Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2023chapter by chapter

Article 11(3)

Where the Ministry sets a condition requiring insurance coverage for a service or activity related to trading through modern technological means (or any party or the modern technological means involved), the digital merchant/logistics provider/digital payment service provider must obtain that insurance coverage.

Article 14(2)

Where logistics services (storage, shipping, transport, delivery) are provided to carry out any stage of trading through modern technological means, the conditions, requirements and terms specified by the Competent Authority must be met.

Article 14(3)

No additional logistics fees may be imposed on the consumer beyond those specified and announced by the digital merchant in the digital contract or terms and conditions.

Article 5(1)

Digital merchants and others subject to this Decree-Law must have legal capacity.

Article 5(2)

Digital merchants must fulfil applicable legal, regulatory, professional and technical requirements and obtain the necessary approvals, permits and licences from the Competent Authority for trading through modern technological means and for the store.

Article 5(3)

Digital merchants must provide a technically secure trading environment and meet e-security, cyber safety and anti-cyberattack requirements/standards specified by the Competent Authority, to ensure safe browsing and purchasing for consumers.

Article 5(4)

Digital merchants must sell only legally permissible goods/services and must not sell goods/services requiring special Competent Authority approval without first obtaining it.

Article 5(5)

Digital merchants must determine and publicly disclose the terms, conditions and details of the sale (including prices of goods/services and fees for logistics/digital payment services) on their website/application/other means, and provide the digital contract or applicable terms and conditions, noting that purchase constitutes consumer consent to them.

Article 5(6)

Digital merchants must meet Competent-Authority-approved conditions and requirements regarding advertising/marketing campaigns and the exchange of consumer data in that regard.

Article 5(7)

Digital merchants must refrain from using misleading methods or providing incorrect data that misrepresents the true description of a good or service.

Article 5(8)

Digital merchants must provide a detailed non-paper (digital) invoice for the purchase of goods and services through modern technological means.

Article 5(9)

Digital merchants must meet competition-protection terms and conditions specified by the Competent Authority.

Article 5(10)

Digital merchants must develop a business continuity plan to ensure smooth, uninterrupted operations in the event of risks or crises.

Article 5(11)

Digital merchants must provide the Ministry or Competent Authorities with any information and data requested.

Article 15(2)

Digital payment channels/methods must provide services to consumers in an easy manner consistent with the nature and flow of trading through modern technological means.

Article 15(3)

No additional digital payment fees may be imposed on the consumer beyond those specified and announced by the digital merchant in the digital contract or terms and conditions.

Article 9(1)

Where a Dispute Resolution Committee is established by the Ministry or Competent Authority in the Emirate, the digital merchant is subject to its dispute resolution mechanism for disputes arising under this Decree-Law.

Article 9(2)(b)

A digital contract whose value is less than AED 50,000 may not include a condition referring disputes arising from it to arbitration.

Article 12

Any person subject to this Decree-Law is liable for whatever obligations arise from trading through modern technological means.

Article 7(1)

Consumers may return or exchange goods/services purchased through modern technological means where: they violate applicable legislation; they are defective, incomplete, damaged, or contrary to the stated description on receipt; there is a delivery delay rendering them unusable; they violate the digital contract/announced terms; or any other case decided by the Minister.

Article 7(2)

The consumer's return/refund right is forfeited where: the goods were used beyond defect-verification purposes; the applicable return period has been exceeded; the goods are short-shelf-life food/consumer goods (expiring within three weeks) or goods designated by Ministerial decision; or the goods are books/films/programs usable only once (e.g. viewed/listened to).

Article 17(2)

The digital merchant (and consumer) must cooperate with Law Enforcement and provide any data, information and documents necessary to perform its work, whenever requested.

Article 10(2)(a)-(b)

Digital merchants must meet professional, regulatory and technical standards for data quality, classification, flow and storage, and for data credibility, availability, security and protection, as issued/approved by the Competent Authority; consumer data must not be disclosed to any other person absent legal justification or the consumer's prior consent.

Article 10(2)(c)-(d)

Digital merchants and all persons subject to this Decree-Law must abide by data and information protection standards/requirements, and must protect and secure consumer information/data, refraining from sharing or making it available except with the consumer's consent.

Article 6(1)-(3)

Consumers are entitled to receive goods/services as announced (specifications, timing, logistics costs) per the digital contract or announced terms, presented clearly, with secure purchase and payment methods available.

Article 6(4)

Consumers must be able to choose whether to receive advertising/marketing campaigns via phone calls, emails or social media platforms.

Article 6(5)

Consumers must be provided a transparent means to rate their experience with the digital merchant, goods, services, digital payment gateways, and logistics services.

Article 6(6)-(8)

Digital merchants must provide channels for consumers to submit complaints (about any purchase or any party involved), allocate permanently available phone numbers/communication means staffed by qualified personnel, maintain a complaint-tracking mechanism with a clear, periodically-updated address, and publish phone numbers/communication means for the digital merchant.

Article 6(9)

Digital merchants must make publicly available their Competent Authority licence, address, contact numbers, details of their physical address, and website.

Article 13(2)

Contract veracity requires verification of contracting parties' capacity via digital identity requirements, and verification of offer/acceptance/contracting via digital identity and digital signature requirements.