El Salvador has been operating under a state of exception since March 2022, which has been renewed on a monthly basis. As part of the implementation of this measure, the government enacted Decree No. 359, applicable for the duration of the state of exception, which permits the executive branch to negotiate and procure goods and services related to the emergency directly, without complying with the requirements of the Public Procurement Law (Arts. 1 and 2 of Decree No. 359). Reports indicate that the absence of transparency in government procurement and contracting processes under states of emergency is particularly concerning, as it has facilitated corruption and clientelism, matters that are of considerable concern to foreign investors. It is also reported that foreign companies have expressed concerns that government agencies are not always providing sufficient advance notice to foster wide participation in bidding procedures, particularly in relation to complex infrastructure works or public-private partnership projects.

El Salvador is not a party to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA), nor does it have observer status.

According to Art. 5 of the Investment Law, foreign investors have the same rights and obligations as Salvadoran investors and shall not be subject to unfair or discriminatory measures with respect to the establishment, administration, use, usufruct, extension, sale and liquidation of their investments.

It is reported that certain restrictions apply to micro businesses, which are defined in Art. 3 of the Law on the Promotion, Protection and Development of Micro and Small Enterprises as having 10 or fewer employees and annual sales of approximately USD 175,930 or less. Investors who start operations with 10 or fewer employees must submit plans for increasing employment to the Ministry of Economy’s National Investment Office.

Pursuant to Arts. 1 and 2 of Resolution No. 008-2022 issued by COMEX, imports classified under "Category B" must be below the annual limit of USD 1.600 in FOB value per fiscal year. Category B refers to consignments weighing no more than four kilograms and with an FOB value not exceeding USD 400, or its equivalent in another currency, provided that such goods are not intended for commercial purposes.

Ecuador does not apply any de minimis threshold, meaning there is no minimum consignment value below which customs duties are waived. As of June 2025, pursuant to Art. 1 of Resolution No. 006‑2025, a fixed tariff of USD 20 per package is imposed on personal imports up to 4 kilograms and a maximum FOB value of USD 400 ("Catergory B").
Art. 1 amended Ecuador’s customs tariff, originally established by Resolution No. 002‑2023 and adopted on 2 March 2023, which had previously set the applicable tariff rate at zero for imports valued up to 400 USD.

According to Art. 415 of the Companies Law, foreign companies must appoint at least one representative to carry out all legal acts and businesses that are destined to take effect in the national territory. This representative must be able to answer the demands and comply with the obligations. In addition, they must constitute in Ecuador a capital destined for the activity to be developed.

The Consumer Protection Law and Law No. 67 establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for the protection of consumers, which extends to transactions conducted in digital environments. Chapter III of Title III of Law No. 67 concerns the rights of users or consumers of electronic services.

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

Ecuador has adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Commerce.

Ecuador 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. 10 of the Regulation on the Approval and Certification of Telecommunications Terminal Equipment establishes that applicants possessing a type‑approval certificate issued by an international body recognised by the Telecommunications Regulation and Control Agency (ARCOTEL) need only attach that certificate to their application, with no further requirements. General Provision Two identifies the categories of terminal equipment requiring type approval, including devices for advanced mobile services (mobile telephones or other devices equipped with an IMEI that connect to the networks of advanced mobile service operators), carrier services, fixed telephony, satellite telecommunications, wireless Internet access (excluding computers and other indirect‑access devices), as well as equipment used in trunked and community communication systems. General Provision Three lists the international organisations recognised for type‑approval purposes, such as ANATEL, BIS, CMIIT, the European Community through Declarations of Conformity, ETSI, the FCC, KATS, Taiwan’s NCC, and Canada’s CEBIC.

According to Art. 42 of the Personal Data Protection Law, the controller shall perform a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) when its data processing has been identified as a high risk to the rights and freedoms of the data subject by its nature, context or purposes.
Under Art. 48, the data protection officer must be appointed in the following cases:
- When the processing is carried out by those who make up the public sector in accordance with the provisions of Art. 225 of the Constitution;
- When the activities of the person responsible or in charge of the processing of personal data require a permanent and systematised control due to the volume, nature, scope, or purposes of the processing, as established in this law, the regulations thereof, or in the regulations issued in this regard by the Superintendency;
- When there is large-scale processing of special categories of data, in accordance with the provisions of the regulations of this law;
- When the processing does not refer to data related to national security and defence of the State that are confidential or secret, in accordance with the provisions of the specialised regulations on the matter.

Art. 8 of the Regulation to the Electronic Commerce Law provides that the provision by third parties of any type of electronic services, including the sending and receiving of electronic communications, the hosting of databases, the electronic registration of data, the hosting of websites on electronic media or other similar or related services, does not give rise to liability on the part of the service provider for the content of data messages. Liability rests exclusively with the owner of the information.

Art. 8 of the Regulation to the Electronic Commerce Law provides that the provision by third parties of any type of electronic services, including the sending and receiving of electronic communications, the hosting of databases, the electronic registration of data, the hosting of websites on electronic media or other similar or related services, does not give rise to liability on the part of the service provider for the content of data messages. Liability rests exclusively with the owner of the information.