Official Gazette - No. 33 Recur (B) on August 19, 2019

Law No. 149 of 2019 Issuing the Law Regulating the Practice of Civil Society Work

In the Name of the People
President of the Republic

The Parliament has decided the following law, which we hereby issue:

(Article One)

Subject to the provisions of the regulations of associations established by law or based on international agreements concluded by the Arab Republic of Egypt, and without prejudice to the provisions of Law No. 91 of 1971, Law No. 10 of 2009, and laws regulating non-banking financial activities, the provisions of the accompanying law regarding the regulation of civil society work shall apply.

All associations, civil institutions, regional and foreign non-governmental organizations, and unions operating in this field shall, in their statutes, activities, and financing, respect the provisions and principles of the Constitution, Egyptian laws, and international agreements ratified by Egypt.

Its provisions shall apply to associations, civil institutions, regional and foreign non-governmental organizations, and unions operating in this field, and practicing civil society work in violation of the provisions of this law and its accompanying law is prohibited.

(Article Two)

All associations, civil institutions, unions, regional and foreign non-governmental organizations, and entities practicing civil society work according to the definition stipulated in the accompanying law shall regularize their status in accordance with its provisions within one year from the date of implementation of the executive regulations, otherwise the competent court shall order their dissolution. Their funds shall be transferred to the fund for supporting projects of associations and civil institutions stipulated in the accompanying law.

Regularization of status shall be done by notifying the competent ministry of all data of the association, civil institution, union, organization, or entity, its activities, funding sources, programs, protocols, and memoranda of understanding, on the form prepared for this purpose, and shall also amend its regulations to ensure compliance with the provisions of this law and its accompanying law.

In all cases, regularization of status for associations, civil institutions, and entities that have been ordered to be listed on terrorist entity lists is prohibited for the duration of their listing, or those convicted of participating in any terrorist crime. Their activities, in accordance with the accompanying law, shall be supervised by another association designated by the competent ministry for associations and civil society affairs, with the funds of such associations, civil institutions, and listed entities to be transferred to the fund for supporting projects of associations and civil institutions stipulated in the accompanying law in the event of a final conviction for any terrorist crime.

Any activity practiced in violation of the provisions of this article shall be suspended by operation of law.

(Article Three)

The administrative authority shall periodically compile a list of entities that have not regularized their status in accordance with the provisions of the accompanying law.

The minister competent for associations and civil society affairs shall form one or more committees from employees of the administrative authority and others, including a representative of the governorate where the entity's headquarters is located within its jurisdiction, to carry out and complete dissolution proceedings after the issuance of a judicial ruling to that effect. The issued decision shall determine its working system and the duration of its performance of these tasks.

(Article Four)

No entity or organization shall practice civil society work or any activity falling within the objectives of associations and other civil society institutions stipulated in the accompanying law without being subject to its provisions.

Entities practicing licensed activities other than civil society work that have engaged in civil society work or an activity falling within the objectives of associations shall regularize their status upon the implementation of the executive regulations of the accompanying law or upon being notified thereof by the competent ministry for associations and civil society affairs at the earliest opportunity; otherwise, the competent ministry shall issue a decision to immediately suspend the violating activity and notify the authority that issued the original license or permit, or the authority with which the entity is registered or recorded, indicating the violations to exercise its authority to suspend the original license for practicing work beyond the scope of the license or permit issued by it, and to take legal procedures in accordance with the governing rules promptly.

Furthermore, no entity other than the competent administrative authority according to the provisions of the accompanying law shall permit or license, in any form and under any name, the practice of any civil society work or activity falling within the objectives of civil society institutions, and such license shall be null and void from its issuance and shall produce no effect.

The administrative authority shall have the power to seal the premises of entities practicing civil society work independently without obtaining a license or permit, or an activity falling within the objectives of civil society institutions, and to suspend their activity by operation of law, and to transfer their funds by a ruling of the competent administrative court to the fund for supporting projects of associations and civil institutions.

(Article Five)

If the authority issuing the license or permit for the entity's activity does not cancel the license or permit for this entity, the ministry competent for associations and civil society affairs may resort to the competent administrative court to issue a ruling for the dissolution of this entity promptly.

(Article Six)

Without prejudice to the provisions of Law No. 8 of 2015 regarding the regulation of lists of terrorist entities and terrorists, the boards of directors of existing associations, civil institutions, and unions at the time of implementation of the accompanying law, along with their executive and administrative bodies, shall continue to exercise their functions until they are reconstituted in accordance with the provisions of this law and its accompanying law.

(Article Seven)

The Prime Minister shall issue the executive regulations for the accompanying law within six months from the date of its implementation, and until these regulations are issued, the existing executive regulations and decisions shall continue to apply insofar as they do not conflict with the provisions of this law and its accompanying law.

(Article Eight)

The law regulating the work of associations and other institutions operating in the field of civil society work issued by Law No. 7 of 2017 is repealed, as well as any provision that conflicts with the provisions of this law and its accompanying law.

(Article Nine)

This law shall be published in the Official Gazette and shall take effect from the day following its publication.

