public bodies sharing the work: an authority that finances care, one that runs public facilities, and one that accredits and regulates providers.

News reports list the first phase as Port Said, Ismailia, Suez, South Sinai, Luxor and Aswan, with Port Said the first to launch, in 2019. A second phase is being prepared, and the long-run goal for national coverage is 2032, though some officials have named earlier dates.

Rules therefore differ by governorate. Where UHI is live, public- and private-sector workers are enrolled with their families. Where it has not arrived, the older Health Insurance Organization scheme still applies, and business reports describe that scheme as covering only certain groups, such as formal-sector employees, and leaving out many dependants.

Families, providers and funding under UHI

UHI is built around the household. A working family member pays contributions for a non-working spouse and children, and the state pays for people who cannot afford to contribute. Employees are enrolled by their employer, which registers them.

Members can pick their provider, including private hospitals accredited by the national accreditation body. That choice is one reason a top-up benefit in a UHI governorate may do a different job from one in an area still on the older scheme.

Employer and employee both pay UHI contributions on wages, so ask the EOR or payroll provider for the current rates. Law-firm guidance also describes a separate UHI levy on company revenue, charged in every governorate whether or not the system has reached that area.

Social insurance sits alongside it

Health insurance is only part of the payroll picture. Employers also register staff with the National Organization for Social Insurance under Law No. 148 of 2019, which merged earlier pension and social insurance laws. Law-firm guidance describes contributions from both sides on insurable pay up to an annual ceiling.

Broker guidance says foreign employees were brought into this social insurance in September 2021 under the law’s executive regulations. A foreign national working in Egypt also needs a work permit, as law-firm guidance on hiring explains.

Private medical cover and the 2024 insurance law

Private medical insurance is an established market in Egypt.

The Unified Insurance Law, Law No. 155 of 2024, replaced four older insurance laws with one. It treats specialised medical insurance, short-term and long-term, as a licensed class written by specialised medical insurers, requires health maintenance organisations and third-party administrators to be licensed joint-stock companies, and gives the financial regulator sole power to license and supervise insurers.

The same law requires insurance of property and liabilities in Egypt to be placed with insurers subject to it. Its wording does not say whether that reaches personal health cover bought from an insurer outside Egypt. Check with a local adviser in Egypt on how the law and any tax rules apply to your benefit, and expect that a licensed local insurer or a fronting arrangement may be needed.

Trade press reported in March 2026 that ministries were discussing how private insurers could take part in UHI, possibly starting with one pilot governorate, so the relationship between public and private cover may change.

Top-up or main cover?

For an Egyptian citizen in a governorate where UHI is live, membership is compulsory, so an international plan can add to it but not replace it.

In governorates still on the older scheme, public cover depends on which group the employee belongs to, and their dependants may sit outside it. That can leave more for a private or international plan to do. Whether a given insurer can cover someone living in Egypt is for that insurer to confirm. The international health insurance overview explains top-up and stand-alone cover in general, and the Middle East and Africa region page compares Egypt with nearby countries.

Hiring setup: EOR, entity or contractor

EOR providers describe an employer of record as the usual route for a US company without an Egyptian entity. In their account the EOR becomes the legal employer and handles social insurance registration, payroll and benefits, so ask what health cover it already arranges before adding your own.

A genuine contractor is not enrolled by the client and arranges their own cover. Our page on health coverage for EOR employees and contractors abroad explains the difference. US-side questions such as employment practices liability are covered in insurance changes for remote teams.

Requesting an introduction for staff in Egypt

Mithril1 does not sell or recommend health plans. On the quote form on this page, tell us the governorate each person lives in, how many people are on the team, whether you employ them through an EOR or your own entity, and which family members should be covered. We will forward it to a benefits partner that handles international and remote-team health coverage, and eligibility, plans and pricing are decided by the partner and the insurer.

Related country pages cover Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Nigeria, and the employee benefits hub lists every benefits guide.

A few useful answers

Common questions

Is universal health insurance available everywhere in Egypt?

Not yet. It is live in the first-phase governorates of Port Said, Ismailia, Suez, South Sinai, Luxor and Aswan, while other areas stay on the older scheme until later phases arrive.

Does UHI cover an employee's family?

Yes. The system is family-based, and a working family member pays contributions for a non-working spouse and children.

Can an international plan replace UHI?

Not where UHI is live. Membership there is compulsory for citizens, so an international plan can only top it up.

Can an insurer outside Egypt cover my employee there?

Egypt’s 2024 insurance law limits who may carry on insurance business in the country, and it is not clear whether its local-placement rule reaches personal health cover. The insurer has to confirm what it can offer.

Who registers my employee for social insurance if I use an EOR?

EOR providers describe the EOR as the legal employer, which handles social insurance registration, payroll and benefits.

International Health Insurance for Remote Employees in Egypt