Egypt has become the first country outside Europe whose electronic signatures framework is technically aligned with the European Union, after the two sides completed a technical assessment of Egypt's trusted list for electronic signatures and seals.

The European Commission announced the milestone on 12 November, describing it as a significant deliverable of the EU-Egypt summit held on 22 October 2025. Egypt will now be incorporated into the EU's Third Countries Trusted List, allowing EU member states to validate Egyptian electronic signatures and seals.

What the agreement changes

Under the administrative arrangements, the European Commission will include a reference to Egypt's list of trust service providers in an EU list for non-member countries. Egypt's Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) will in turn include a reference to the EU's list in Egypt's national trust lists, making it easier to verify EU-issued signatures and seals in Egypt.

The arrangements cover electronic signatures and seals that do not have qualified status under EU rules, according to a statement from Egypt's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. The aim is to simplify commercial and government transactions that rely on electronic documents, with what the Commission calls an advanced level of trust.

The agreement was signed by Ahmed El Zaher, head of ITIDA, and Roberto Viola, director-general for communications networks, content and technology at the European Commission. Communications Minister Raafat Hendy attended the ceremony by video link.

A first for a non-European country

EU Ambassador to Egypt Angelina Eichhorst said Egypt had become the first country outside Europe to join the EU's advanced electronic signatures trust list. Egyptian ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid described the agreement as a key outcome of the Egypt-EU summit held in Brussels in October 2025.

The work forms part of the broader EU-Egypt Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership agreed on 17 March 2024, under which both sides set out to deepen digital cooperation. It also marks a milestone in the Commission's objective of achieving technical recognition of electronic signatures or seals created in third countries as meeting the requirements of advanced electronic signatures or seals under the eIDAS Regulation, which was amended in 2024 by the Digital Identity Framework.

For businesses, the practical effect should be fewer obstacles when contracts, certificates and other documents signed electronically in one jurisdiction need to be accepted in the other. Government exchanges are also expected to become simpler, as authorities on both sides will be able to check the validity of electronic signatures and seals against a recognised list rather than treating them as unverified.

The Commission said the development confirms technical compatibility and alignment between the EU and Egyptian electronic signature and seal schemes. Further cooperation on digital matters under the strategic partnership is expected to follow, although no timetable for additional measures was announced.

Sources: European Commission and Bytes Europe.