The directive, issued by the General Administration of Passports, Immigration, and Nationality under the Ministry of Interior on 26 October 2024, mandates that Egyptian women in 22 specific professions receive prior permission when arranging travel to Saudi Arabia for personal, tourist, or work reasons.

According to the Federation of Tourism Chambers, the 22-profession list includes unemployed women and women with intermediate education, diploma holders, babysitters, household managers, fashion designers, embroidery specialists, hairdressers, beauty trainers and instructors, housemaids, cooks, seamstresses, nursery supervisors, filing clerks, switchboard operators, saleswomen, home nurses, secretaries, marketing representatives, and administrative supervisors.

The new regulation, effective 26 October, does not apply to women who travel for Hajj or Umrah, hold higher education qualifications, or travel on a family visit visa.

According to Saudi travel permit regulations, women travelling to Saudi Arabia must follow certain steps to obtain permission.

First, they should ensure their passport is valid for at least six months beyond their planned travel date to meet Saudi border requirements.

Second, they should obtain the appropriate visa for their visit. Available visa types include tourist visas for leisure or cultural events, Umrah and visit visas for pilgrimage or family visits, and work visas, which require an official job contract with a Saudi employer.

Third, they can apply through the electronic platform “Enjaz” or, for eligible nationalities, upon arrival under specific conditions.

Fourth, they can book flights through approved airlines to comply with official travel protocols once a visa is secured.

Lastly, upon arrival, travellers must register on the “Muqeem” platform to streamline entry procedures and adhere to health and safety regulations, such as vaccination certificates if required.

While the official rationale behind the new regulation has not been provided, some sources within tourism companies suggest that the Egyptian Ministry of Interior issued this directive after discovering that many Egyptian women working in these professions were being exploited by criminal gangs.

Controversy and objection
 

The regulation has sparked widespread anger among women’s rights activists and NGOs.

According to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), only 15.8 percent of Egyptian women were employed in 2023.

“This decision is not only a violation of fundamental constitutional rights but also employs derogatory language that belittles women, their work, and their efforts, reflecting how the authorities treat these women’s rights,” The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) said in a statement issued following the directive.

“The decision outlined the categories for which this permit is required under the phrase 'women of lower strata',” the EIPR added, hinting at the derogatory language used in the directive in Arabic.

The NGO described this as “overtly discriminatory” and “a manifestation of a broader pattern of imposing additional restrictions on Egyptians' freedom of movement, particularly women.”

The human rights organization demanded that the interior ministry rescind its administrative directive.

Similarly, the Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights (ECWR) slammed the directive.

“The ECWR asserts that these decisions constitute discrimination against women and violate Articles 8, 11, and 53 of the constitution,” the centre said.

It added that they represent a blatant infringement on fundamental human rights, such as freedom of movement and travel, and directly contradict the Egyptian constitution, which guarantees equality for all citizens.

“Such restrictions impose unjustified guardianship over women who are less educated or lack university degrees, undermining the state's efforts to empower women and elevate their status in society,” it emphasized.

The ECWR also noted that the use of the term "lower classes" in the media is particularly offensive, as it discriminates against women based on class, education, and occupation.

Moreover, the centre called on the Egyptian government to repeal this policy and any discriminatory policies targeting women and to ensure legal guarantees to protect Egyptian women’s rights of movement and travel.

​In response, an independent lawyer has filed a lawsuit before an administrative court seeking to cancel this directive. A hearing for the case is scheduled for 14 December 2024.