Egypt · Certification
ISO/IEC 27001 certification in Egypt
Achieve ISO 27001 certification in Egypt with Sterling: 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, 20+ years.
- Accredited certification
- Dubai office team
- Effivity software included
- Academy training included
Who asks for ISO 27001 in Egypt
Clients include
ISO 27001 certification in Egypt at a glance
In Egypt, ISO/IEC 27001 is asked for by buyers and schemes rather than required by law. The drivers below show where the pressure comes from.
Egyptian banks hear the same instruction from several directions: protect the data, prove it, and respond fast when something goes wrong. The Central Bank of Egypt has built a cybersecurity sector, a computer emergency response team for the financial sector and a Financial Cybersecurity Framework, while outsourcing firms in the country answer to overseas clients who write ISO/IEC 27001 into contracts. Law No. 151 of 2020 and the Personal Data Protection Center add a regulatory layer for personal data. The Egyptian Accreditation Council has been recognised for ISO/IEC 27001 certification since November 2023, so locally accredited certificates are now an option alongside foreign-accredited ones. Sterling's Dubai office helps Egyptian organisations scope the system, run risk assessments, write the Statement of Applicability and prepare for audit, with Effivity software and Sterling Academy training included with the engagement; certificates come from accredited certification bodies.
Who needs ISO 27001 in Egypt, and what happens without it
In Egypt the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.
- Banks, fintechs and payment firmsThe Central Bank of Egypt has a cybersecurity sector and a Financial Cybersecurity Framework, and customers and partners of these firms ask for independent assurance of the security system behind it.
- IT, IT-enabled services and outsourcing firms serving overseas clientsForeign clients routinely write ISO/IEC 27001 into outsourcing contracts and audit the delivery centre against it.
- Cloud, software and data-centre providersEnterprise and public-sector customers ask hosting and SaaS suppliers for a certified information security system.
- Organisations preparing for permits under the data protection LawThe Personal Data Protection Center issues permits and licences, and a certified security system is a practical way to evidence the controls behind an application.
- Healthcare providers and laboratories holding patient recordsPatient and test data are sensitive and shared with insurers and partners who ask how it is protected.
Not sure which of these applies to you?Answer a short set of questions and your readiness report arrives by e-mail.
Take the ISO/IEC 27001 readiness checkISO 27001 requirements in Egypt
Strip away the vocabulary and ISO/IEC 27001 requires a company to prove six things about how it protects the information it holds.
In Egypt these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: ISO/IEC 27001 explained →
How to get ISO 27001 certified in Egypt
One team from the Dubai office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients across Egypt are served from Sterling's Dubai office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.
- Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
- Gap assessment against ISO/IEC 27001 and the Egyptian requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
- Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
- Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
- Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.
- End to end, from one team
- Effivity ISO & GRC software
- Preferential Sterling Academy access, with complimentary awareness training for your people
- Internal auditor training for your audit team, as applicable to your standard
- Vulnerability assessment on ISMS engagements
The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.
How long does ISO 27001 certification take in Egypt?
There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Egypt these are the factors that set the timeline.
- Scope boundary, number of sites and cloud environments
- Completeness of the asset register and risk assessment
- Time to run an internal audit and management review
- Certification body scheduling around Ramadan and the Eid periods
Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.
How much does ISO 27001 certification cost in Egypt?
The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In Egypt these factors move both.
- Number of sites, staff and systems in scope
- Security tooling and remediation the risk assessment exposes
- Certification body audit fees, quoted separately from consulting
- Combining with ISO/IEC 27701 or ISO 22301 audits
Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.
ISO 27001 consultants and certification bodies in Egypt
Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.
- Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers ISO 27001 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
- Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Egypt are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
- Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
- Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.
