Egypt's administrative prosecutor has authorized the use of WhatsApp to serve legal notices on witnesses and defendants, according to a directive issued this week. The measure updates procedures for notifying parties in administrative court cases and reflects a shift to digital communications.
The prosecutor's office issued Circular 6 for 2026 requiring that telephone numbers for witnesses and defendants be recorded in investigation reports, with WhatsApp activated on those numbers. Phone numbers recorded this way are now treated as official contact information for all legal notifications and have full legal effect when used to serve notice.
Witnesses and defendants must formally notify the administrative prosecutor if they change their phone number after it has been recorded in the investigation file. The directive requires that the new number also have WhatsApp activated and be officially registered with the prosecutor's office.
The circular implements Article 74 of judicial instructions adopted by administrative court decision 30 for 2024. The prosecutor's office said the measure aims to streamline notification procedures and reduce difficulties in locating witnesses and defendants.
