Honduras has acceded to several agreements covering cross-border data aspects, but the relevant provisions on cross-border data flows are not binding. The agreements include the Free Trade Agreement between the Dominican Republic, Central America and the United States (Chapter 14.5), the Free Trade Agreement between the United Mexican States and the Republics of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua (Chapter 15), and the Canada-Honduras Free Trade Agreement (Chapter 16.5).

There is no comprehensive data protection law in Honduras. The Law for the Protection of Confidential Personal Data is currently being discussed in the Honduran Congress. Personal data is mainly regulated by the Law of Transparency and Access to Public Information (Decree No. 170 – 2006), which introduced accountability for public entities that mishandled confidential personal data. In addition, the General Regulations of the Framework Law for the Telecommunications Sector define the seizure, use, or modification of reserved private data as grave offences subject to administrative sanctions by the National Telecommunication Commission of Honduras (CONATEL) and the Public Ministry. Moreover, the Criminal Code imposes criminal responsibility for infringing privacy.

According to Art. 144 of the Industrial Property Law, all persons must file their applications through a legal representative. Where the applicant or holder of an industrial property right is domiciled or has its headquarters outside Honduras, they must be represented by an agent domiciled in the country.
Moreover, as established under Art. 45 of the Industrial Property Law, a patent application must include the name and address of a representative or agent in Honduras if the applicant has no domicile or establishment in the country.

Honduras is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

Honduras has a clear regime of copyright exceptions that follows the fair dealing model, which enables the lawful use of copyrighted work by others without obtaining permission. Arts. 46-57 of the Copyright and Related Rights Law lists the exceptions for the lawful use of the copyrighted work by others without obtaining permission.

Copyright is not adequately enforced online in Honduras. It is reported that, while the legislative framework for the protection of intellectual property rights, including the Honduran copyright law and its industrial property law, is generally adequate, the rules are often not effectively implemented. In particular, there are concerns about online and software piracy, as well as cable signal piracy.

Honduras is a signatory of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA) of 1996, but is not a signatory of its 2015 expansion (ITA II).

According to Art. 7 of Decree No. 74-2001, all potential bidders that comply with the legal and regulatory requirements shall be able to participate in the administrative contracting procedures under equal conditions and without being subject to any restriction not derived from technical and objective specifications of the tendered object. Yet, in the application of this principle with respect to foreign bidders, the principle of reciprocity shall be observed. In addition, under Art. 42, when special technical requirements or other reasons justify the participation of foreign contractors, the works or supplies shall be procured through international competitive bidding.

Art. 53 of the State Contracting Law and Art. 128 of its Regulation stipulate that when foreign entities participate in procurement processes, Honduras applies price preferences in favour of Honduran suppliers. For goods and services, applicable tariffs or other charges are added to the price. If the goods or services are exempt from such charges, 15% is added to the price. These preferences apply to goods with at least 40% domestic content in the final price.

According to Art. 149 of Decree No. 74-2001, foreign companies are required to involve national companies in the execution of projects in the country when it is in the public interest, as outlined in the contract specifications. Additionally, Arts. 150-151 state that, to facilitate technology transfer, officials overseeing bids must ensure that foreign companies or individuals provide opportunities and responsibilities to national professionals. Furthermore, consulting contracts signed by foreign companies must be executed in Honduras, allowing for the participation of national personnel, as specified in the terms of reference

According to Art. 25 of Decree No. 135-2008, the general State budget must provide for 30% MSME participation in state purchases (goods, services and works). In addition, Art. 137 of Decree No. 4-2025 mandates the Secretariat of State for Transparency and Anti-Corruption, through the Office of State Contracting and Procurement (ONCAE), to promote a public procurement regulatory framework that encourages the participation of at least 30% of enterprises owned by women and by excluded groups, including MSMEs, social economy enterprises and organisations representing persons with disabilities.

It has been reported that winning contracts with the Honduran government can be challenging, even for large companies. Some foreign firms have complained of mismanagement, bureaucratic delays, inadequate notification procedures, excessive government direct contracting, and a lack of transparency in the bidding process.

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