The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) urged Egypt’s justice minister on Sunday to issue an immediate decree granting refugees and asylum seekers the right to appoint lawyers and access police, judicial, and notarization services, warning that recent government directives have stripped legal protection from the vast majority of displaced people in the country.
The rights group stated that Circular No. 92 of 2026, issued by the justice ministry in late July, consolidated the exclusion by banning all real estate publicity and notarization offices from providing services to foreigners lacking valid residency cards or exemptions, without offering exceptions for refugees facing mandatory administrative waiting periods.
EIPR traced the roots of the crisis to Prime Minister Decision No. 3326 of 2023, originally intended to regularize undocumented foreigners. Although the decision was not meant to affect refugees regulated under the 1951 Refugee Convention and Egypt’s new asylum law, authorities began applying it universally in mid-2024, cutting off refugees from basic civil and health services.
The inability to obtain powers of attorney or access notarization offices has severely deepened the legal vulnerability of refugees in Egypt, whose standing has deteriorated since security forces initiated widespread stop-and-search campaigns two years ago.
The lack of legal standing has carried severe consequences, particularly for vulnerable women and children. State Council courts have refused to hear refugee appeals against deportation and expulsion orders since mid-2024, while civil courts have rejected personal status lawsuits regarding marriage and divorce.
Highlighting the physical risks created by these restrictions, EIPR cited a UN memorandum documenting hundreds of cases of gender-based violence against refugees in 2025, including physical assaults, sexual violence, and rape against women and children. The group noted that fear of arrest combined with new legal barriers prevents most victims from contacting police or seeking judicial protection.
The legal restrictions coincide with an escalation in security crackdowns. Authorities detained approximately 8,000 refugees during the first half of 2026, with overcrowded detention conditions leading to at least 20 deaths. More than 1,000 people are deported monthly, while roughly 600,000 Sudanese have returned to Sudan despite ongoing armed conflict.
EIPR emphasized that authorities are penalizing refugees for an irregular status caused by administrative backlog.
Roughly 80% of refugees face forced delays in renewing their residency cards, with some appointments extended as far out as 2029, while 83% were forced to enter Egypt through irregular routes due to strict border crossing restrictions.
As the executive regulations of the new asylum law take effect, EIPR called on the Justice Minister to exempt refugees from restrictions on power of attorney and court services.
The group also demanded that documents issued by the Permanent Committee for Refugees and UNHCR identity cards be recognized as valid legal proof to guarantee protection and access to services, urging authorities to amend executive regulations so administrative delays are not used as grounds for deportation or the denial of constitutional litigation rights.
