Egypt bank holidays 2026 and 2027
Egypt has 25 bank or public holidays listed here between November 2026 and December 2027. Over the year-end peak (1 December 2026 to 15 January 2027) the dates to plan around are: Fri 1 Jan 2027 (Bank holiday (end of banks' financial year)), Thu 7 Jan 2027 (Coptic Christmas).
Currency: EGP · Time zone: Africa/Cairo · Subscribe to this calendar (.ics)
Why this matters for prefunding
When Egypt banks or payment rails close, a top-up sent to a local payout partner may not land until the next business day. Remittance demand often rises around the same holidays. Fund the corridor before the closure, sized for the closed days plus your normal top-up lead time. Check your corridor runway.
Holiday calendar
| Date | Holiday | Type | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | Bank holiday (end of banks' financial year) | bank holiday | Expected | Falls on a Friday, inside the Friday and Saturday bank weekend. The CBE declares this closure each December (Wednesday 1 Jan 2025 and Thursday 1 Jan 2026). It is not a public holiday for other sectors. |
| Thu 7 Jan 2027 | Coptic Christmas | public holiday | Confirmed | Ministerial Decree 294 of 2025 (Labour Law 14 of 2025). Thursday, joining the weekend. In 2026 it stayed on its date (Wednesday 7 January). |
| Mon 25 Jan 2027 | January 25 Revolution and National Police Day | public holiday | Expected | Ministerial Decree 294 of 2025 (Labour Law 14 of 2025). Monday. In 2026 the Prime Minister moved it from Sunday 25 January to Thursday 29 January. |
| Thu 28 Jan 2027 | January 25 holiday, possible Thursday substitute | observed/substitute day | Expected | Thursday. Based on 2026 practice, when the government moved midweek holidays to the following Thursday. |
| Tue 9 Mar 2027 | Eid al-Fitr (day 1) | public holiday | Expected | The National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics puts 1 Shawwal on Tuesday 9 March, after a 29-day Ramadan. Depends on moon sighting: Dar al-Ifta confirms the date after the sighting, the Prime Minister sets the holiday days by decree, and the CBE then announces bank closures. |
| Wed 10 Mar 2027 | Eid al-Fitr (day 2) | public holiday | Expected | Wednesday. Depends on moon sighting: Dar al-Ifta confirms the date after the sighting, the Prime Minister sets the holiday days by decree, and the CBE then announces bank closures. |
| Thu 11 Mar 2027 | Eid al-Fitr (day 3) | public holiday | Expected | Thursday. Decree 294 guarantees the first two days of Shawwal for private-sector workers; the government holiday usually runs longer. Depends on moon sighting: Dar al-Ifta confirms the date after the sighting, the Prime Minister sets the holiday days by decree, and the CBE then announces bank closures. |
| Sun 25 Apr 2027 | Sinai Liberation Day | public holiday | Expected | Ministerial Decree 294 of 2025 (Labour Law 14 of 2025). Falls on a Sunday, a working day in Egypt. In 2026 the Sunday 25 January holiday was moved to the following Thursday, so a Thursday 29 April substitute is possible. |
| Sat 1 May 2027 | Labour Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Ministerial Decree 294 of 2025 (Labour Law 14 of 2025). Falls on a Saturday. In 2026 the holiday was moved from Friday 1 May to Thursday 7 May (Prime Ministerial Decree 1265 of 2026). |
| Mon 3 May 2027 | Sham El-Nessim | public holiday | Confirmed | Ministerial Decree 294 of 2025 (Labour Law 14 of 2025). Monday after Coptic Easter (2 May 2027). In 2026 it stayed on the Monday (13 April). |
| Thu 6 May 2027 | Labour Day, possible Thursday substitute | observed/substitute day | Expected | Thursday. In 2026 a weekend Labour Day was moved to the following Thursday. |
| Sat 15 May 2027 | Arafat Day | public holiday | Expected | Expected on a Saturday (NRIAG calculations). Depends on moon sighting: Dar al-Ifta confirms the date after the sighting, the Prime Minister sets the holiday days by decree, and the CBE then announces bank closures. |
| Sun 16 May 2027 | Eid al-Adha (day 1) | public holiday | Expected | Expected on a Sunday (NRIAG calculations). Depends on moon sighting: Dar al-Ifta confirms the date after the sighting, the Prime Minister sets the holiday days by decree, and the CBE then announces bank closures. |
| Mon 17 May 2027 | Eid al-Adha (day 2) | public holiday | Expected | Monday. Depends on moon sighting: Dar al-Ifta confirms the date after the sighting, the Prime Minister sets the holiday days by decree, and the CBE then announces bank closures. |
| Tue 18 May 2027 | Eid al-Adha (day 3) | public holiday | Expected | Tuesday. Depends on moon sighting: Dar al-Ifta confirms the date after the sighting, the Prime Minister sets the holiday days by decree, and the CBE then announces bank closures. |
| Wed 19 May 2027 | Eid al-Adha (day 4) | public holiday | Expected | Wednesday. In 2026 the CBE closed banks for six days, Tuesday 26 to Sunday 31 May, covering Arafat Day and Eid. Depends on moon sighting: Dar al-Ifta confirms the date after the sighting, the Prime Minister sets the holiday days by decree, and the CBE then announces bank closures. |
