Algeria has not signed the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts.

Algeria has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Commerce.

Algeria has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Signatures.

Art. 9 of the Law No. 18-05 requires any e-commerce activity, which is defined as electronic commerce in goods and services, to have a website hosted in Algeria with a “.com.dz” extension. This requirement applies to both domestic and foreign e-providers, as stated in Art. 2 of the law, stipulating that the legislation applies to e-commerce transactions when one of the parties to the e-commerce contract (i) is of Algerian nationality, (ii) is legally resident in Algeria, (iii) is a legal person under Algerian law, (iv) or if the contract is concluded or performed in Algeria.

Pursuant to Art. 4.2 of Law No. 18-07, in case the data controller is not established in the national territory, a representative located in Algeria must be designated. This requirement applies to foreign service providers in Algeria, defined in Art. 3 as any public or private entity which offers users of its services the possibility of communicating by means of a computer system and/or a telecommunications system.

Law No. 09-03 of 29 Safar 1430 corresponding to February 25, 2009, relating to consumer protection and the repression of fraud provides a comprehensive consumer protection framework that applies to online transactions. This Act repeals and replaces Law 89-02 of 7 February 1989 (published in the Official Journal (Journal Officiel) (JO.) No 06 of February 8, 1989) on the general rules of consumer protection.

It is reported that the de minimis threshold, that is the minimum value of goods below which customs do not charge duties, is USD 370.

Art. 6 of Decree No. 20-332 establishes that the online information activity is subject to the publication through an electronic site, whose hosting is exclusively domiciled, physically and logically in Algeria, with a domain name extension ".dz".

It is reported that Algerian foreign exchange regulations prohibit the use of certain online payment processors to transfer money from one account to another.

According to Arts. 7 and 8 of Law No. 18-05, any e-commerce activity, which is defined as electronic commerce of goods and services, is subject to registration in the commercial register or in the register of arts and crafts, and to the publication of a website hosted in Algeria with extension ".com.dz". In addition, pursuant to Art. 9 the exercise of the e-commerce activity be subject to the registration of the domain name with the services of the national center of the commercial register. This requirement applies to both domestic and foreign e-providers, as stated in Art. 2 of the law, stipulating that the legislation applies to e-commerce transactions when one of the parties to the e-commerce contract (i) is of Algerian nationality, (ii) is legally resident in Algeria, (iii) is a legal person under Algerian law, (iv) or if the contract is concluded or performed in Algeria.

In accordance with Art. 27 of Law No. 18-05, when payment is electronically made, it should be carried out through electronic payment platforms, put in place and operated exclusively by the banks authorised by the Banque d’Algérie, and connected to any type of electronic payment terminal via the network of the public telecommunications operator. This article implies that electronic payment in Algeria is only possible with CIB (Interbank Cards) credit cards issued by public or private banks and Edahabia card issued by Algérie Poste, as well as Visa and Mastercard cards denominated in foreign currencies for international transactions.
Further, pursuant to Art. 29 of Law No. 18-05, electronic payments must be made through dedicated payment platforms, set up and operated exclusively by banks approved by the Bank of Algeria and Algérie Poste and connected to any type of electronic payment terminal via the network of the public telecommunications operator. Besides, these dedicated payment platforms must be subject to the control of the Bank of Algeria to guarantee that they meet the requirements of interoperability, confidentiality, integrity, authentication and security of data exchanges.

It is reported that the purchase of goods from outside the country using international credit cards is only allowed up to a maximum value per transaction of DZD 100,000 (about USD 740).

According to Art. 7 of Law No. 18-05, the purchase by electronic communications of a digital good and/or service from Algeria by an electronic consumer from an electronic supplier established in a foreign country and intended exclusively for personal use, is permitted and exempt from foreign trade and exchange formalities when its value does not exceed the equivalent in dinars of the limit set by the legislation and regulations in force. However, there is no regulation clarifying the limit. The same applies to the electronic sale of goods or services by a resident supplier to an electronic consumer established in a foreign country.

According to Art.143 of Law No. 18-04, the approval of terminal equipment and the radioelectric stations can be by certificate of conformity issued by the regulatory authority or by a test and measurement laboratory duly approved by the said authority. Further, the provision stipulates that Regulations may establish a regime of self-certification and/or recognition of certification obtained from another country. However, those Regulations are not yet in place. It is reported that foreign documentation is accepted, but local testing is required.