Status: UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce (1996)

This page is updated whenever the UNCITRAL Secretariat is informed of changes in enactment of the Model Law.

The UNCITRAL Secretariat also prepares yearly a document containing the Status of Conventions and Enactments of UNCITRAL Model Laws, which is available on the web page of the corresponding UNCITRAL Commission Session.

Legislation based on or influenced by the Model Law has been adopted in 87 States and a total of 170 jurisdictions:

Notes

(a) Except for the provisions on certification and electronic signatures.

(b) The legislation enacts uniform legislation influenced by the Model Law and the principles on which it is based. Uniform Electronic Commerce Act, adopted in 1999 by the Uniform Law Conference of Canada

(c) The legislation enacts uniform legislation influenced by the Model Law and the principles on which it is based. Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, adopted in 1999 by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Law.

(d) The legislation is influenced by the Model Law and the principles on which it is based.

(e) The legislation also includes substantive provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts, the status of which can be found here.

(f) Crown Dependency of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

(g) Overseas territory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

(h) The legislation amends previous legislation based on the Model Law.

Disclaimer:

A model law is created as a suggested pattern for law-makers to consider adopting as part of their domestic legislation. Since States enacting legislation based upon a model law have the flexibility to depart from the text, the above list is only indicative of the enactments that were made known to the UNCITRAL Secretariat. The legislation of each State should be considered in order to identify the exact nature of any possible deviation from the model in the legislative text that was adopted. The year of enactment indicated above is the year the legislation was passed by the relevant legislative body, as indicated to the UNCITRAL Secretariat; it does not address the date of entry into force of that piece of legislation, the procedures for which vary from State to State, and could result in entry into force some time after enactment.