This law shall be sealed with the State seal and enforced as one of its laws.

Issued at the Presidency of the Republic on 18 Dhu al-Hijjah 1440 AH
(Corresponding to August 19, 2019 AD)

Abdel Fattah El-Sisi

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Official Gazette - No. 33 Recur (B) on August 19, 2019

Law Regulating the Practice of Civil Society Work

Part One

Definitions

Article (1)

For the purpose of applying the provisions of this law, the following words and expressions shall have the meanings indicated alongside each of them:

• 1 - Civil Society Work: Any work not aimed at profit, practiced for the purpose of community development.
• 2 - Association: Any organized group aiming to contribute to the development of the individual and society, meeting its needs, and maximizing its capacity to participate in public life and sustainable development without aiming for profit, established in accordance with the provisions of this law, and consisting of at least ten natural or legal persons, or both.
• 3 - Public Benefit Association: Any association aiming to achieve public benefit, upon or after its establishment, with its activity directed toward serving society and not limited to serving its members only, and a decision granting it public benefit status shall be issued by the Prime Minister or their delegate.
• 4 - Civil Institution: A legal entity established by one or more natural or legal persons, or both, allocating capital of no less than twenty thousand pounds at establishment to achieve one or more objectives of civil society work without targeting the acquisition of profit or any benefit.
• 5 - Foreign Non-Governmental Organization: A foreign legal entity not aimed at profit, with its main administrative center located in Egypt or abroad, authorized to practice one or more activities of associations and civil institutions subject to the provisions of this law in accordance with the rules stipulated therein.

Article (6)

• 6 - Central Association: Any association for which a decision is issued by the competent minister or their delegate in accordance with this law, including its statute for work at the national level, and establishing one or more branches in one or more governorates. The executive regulations of this law shall determine the criteria for achieving central status.
• 7 - Regional Union: A union established from at least fifteen associations, or civil institutions, or both, regardless of their activity at the governorate level, and possessing legal personality.
• 8 - National Union: A union with legal personality established from at least fifteen associations or civil institutions, or both, that practice or finance similar activities at the national level.
• 9 - General Union: The legal entity comprising the heads of the boards of directors of regional and specialized unions, responsible for supporting and assisting civil society work, with its headquarters in the capital of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
• 10 - Regional Organization: An existing Egyptian association or civil institution authorized to open branches in one or more countries to practice civil society work.
• 11 - Civil Society Institutions: Legal entities not aimed at profit, practicing their activity for the purpose of community development in one of the fields specified in their statute, comprising associations, public benefit associations, civil institutions, unions, regional organizations, and foreign non-governmental organizations authorized to work in Egypt.
• 12 - Entity: Any natural or legal person practicing civil society work in any legal form or name without adopting one of the legal forms referred to in this law.

Article (13)

• 13 - Volunteer Work: Any work or activity practiced by a volunteer of their free will to achieve public benefit without aiming for profit.
• 14 - Volunteer Organizations: Legal entities from civil society institutions, and government bodies that receive volunteers to achieve public benefit.
• 15 - Competent Court: The administrative court within whose jurisdiction the association's administrative center is located.
• 16 - Competent Minister: The minister competent for associations and civil society work.
• 17 - Competent Ministry: The ministry competent for associations and civil society affairs.
• 18 - Administrative Authority: The ministry competent for associations and civil society affairs.
• 19 - Unit: The Central Unit for Associations and Civil Society Work.

Part Two

Associations

(Chapter One)

Establishment of Associations

Article (2)

The establishment of a civil association shall be based on a notice submitted to the administrative authority on the form determined by it, containing all documents stipulated in the following articles, and it shall acquire legal personality upon submission of the notice. Every natural or legal person shall have the right to join or withdraw from it in accordance with the provisions of this law.

A notice that does not contain all required data and documents according to the prepared form shall not be considered a notice producing legal effects.

Article (3)

A prerequisite for establishing an association is that it has a written statute conforming to the model statute determined by the executive regulations of this law, signed by all founders, and that it adopts its administrative headquarters in the Arab Republic of Egypt as a location adjacent to the management of its activity. The executive regulations of this law shall determine the necessary controls for this.

In all cases, the statute of every association must include a provision committing it to respect the Constitution and laws, and not to violate national security, public order, and public morals.

Article (4)

A prerequisite for a founding member of the association, or a member of the board of directors or board of trustees, as applicable, is that they enjoy their civil and political rights, have not been subject to a final judgment of a felony or a deprivation of liberty sentence for a misdemeanor involving breach of honor or trust, unless their reputation has been restored, and shall not be listed on terrorist lists.

Article (5)

Non-Egyptians with permanent or temporary legal residence in Egypt may participate in the membership or board of directors of the association up to a maximum of (25%) of the number of members. The executive regulations of this law shall specify the controls for the participation of foreigners in the membership or board of directors of the association.

Article (6)

Subject to the condition of reciprocity, the competent minister may license any of the foreign communities in Egypt to establish an association concerned with the affairs of its members, in the manner regulated by the executive regulations of this law.