Turkmenistan lacks a comprehensive framework for consumer protection that applies to online transactions.

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

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

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

It is reported that slow and bureaucratic customs procedures inhibit the efficient movement of goods and trade. Turkmenistan often requires that export and import contracts be registered at the State Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange (SCRME), the only exchange in the country. Contract registration at the commodities exchange is a cumbersome process involving approval from various agencies and ministries. The contract registration procedure at SCRME includes a justification of prices, and the contract’s feasibility is scrutinised by the Supreme Chamber of Control. The procedure applies not only to contracts signed at SCRME but also to contracts signed between third parties. All import contracts must be registered before goods are delivered to Turkmenistan.

It is reported that the President and the Cabinet of Ministers must approve the export of scientific research, technology and inventions.

Art. 30 of Law No. 93-IV provides that all technical means of communication used in the telecommunications or communication systems of Turkmenistan, including end devices, are subject to certification for compliance with state standards, technical conditions and other norms in accordance with the legislation of Turkmenistan. Art. 16 of Law No. 459-IV states that a certificate of conformity is issued when the product's compliance with the established requirements is confirmed by an authorised agency or other government agency, and based on it, the product manufacturer, developer, executor, seller, shipper has the right to use the state conformity mark. In addition, Art. 18 of the same law establishes that documents confirming the quality and safety of the product received outside the territory of Turkmenistan are recognised in accordance with the international agreements of Turkmenistan. In the absence of an international agreement, documents confirming the quality and safety of the product are recognised in accordance with the procedure established by the competent authority.

According to Arts. 30 and 31 of Law of Turkmenistan No. 159-V about legal regulation of the development of the Internet and rendering Internet services in Turkmenistan, operators of Internet network services and Internet users are liable for using non-certified means of cryptographic protection of information. However, the encryption certification requirements or a list of certified encryption programs have not been found.

Online payment options in Turkmenistan are reported to be notably limited, with access to internationally accepted credit or debit cards being restricted. The lack of currency convertibility poses a significant challenge to e-commerce and foreign transactions. It is reported that strict currency controls have contributed to a black market exchange rate for dollars averaging more than five times the official rate in 2020-2021, making it difficult for companies to repatriate profits or convert local currency into dollars to import supplies and equipment. This persists despite Art. 32 of the Law About Trade Activities, which prohibits restrictions on the use of electronic payment methods unless stipulated by Turkmen legislation.

Turkmenistan does not implement any de minimis threshold, which is the minimum value of goods below which customs do not charge duties.

A basic legal framework on intermediary liability for copyright infringement is absent in Turkmenistan's law and jurisprudence. However, there is limited protection for telecom operators under Art. 50.2 of the Law of Turkmenistan No. 93-IV About communication (Türkmenistanyň Kanuny № 93-IV Aragatnaşyk hakynda), which establishes that the telecom operators are not responsible for the content of information transmitted by their networks.

A basic legal framework on intermediary liability beyond copyright infringement is absent in Turkmenistan's law and jurisprudence. However, there is limited protection for telecom operators under Art. 50.2 of the Law of Turkmenistan No. 93-IV About communication (Türkmenistanyň Kanuny № 93-IV Aragatnaşyk hakynda), which establishes that the telecom operators are not responsible for the content of information transmitted by their networks.

It is reported that Turkmenistan imposes an identity requirement for SIM registration. Anyone wanting to purchase a SIM card has to provide their national ID card or a passport in case of foreigners to activate a new prepaid SIM card.

There are reports of severe blocking of social networking platforms, foreign media and foreign websites. Furthermore, it is reported that authorities blocked 133 of the most popular worldwide websites, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Zoom, Skype, and messaging apps. In addition, the government has also been reported to block sites that offer circumvention tools such as virtual private networks (VPNs) and proxies since 2015.
Moreover, Turkmenistan is reported to impose strict filtering rules for popular websites and many other websites containing parts of the same domain. It is estimated that the filtering rules could be causing the unintentional blocking of more than 5.4 million domains as collateral damage to the 122,000 blocked domains confirmed in the country.

The indicator "7.2.4 - Government Internet shut down in practice" of the V-Dem Dataset, which measures whether the government has the technical capacity to actively make internet service cease, thus interrupting domestic access to the internet or whether the government has decided to do so, has a score of 1 in Turkmenistan for the year 2024. This corresponds to "The government shut down domestic access to the Internet numerous times this year."