Somalia is not a signatory of the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA).

Art. 134 (1) of the Public Procurement, Concessions and Disposal Act establishes that an entity shall use National Competitive Bidding where it is concluded that: (a) there is the availability of adequate technology in Somalia for the project of the Concession; (b) the expected capital outlay is capable of being raised by local businesses; (c) the concession falls within the area of the economy which is by law restricted to Somalis. Art. 134 (2) clarifies that where National Competitive Bidding is used, domestic bidders are targeted to participate, but does not restrict participation by the foreign bidders. Therefore, this article can be interpreted as a preference for local companies.

Art. 34 of the Public Procurement, Concessions and Disposal Act establishes a margin of domestic preference. A Procuring Entity may subject to such other criteria and provisions as may be set out in the Regulations, grant a margin of domestic preference in the evaluation of bids under open competitive bidding to: a. Bids offering goods that are manufactured, mined, extracted, or grown in Federal Republic of Somalia when compared to bids offering goods manufactured, mined, extracted or grown in a foreign country; and b. Bids by domestic contractors when compared to bids offered by foreign contractors. The margin of domestic preference shall be 15% for goods and 10% for contractors and shall be stated in the bidding documents.When there is the interest of the development of a target group of providers, a community, or a sub-sector of the economy, the Procuring Entity may decide to limit participation by applying a preference scheme in its procurement proceedings.

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

South Sudan does not have a legal framework that applies consumer protection to online transactions. The Consumers Protection Act 2011 provides general information, but it does not apply online.

South Sudan is not a member to the United Nations Convention of Electronic Communications.

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

It is reported that South Sudan does not have a de minimis threshold, which is the minimum value of goods below which customs do not charge duties.

Art. 15 of the Electronic Money Regulation establishes that the e-money service provider must strictly enforce KYC procedures based on a risk-based approach that determines the different risk categories in implementing customer identification. Using the risk based approach related to anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing, mobile money accounts have been categorized in the following three levels:
- Tier 1: entry level accounts with simplified KYC, which are subject to lower transaction limits and limited documentation requirements for account opening. They have maximum balance limit of SSP equivalent of USD 1,000, aggregate daily transaction limit of South Sudanese Pounds (SSP) equivalent of USD 250 and aggregate monthly transaction limit of SSP equivalent of USD 2,000 transactions;
- Tier 2: accounts with partial KYC which have higher limits and stricter account opening requirements. They have maximum balance limit of SSP equivalent of USD 4,000, aggregate daily transaction limit of SSP equivalent of USD 1,000 and aggregate monthly transaction limit of SSP equivalent of USD 8,000 transactions.
- Tier 3: accounts with full KYC requirement. Accounts with full KYC have higher limits in order to be used for corporate payments and government payments. They have maximum balance limit of SSP equivalent USD 10,000, aggregate daily transaction limit of SSP equivalent USD 2,000, and aggregate monthly transaction limit of SSP equivalent USD 20,000 transactions.
Business to person transfers generated by limited liability companies can have higher limits, if specifically authorized by the BoSS. If a customer has two e-money accounts with the same e-money provider, one in USD and another in SSP, the limits apply to the aggregate balance and transaction limits of each account, meaning. Over-the-counter transactions are subject to a single transaction limit of SSP equivalent of USD 1,000 transactions.
More information about the Electronic Money Regulation can be found in the Bank of South Sudan Anti-Money Laundering Policy Manual.

It is reported that users of the two main mobile payment providers (mGurush and Nilepay) must have a bank account, while over 90% of South Sudanese do not have one. It is also reported that the ability to exchange local currency for foreign currency is severely restricted due to South Sudan’s lack of correspondent banking relationships. Some international businesses have complained that the inability to repatriate proceeds has hurt their businesses.

Section 323 of the Companies Act allows non-South Sudanese to invest in medium and large size companies on the condition a South Sudanese has at least a 31% share. On the other hand, small size private companies must be the domain of South Sudanese nationals only. This affects all investment, including in the e-commerce sector.

It is reported that all products imported into South Sudan, including electrical and electronic goods, are subject to the Pre-Export Verification to Conformity (PVoC) program and must be accompanied by a Certificate of Conformity (CoC), which is a mandatory clearance document for each consignment. The program covers all products being imported into South Sudan with a value above USD 2,000 and applies to all countries. The objective of the program is the verification of conformity to South Sudan standards or other approved standards and technical regulations.

Section 28 and 30 of the National Communication Act, 2012 restrict the use, imports or trade of any communication equipment or materials, except under a licence issued by the Authority.

Mandatory SIM registration is reported. Telecom companies are required to collect and record a user’s personal information and proof-of-identity documentation.