This study aimed to identify the effect of the characteristics of the Board of Directors (the size of the Board of Directors, Duality of the Board of Directors, The balance between executive and non-executive members of the Board of Directors, Board independence, the experience of the Board of Directors) On the delay of the issuance of the audit report. The sample of the study was (16) listed companies on the Egyptian Stock Exchange during the period (2013-2016). The required data were obtained from the published annual reports of the sample companies on the Egyptian Stock Exchange website. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses of the study; the study reached the most important results of the impact of the Board size, Board independence and the experience of the Board of Directors to delay the issuance of the independent audit report. One of the most important recommendations of the study is the need for legislation at the local and global level that enhances the characteristics of the board of directors in companies and its impact on delaying the issuance of the independent audit report so that it becomes mandatory for companies which in turn enhances the credibility and reliability of the financial statements, In addition to Conduct more future studies on the same topic of research for its importance.
Keywords: Board Of Directors, Egyptian stock exchange., delay of the external auditor’s report