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

It is reported that the de minimis threshold, that is the minimum value of goods below which customs do not charge duties, is DZD 50,000 (approx. USD 371), above the 200 USD threshold recommended by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

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".

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.

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

Law No. 09-03 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.

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.

Pursuant to Art. 30 of Law No. 18-07, individuals and organisations that want to acquire and use encryption services must be granted authorisation by the country's Regulatory Authority of Post and Electronic Communications.

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

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.

According to Art. 12 of Law No. 09-04, internet service providers shall set up technical devices to limit access to platforms containing information contrary to public order or morality and to inform subscribers thereof.

Decree No. 20-332 stipulates that online media directors must notify the authorities of any "illegal content" published on their platforms. Art. 13 establishes that "the director in charge of the online information organ is required to take the appropriate measures and means to fight against illicit contents (...) especially any content including incitement to hatred, violence or discrimination because of the regional origin, of an alleged race, religion or political or ideological opinion or gender. The director responsible for the online news organisation must notify the relevant authorities of any illegal content."

It is reported that Algeria has a history of its government blocking sites for various reasons, including the prevention of exam cheating. In June 2023, it was reported that social media platforms were restricted in Algeria as a measure to combat cheating during national baccalaureate school exams. The blocked platforms included Facebook, X (previously known as Twitter), Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Tinder, Russian social networks VKontakte and Odnoklassniki, as well as servers for messaging apps WhatsApp, Telegram, Skype, Viber, and Line. Some of the websites that have been blocked in the past include YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, as well as news websites such as France 24 and Al-Jazeera.