Section 24.3.2 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 9184 specifies that, in cases where consulting services involve regulated professions, the individuals actually performing these services must be Filipino citizens and registered professionals, authorised by the appropriate regulatory body to practice the relevant professions and their associated fields. Although this provision was initially introduced in the 2003 IRR, it previously applied only to partnerships, corporations, and joint ventures. Under the 2009 IRR, however, the provision effectively prohibits foreign consultants from directly providing their professional services in these regulated areas.

The Philippines is not a party to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA). However, the country has been an observer of the WTO GPA since 2019.

Section 11 of Article XVI of the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines mandates that the ownership and management of mass media must be restricted to Filipino citizens or corporations entirely owned and managed by Filipinos. In 2018, it was reported that the Philippine government revoked the operating licence of Rappler, one of the country’s leading news websites, alleging that the organisation had violated the constitutional provision restricting media ownership to Philippine citizens. As of September 2023, the appeal against this decision remained pending before the Court of Appeals.

According to List A of the Twelfth Regular Foreign Investment Negative List and Section 5 of the Retail Trade Liberalisation Act, as amended by Republic Act No. 11595, foreign investment in small retail enterprises is restricted to Philippine nationals. Retail trade businesses with capital below USD 500,000 are exclusively reserved for Filipino citizens. In addition, Section 3 of Rule III of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Retail Trade Liberalisation Act explicitly stipulates that this limitation extends to foreign retailers operating solely through online platforms.

The Foreign Investment Act requires the publication of the Foreign Investment Negative List (FINL) every two years, which outlines sectors in which foreign investment is restricted. According to List B of the 2022 FINL, up to 40% foreign equity is allowed in micro and small domestic market enterprises with paid-in equity capital of less than the equivalent of USD 200,000 and micro and small domestic market enterprises that involve advanced technology or are endorsed as startup or startup enablers by state agencies; or those whose majority of direct employees are Filipinos provided that their Filipino employees should not be less than 15, and with a paid-in equity capital of less than the equivalent of USD 100,000.

The Foreign Investment Act requires the publication of the Foreign Investment Negative List (FINL) every two years, which outlines sectors in which foreign investment is restricted. According to List A of the 2022 FINL, advertising is limited to 30% foreign equity.

Section 4 of the Revised Corporation Code of the Philippines (RA 11232) mandates a residency requirement for select corporate officers, namely the treasurer and the secretary.

Section 142 of the Corporations Act establishes that a foreign corporation applying for a license to transact business in the Philippines shall submit to the Commission the address, including the street number, of the principal office of the corporation in the country or State of incorporation; the name and address of its resident agent authorised to accept summons and process in all legal proceedings and all notices affecting the corporation, pending the establishment of a local office; and the place in the Philippines where the corporation intends to operate.

According to Section 33 of the Republic Act No. 8293, an applicant who is not a resident of the Philippines must appoint and maintain a resident agent or representative in the Philippines upon whom notice or process for judicial or administrative procedure relating to the application for patent or the patent may be served.

It is reported that in November 2020, the Pakistan government banned online payments from India for the subscription of electronic media content as part of the capabilities offered by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority Ordinance 2002. In practice, this restriction impacts the provision of electronic media content.

It is reported that the de minimis threshold, that is the minimum value of goods below which customs do not charge duties, is PKR 5,000 (approx. USD 20), below the 200 USD threshold recommended by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

According to Art. 7.6 of the Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules 2021, "Significant Social Media Companies" shall: (i) appoint a grievance officer based in Pakistan; (ii) appoint a compliance officer (iii) establish an office in Pakistan with physical address preferably located in Islamabad. According to Art. 2 of the law, a Significant Social Media Company means and includes a Social Media Company with more than half a million users in Pakistan or is on the list specially notified by the Authority for this purpose from time to time

Pakistan lacks a comprehesive framework for consumer protection that applies to online transactions. Nevertheless, several regional laws apply, including the Islamabad Consumer Protection Act (1995), the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Consumer Protection Act (1997), the Balochistan Consumer Protection Act (2003), and the Punjab Consumers Protection Act (2005).

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