| Sun 6 Jun 2027 | Islamic New Year (1 Muharram 1449) | public holiday | Expected | Expected on a Sunday, a working day in Egypt. In 2026 the holiday was moved from Wednesday 17 June to Thursday 18 June. Depends on moon sighting: Dar al-Ifta confirms the date after the sighting, the Prime Minister sets the holiday days by decree, and the CBE then announces bank closures. |
| Thu 10 Jun 2027 | Islamic New Year, possible Thursday substitute | observed/substitute day | Expected | Thursday. Based on 2026 practice, when the government moved midweek holidays to the following Thursday. |
| Wed 30 Jun 2027 | June 30 Revolution | public holiday | Expected | Ministerial Decree 294 of 2025 (Labour Law 14 of 2025). Wednesday. In 2026 it was moved from Tuesday 30 June to Thursday 2 July. |
| Thu 1 Jul 2027 | June 30 holiday, possible Thursday substitute | observed/substitute day | Expected | Thursday. Based on 2026 practice, when the government moved midweek holidays to the following Thursday. |
| Fri 23 Jul 2027 | July 23 Revolution Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Ministerial Decree 294 of 2025 (Labour Law 14 of 2025). Falls on a Friday, inside the weekend. In 2026 a Friday holiday (Labour Day) was moved to the following Thursday, so a Thursday closure is possible. |
| Sat 14 Aug 2027 | Prophet Muhammad's Birthday (Mawlid al-Nabi) | public holiday | Expected | Expected on a Saturday (12 Rabi al-Awwal 1449). In 2026 the holiday was moved from Wednesday 26 August to Thursday 27 August. Depends on moon sighting: Dar al-Ifta confirms the date after the sighting, the Prime Minister sets the holiday days by decree, and the CBE then announces bank closures. |
| Thu 19 Aug 2027 | Mawlid, possible Thursday substitute | observed/substitute day | Expected | Thursday. Based on 2026 practice, when the government moved midweek holidays to the following Thursday. |
| Wed 6 Oct 2027 | Armed Forces Day | public holiday | Expected | Ministerial Decree 294 of 2025 (Labour Law 14 of 2025). Wednesday. In 2026 it was moved from Tuesday 6 October to Thursday 8 October. |
| Thu 7 Oct 2027 | Armed Forces Day, possible Thursday substitute | observed/substitute day | Expected | Thursday. Based on 2026 practice, when the government moved midweek holidays to the following Thursday. |
Expected: the date depends on an annual declaration or moon sighting.
Payment rails and operating hours
| Rail | Operator | Hours | Runs on holidays |
|---|---|---|---|
| IPN (Instant Payment Network) and InstaPay | Egyptian Banks Company, under the Central Bank of Egypt | 24/7 | yes source |
| CBE RTGS | Central Bank of Egypt | 08:30 to 16:30 Cairo time every working day. The banks' weekly holiday is Friday and Saturday. | no source |
What to watch
Highest-risk window: Eid al-Adha in May 2027. Arafat Day is expected on Saturday 15 May and Eid on Sunday 16 May, so with the Friday and Saturday weekend banks can stay closed from Friday 14 May to at least Wednesday 19 May; in 2026 the CBE closed banks for six days (26 to 31 May). Eid al-Fitr is expected from Tuesday 9 March 2027. Dar al-Ifta confirms Islamic dates after the sighting, the Prime Minister then sets the holiday by decree and the CBE announces bank closures, often only days to a week ahead. The government moved six midweek or weekend holidays to the following Thursday in 2026, so expect Thursday closures in place of the official dates; the possible substitutes are listed above. The banks' year-end closure on 1 January falls on the weekend in 2027. IPN and InstaPay run 24/7, including weekends and official holidays, with a limit of EGP 70,000 per transaction and EGP 120,000 a day per bank, while CBE RTGS settles only on working days, so prefund larger EGP payouts before each block.
Other calendars
Sources
- National Holidays 2026 · Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt
- Ministerial Decree Setting Official Paid Holidays for Workers No. 294 of 2025 · Mondaq
- Labour Minister: Thursday 8 October 2026 paid holiday for private-sector workers · Ministry of Labour
- Thursday marks official holiday on occasion of Labor Day · Egypt Today
- Trading Calendar (2026 holidays) · Egyptian Exchange
- Astronomers put Eid al-Fitr on 9 March 2027 and Eid al-Adha on 16 May · CAI Edit
- 2027 official holidays in Egypt · Al Raees News
- Egypt announces six-day banking holiday for Eid Al-Adha · Ahram Online
- Central Bank of Egypt announces banks to close Thursday for end of 2025 fiscal year · Egypt Independent
- Wednesday 1 January 2025 bank holiday in Egypt for end of financial year: CBE · Ahram Online
- Banks off on the first day of 2026 for three days · Akhbar El Yom
- Instant Payment Network (IPN) · Central Bank of Egypt
- RTGS snapshot · Central Bank of Egypt
- InstaPay limits and fees · InstaPay
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