The age of consent in Egypt is 18. Any sexual contact with a person under 18 is a criminal offense, and penalties run from years of hard labor up to the death penalty depending on the circumstances. One point trips up visitors from countries where turning 18 is the only legal hurdle: Egypt also prohibits all sexual activity outside of marriage at any age, so reaching 18 does not, by itself, make sex legal in Egypt.
Who Counts as a Minor
Child Law No. 12 of 1996, as amended by Law No. 126 of 2008, defines a child as any person who has not reached 18 complete calendar years.1The African Child Policy Forum. Law No. 12 of 1996 Promulgating the Child Law Amended by Law No. 126 of 2008 Age is proven with a birth certificate, national ID, or other official document; where none exists, a designated authority determines it under a process set by the Ministers of Justice and Health.
That 18-year line is bright. Egyptian courts do not treat consent from anyone below it as a defense to a sexual offense charge. There is no close-in-age exception that softens penalties when both parties are young, and the act itself is what the law punishes regardless of whether the minor appeared willing.
Penalties for Rape
Article 267 of the Penal Code (Law No. 58 of 1937, most recently amended by Law No. 189 of 2020) sets a base penalty of rigorous imprisonment with hard labor for rape. When the victim is under 18, the penalty rises to death if the perpetrator held authority over the child, was related to the victim, was responsible for the child’s care, worked in the household, or acted alongside other perpetrators.2Lexis Middle East. Egypt: Prison Sentence for Rape by Force or Threat Where the victim’s age is combined with one of those relationship factors, the sentence is life imprisonment with hard labor.3Law.Cornell.Edu. Penal Code Articles 267-269, 290 – Rape and Indecent Assault
The 2020 amendments raised the relevant age threshold to 18, so any rape of a minor now triggers the harshest sentencing tier available under the article.2Lexis Middle East. Egypt: Prison Sentence for Rape by Force or Threat
Penalties for Indecent Assault
Article 268 covers sexual assault that does not involve intercourse. The base penalty is three to seven years of rigorous imprisonment with hard labor.3Law.Cornell.Edu. Penal Code Articles 267-269, 290 – Rape and Indecent Assault When the victim is under 18, or when the perpetrator holds one of the authority positions listed under Article 267, the minimum sentence jumps to seven years.2Lexis Middle East. Egypt: Prison Sentence for Rape by Force or Threat When both conditions apply at once, the penalty is life imprisonment.
The practical gap is wide. A stranger who indecently assaults a 17-year-old faces at least seven years. A teacher or family member who does the same faces life. Courts have little discretion below those minimums once the aggravating factors are established.
What Pushes a Sentence Higher
Four circumstances drive penalties toward the statutory ceiling:
- The victim’s age. Anyone under 18 triggers the enhanced tiers under both Articles 267 and 268.
- The perpetrator’s relationship to the victim. Parents, guardians, teachers, household workers, and anyone with supervisory authority face elevated penalties, with the law treating the betrayal of a protective role as an independent reason for harsher punishment.
- Multiple perpetrators. Two or more offenders acting together all face the enhanced tier.
- Use of force or weapons. Physical coercion or threats with weapons support the most severe sentences a court can impose.
These factors compound. A family member who rapes a minor with the help of another person faces the death penalty under Article 267, with no realistic path to a reduced sentence.
Sex Outside Marriage Is Illegal at Any Age
The 18-year age of consent sits inside a broader rule that all sexual activity outside marriage is illegal in Egypt, regardless of the ages involved. Two consenting adults over 18 can face criminal liability for an extramarital relationship. Enforcement against consensual adult conduct is less common than prosecution of offenses against minors, but the legal risk exists and applies equally to Egyptian citizens and foreign nationals in the country. Egyptian citizens who commit sexual offenses against minors abroad can also be prosecuted in Egypt on their return, provided the conduct was illegal in both jurisdictions.
Marriage as the Only Legal Route
The minimum age for marriage in Egypt is 18 for both men and women.4GOV.UK. Family Law in Egypt The 2008 Child Law amendments aligned this threshold with the general definition of childhood and removed earlier gaps that had applied different ages to men and women. Both parties must present a birth certificate or national ID to the Maazoun, the official authorized to perform and register marriages. Without documentary proof that both have turned 18, the marriage cannot be finalized or legally recognized.
Foreign nationals face extra requirements. Egyptian women under 21 must be accompanied by their father, a guardian, or another responsible person, or must provide written consent from one of them, notarized in English and Arabic by the Egyptian Embassy or consulate and then by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.5U.S. Embassy in Egypt. Marriage in Egypt For foreign citizens under 18, the marriage laws of their home country also apply, so both jurisdictions’ age rules must be satisfied.
Online Exploitation of Minors
Producing, distributing, displaying, or possessing sexual material involving children is a separate offense under Article 116-Bis-A of the Child Law. The penalty is at least two years in prison and a fine of 10,000 to 50,000 Egyptian pounds, with confiscation of all equipment and money linked to the offense and closure of any location used in the crime for at least six months. The same penalties reach anyone who uses a computer or the internet to create, store, or distribute exploitative material involving children or to lure minors into illegal activity, which covers grooming behavior even where no physical contact occurs.6EG-CERT. Child Online Protection
Trafficking Offenses Involving Children
Law No. 64 of 2010 sets a base trafficking penalty of aggravated imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 to 200,000 Egyptian pounds. When the victim is a minor, the penalty rises to life imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 to 500,000 Egyptian pounds. Prosecutors do not have to prove coercion or deception when the victim is a child, and the consent of the minor or the consent of a parent or guardian is legally irrelevant.7WIEGO. Law No. 64 of 2010 Regarding Combating Human Trafficking The definition reaches sexual exploitation, forced labor, and the commercial sale of children, and it applies whether the trafficking takes place inside Egypt or across its borders.