A foreign dive instructor who lives and works in Egypt needs three things before the first paid dive: an employer licensed by the Ministry of Tourism, a work permit that the employer applies for, and a CDWS professional card. That is the work permit question for a dive instructor in Egypt in one line. For the employer, whether a dive centre in Hadaba or a resort in Naama Bay, there is a second layer. The Ministry of Tourism has its own approval for foreign staff, which comes in addition to the labour permit and does not replace it.
The rules changed recently. Labour Law 14/2025 replaced Law 12/2003 on 1 September 2025, so much of what is online still quotes the old law and an old fee. Below we set out who approves what, what a permit costs, how many foreigners a hotel or dive centre can employ, what happened to the June 2026 fast-track in South Sinai, and what the employer owes once the permit is issued. Everything is stated as of October 2026.
Who approves foreign staff in a Sharm hotel or dive centre?
Up to three bodies decide whether a foreigner can work in a tourism establishment, and the passport office follows at the end. Each one checks something different, and CDWS is involved only for dive professionals.
| Body | What it approves | Who needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Labour office (Ministry of Labour) | The work permit under Labour Law 14/2025, with a fee set by ministerial decision | Every employer of a foreigner, unless the foreigner is exempt |
| Ministry of Tourism | Its own approval of foreign staff | Hotels, tourist restaurants and cafés, tourism companies, diving and marine centres |
| CDWS (Chamber of Diving and Water Sports) | The professional card | Resident foreign dive professionals |
| Passport office (Ministry of Interior) | Residence for the purpose of work | The employee, once the work purpose is in place |
The Ministry of Tourism step is the one that catches out employers coming from other sectors. The ministry lists approval of foreign staff as a service of its own for each type of tourism establishment, from hotels to diving and marine centres. A labour permit alone does not complete the file.
Underneath all of this sits the employer's own licence. Law 8/2022 brought hotels, restaurants, cafés, diving, safari and marine centres under one licensing regime, and operating without a licence carries a fine of EGP 50,000 to 500,000. CDWS requires a resident dive professional's employer to be licensed by the Ministry of Tourism, so a centre without that licence cannot hire instructors through the resident route. If you are still at that stage, start with our guide to opening a diving centre in Sharm El Sheikh or Dahab, or, for a resort, our page on hotel licensing, tax and accounting.
What does a dive instructor need for a work permit in Egypt?
CDWS separates foreign dive professionals into two groups, and the difference decides whether a permit is needed at all.
| Resident dive professional | External instructor bringing their own clients | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it describes | Lives in Egypt and works for a dive centre | Comes to Egypt with their own clients |
| Work permit | Required; the employer applies | Not required |
| CDWS professional card | Required | Not required |
| Temporary CDWS card | Valid for 2 months while the permit is pending | Not applicable |
Resident professionals. Instructors, divemasters and guides who live in Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab or elsewhere in South Sinai and work for a centre fall into the first group. They need the full set: an employer licensed by the Ministry of Tourism, a work permit applied for by that employer, and a CDWS card.
The temporary card. A permit takes time to issue, and CDWS covers the gap with a temporary card valid for 2 months while the permit is pending. It is a bridge to the full card, not a route of its own, because it rests on a permit application that is already in progress.
Insurance. Since 31 January 2023, accident insurance has been a requirement for the CDWS card. Price it into every hire and keep the policy current, because the card depends on it.
External instructors. CDWS states that external instructors who bring their own clients need neither a work permit nor a CDWS card. The exception is narrow. It does not cover an instructor whom a centre employs to teach the centre's own customers.
Owners with investor residence. A foreign owner who holds investor residence is exempt from the work-permit requirement. Labour Law 14/2025 still requires foreigners who are exempt from the permit to be notified within 7 days of starting work and within 7 days of ending it. The exemption concerns the labour permit only, so check the CDWS card and the Ministry of Tourism side separately.
How much does a work permit cost in Egypt in 2026?
Article 71 of Labour Law 14/2025 leaves the permit fee to ministerial decision. The law gives the range and the decision gives the figure, so we do not quote a single price for "a work permit".
The fee is also only part of what a foreign hire costs the employer:
| Cost item | Rule as of October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Labour permit fee | Set by ministerial decision (Art. 71) |
| Ministry of Tourism approval of foreign staff | A separate file for hotels, tourist restaurants and cafés, tourism companies and diving and marine centres |
| CDWS card (dive professionals) | Requires accident insurance, since 31 January 2023 |
| Repatriation at the end of employment | At the employer's cost unless agreed otherwise (Art. 74) |
The fee charged in the June 2026 fast-track, described below, applied to two hotel roles in a window that has closed. It is not a price for permits in general.
