Art. 64 of Law No. 23-12 stipulates that the specifications for international calls for competition must provide foreign bidders or subcontractors with a minimum threshold of professional integration of the national workforce and qualified national executives.

Art. 60 of Law No. 23-12 stipulates that when the contracting authority initiates a national and/or international competitive tender process, it must include a system to guarantee the provision of training and the transfer of technology and know-how in relation to the subject of the contract.

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

Art. 4 of the Law on Audiovisual Activity restricts the operation of online audiovisual services to Algerian legal entities whose share capital is held exclusively by Algerian natural persons or by Algerian legal entities composed entirely of Algerian shareholders, thereby excluding any form of foreign ownership or participation.

Bahrain 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 the de minimis threshold, defined as the minimum value of goods below which customs authorities do not levy duties, is 300 BHD (approximately USD 800). However, this threshold applies exclusively to business-to-consumer (B2C) consignments, whereas for business-to-business (B2B) transactions no de minimis threshold exists.

It is reported that the registration of “.bh” and “.com.bh” domain names requires the presence of a local representative. Also, each applicant is permitted to register only a single domain name.

Law No. 35 of 2012 on Consumer Protection, together with its Executive Regulations, the Law on Electronic Communications and Transactions, and supplementary legislation, establishes a comprehensive legal framework for consumer protection, which extends to online transactions.

Bahrain has signed and ratified the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts.

Bahrain has enacted national legislation, namely the Electronic Communications and Transactions Law, which is derived from or informed by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Commerce.

In accordance with Law No. 81 of 2006 with respect to Approving the Common Industrial Law of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Bahrain imposes a regime for import licensing for certain products. Importers of several products must obtain an industrial licence from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism (MoICT), which can be issued only to a firm or an individual resident in Bahrain. It is valid for one year (renewable) and is transferable between importers. This requirement applies to importers of several products, including electric motors, generators, transformers, and electricity distribution and control apparatus; batteries and accumulators; wiring and wiring devices; electric lighting equipment; domestic appliances, other electric equipment; and machinery and equipment.

Self-certification is allowed in Bahrain for radio transmission, electromagnetic interference (EMI) or electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). The country allows foreign companies to self-certify that they comply with these standards, through a Supplier Declaration of Conformity (SDoC). It is reported that, when applying for equipment type approval, the submission must include a manufacturer’s declaration of conformity, together with electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and radio-frequency safety test reports issued by an internationally accredited telecommunications laboratory. These documents shall support the conformity assessment and be accompanied by a detailed technical description of the equipment and its associated units, including the frequencies that may be tuned or utilised.

Arts. 1 and 2 of Decision No. 51 of 2024 authorise engagement in the commercial activities enumerated in Table No. 1 through a virtual commercial store, subject to assessment by the competent directorate of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the nature of the activity for which the licence is sought; applicants must be Bahraini nationals, operate exclusively as a sole proprietorship, and provide a permanent correspondence address. Art. 4 requires licence holders conducting online sales to maintain an operational website and prohibits them from trading in any products listed in Table No. 2, while Art. 5 forbids the recruitment of foreign labour for licensed activities. Table No. 1 includes, among others, online sales.

According to Art. 9.1 of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA)'s Board of Directors Resolution No. 8 of 2009, a licensee shall undertake to retain access-related information for one year from the date of each call that is successfully made between two or more parties, whether it results in conveying call content or not. Moreover, it is reported that, since 2009, the TRA has mandated that all telecommunications companies keep a record of customers’ phone calls, emails, and website visits for up to three years.

Art. 3 of Order No. 43 of 2022 states that controllers should conduct a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) in the following cases:
- Cases stipulated in Art. 22.1 of Law No. 30 of 2018, or a systematic and extensive evaluation of personal aspects relating to natural persons which is based on automated processing, including profiling, and on which decisions are based that produce legal effects concerning the natural person or similarly significantly affect the natural person;
- When processing on a large scale special categories of data or of personal data relating to instituting and pursuing criminal proceedings and related judgements referred to Art. 7 of Law No. 30; or
- When processing amounts to systematically monitoring a publicly accessible area on a large scale.