Laws and regulations that drive ISO 27001 in Egypt (3)
| Instrument | How it treats the standard |
|---|---|
| Egyptian Accreditation Council (EGAC) recognition entries | Market driver Global ACI shows EGAC recognised for management systems certification to ISO/IEC 27001, through ISO/IEC 27006-1, from 9 November 2023, so a locally accredited route is now available; this is not a mandate. |
| Central Bank of Egypt — Financial Cybersecurity Framework and EG-FinCIRT | Context The Bank states it has issued Egypt's first Financial Cybersecurity Framework with a readiness self-assessment approach aligned with international standards; the framework text should be read for what it asks of banks, and the page does not name ISO/IEC 27001. |
| Personal Data Protection Law, Law No. 151 of 2020, and the Personal Data Protection Center | Related The Law and its Executive Regulations govern personal data and the Center issues permits and licences; ISO/IEC 27001 is voluntary and does not replace them, though it supports the security controls an application rests on. |
Accreditation, audit language and remote audits in Egypt
Use a certification body accredited for ISO/IEC 27001 by the Egyptian Accreditation Council (EGAC) or by an accreditation body within the international mutual recognition arrangements (Global ACI — Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated, formerly the IAF MLA); check that the accreditation scope covers the standard and your sector. Global ACI lists EGAC as recognised for ISO/IEC 27001 management systems certification, with ISO/IEC 27006-1, from November 2023, which is recent, so ask the certification body to show its current accreditation scope. The accredited certification body decides, not Sterling. Edition and transition details: ISO/IEC 27001 hub →
Audit language
Arabic is the official language and English is common in business; agree the audit language, any interpreter and the language of controlled documents with the certification body at application, and say early if shop-floor interviews will run in Arabic.
Remote and on-site
Remote audit elements are at the certification body's discretion; data centres, offices and delivery floors in scope are normally visited, while policies, risk records and logs can often be reviewed remotely.
ISO 27001 in Egypt: questions clients ask
Does the Central Bank of Egypt require ISO/IEC 27001 from banks?
The Bank's cybersecurity page describes its Financial Cybersecurity Framework as aligned with international standards but does not name ISO/IEC 27001. Banks should read the framework itself and ask their supervisors what evidence they expect. A certificate can support a bank's own control environment, though it is not shown here as a condition.
Is a locally accredited ISO/IEC 27001 certificate available in Egypt?
Yes, on the listing. Global ACI shows the Egyptian Accreditation Council recognised for ISO/IEC 27001 management systems certification from November 2023. The date is recent, so ask any certification body for its accreditation certificate and scope. Foreign-accredited bodies also audit in Egypt, and your customer may accept either route.
How does ISO/IEC 27001 help with Egypt's data protection Law?
It gives a tested security system behind the controls an application to the Personal Data Protection Center is likely to rely on. It does not replace permits, licences or Data Protection Officer arrangements under Law No. 151 of 2020. Treat the certificate as supporting evidence and confirm the Center's current expectations with counsel.
What scope suits an Egyptian outsourcing company?
Most start with the delivery centres and supporting functions serving one or two overseas clients, then widen. Include the cloud environments and remote-working arrangements staff actually use, because auditors follow data rather than buildings. A tight, accurate scope certifies faster than a broad one that cannot yet be evidenced.
More on ISO 27001 for Egyptian organisations
- ISO/IEC 27001: the complete guide
- Watch: How to implement ISO/IEC 27001
- Banking and financial services: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
- BPO and shared services: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
- Government and public sector: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
- Healthcare and health data: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
- Professional and legal services: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
- Software, SaaS and technology: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
- Telecoms and data centres: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
- ISO 27001 certification in Egypt and every other standard Sterling delivers there
Other standards Egyptian businesses ask Sterling for
Organisations in Egypt often combine ISO/IEC 27001 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.
Start with a free discovery call from the Dubai office
A Sterling consultant goes through your entities, your regulators and your target date with you. No proposal until the scope is agreed.
Sources
- Egyptian Accreditation Council (EGAC) recognition entries — global-aci.org; egac.gov.eg (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Central Bank of Egypt — Financial Cybersecurity Framework and EG-FinCIRT — cbe.org.eg (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Personal Data Protection Law, Law No. 151 of 2020, and the Personal Data Protection Center — mcit.gov.eg; portal.pdpc.gov.eg (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Egyptian Accreditation Council (EGAC) — global-aci.org; egac.gov.eg (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
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