How many foreign staff can a hotel or dive centre employ?
This is where most hiring plans meet their limit. More than one rule can apply, and which one binds depends on how your company is set up.
| Rule | What it says | Status as of October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution 279/2025 | 10% foreign-staff cap; 14-day limit on short-term work, with approval; tour guiding closed to foreigners | Reported by secondary sources |
| Investment Law 72/2017, Art. 8 | Foreigners up to 10% of the workforce, or 20% where qualified Egyptians are not available | In force |
| Law 159/1981, Arts 174–176 | Egyptians at least 90% of staff and 80% of wages; at least 75% of technical and administrative staff in a joint-stock company; the Minister may grant exceptions | In force; applied case by case |
We describe Resolution 279/2025 as reported because our sources for it are secondary. Until we have seen the text itself, treat its figures as a working assumption rather than a settled rule. The Investment Law and Law 159/1981 ratios are in force, but the Minister may grant exceptions under Law 159, and how either set applies to a given company is a question for its own figures.
For a dive centre the arithmetic pulls in two directions. CDWS ratios set how many professionals each activity needs:
| Activity | CDWS ratio |
|---|---|
| Diving from boats | 1:12 |
| Discover Scuba | 1:2, from shore only |
| Intro dives | 1:1 |
| Snorkelling | 12 snorkellers per guide |
A busy week of intro dives and Discover Scuba sessions needs many qualified professionals in the water, while the foreign-staff limits decide how many of them can be foreign. Hotels face the same question with animation teams and group coordinators, the two roles that drew a special procedure in South Sinai in 2026.
What happened to the June 2026 South Sinai fast-track?
On 15 June 2026, Youm7 reported a fast-track for foreign hotel staff in South Sinai. It was narrow, quick and short-lived.
| Feature | June 2026 fast-track |
|---|---|
| Roles | Hotel animation staff and group coordinators only |
| Fee | A fixed fee for the window |
| Where | Sharm El Sheikh labour office |
| Speed | The filing receipt served as a temporary licence within 2 working days |
| Permit | 6 months |
| Foreign-staff cap | Exemption for these two roles only |
| Window | 15 days, now closed |
The window has closed. Read it as a precedent that shows what a targeted procedure can look like in South Sinai, not as a route open today. It did not cover dive professionals, and the cap exemption applied only to the two named roles.
What has to be in place before a foreign employee starts?
The list below shows what must exist, not a fixed timetable. The labour and tourism files run side by side, and their order depends on the case.
- The employer's own licences. The company exists, and the hotel or dive centre holds its Ministry of Tourism licence under Law 8/2022. In Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab, a non-Egyptian investment project must be an Egyptian joint-stock company under Decree 128/2022.
- Room under the foreign-staff limits, checked against your Egyptian headcount and payroll before you make an offer.
- The labour permit under Labour Law 14/2025, applied for by the employer, with the fee set by ministerial decision.
- The Ministry of Tourism approval of the foreign employee.
- For dive professionals, the CDWS card and its accident insurance, with the 2-month temporary card covering the period while the permit is pending.
- Residence for work. Appointments are booked on the Interior Ministry portal, eres.moi.gov.eg. In Sharm, Google Maps lists the Police Complex as the passport and visa office; check its hours before you go.
The employee's residence rests on the work purpose, so a permit that lapses soon becomes a residence problem as well. Our work permit service for foreign staff prepares the employer side of this file. The quota rules, fees and steps of the new law are set out in our guide to Labour Law 14/2025 for employers of foreigners.
What does the employer owe once the permit is issued?
The permit starts a set of duties under Labour Law 14/2025, and CDWS adds its own for dive centres:
- Absence: a foreign employee's absence of 15 consecutive days must be reported (Art. 72).
- Repatriation: at the employer's cost unless agreed otherwise (Art. 74). Write the arrangement into the contract.
- Exempt foreigners: notification within 7 days of starting work and within 7 days of ending it.
- CDWS: keep cards and accident insurance current. CDWS visits to centres follow its audit manual, dated October 2025.
Payroll follows the same logic as for any other employee. A foreign instructor who lives in Sharm for more than 183 days in 12 months is normally tax resident in Egypt and taxed on Egyptian income, so the salary runs through payroll at the progressive rates of Law 7/2024, after the EGP 20,000 employee exemption.
Hiring a foreign instructor or hotel specialist is mostly a question of order. The employer's licence and room under the limits come first; the labour and tourism files follow, and, for divers, the CDWS card. If you prefer to go through the file in person, our office in Sharm El Sheikh is in Al Azizia Mall.
