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New E-Commerce Regulations Issued in Sharjah

New E-Commerce Regulations Issued in Sharjah

 

Overview

Law firms in DubaiE-commerce is an ever-growing area in the world today. Everything was at one point not too long ago, exclusively bought by people through physically going to a store and purchasing a physical good. However, the practice of buying products has now moved to the digital zone, with almost everything procurable online. Of course, with this practice arising very quickly from nowhere, regulation is still having to developed and amended over time. Sharjah has recently introduced a new e-commerce law which aims to improve the regulatory capacity of the Sharjah officials. It seeks to do this through the introduction of new and more stringent licensing regulations within the Emirate.

What will this Regulation Entail?

The regulation, which is the Sharjah Executive Council Decision Number 23/2018 will introduce a few new aspects to the e-commerce side of Sharjah’s system. Some of the changes are as follows:

  1. There are now new licensing requirements within the State;
  2. Minimum age requirements are now in place that must be met for one to be able to obtain the new licenses;
  3. There has also been a time limit added to ensure that already existing entities have time to implement and adapt to the changes.

With regards to the Licensing requirements, no individual or legal person may perform e-commerce related activities without receiving a license from the Department of Economic Development (DED) first. Further, to obtain this license, the person is required to be a UAE Citizen.

Law firms in DubaiConcerning the age limit, for one to obtain the license, they must be at least 21 years of age at the initial time of the agreement. Further to this, they must also be in a mental state that does not impede them from being legally competent. They must be of age and of the legal capacity to obtain the paperwork. There is a slight exception to this, which is in the case of those who are of at a minimum of 18 years old. In the case of these individuals, they may be authorized to practice trade in this are if the Judicial Court has permitted them.

Finally, in the case of the time limit as mentioned earlier limit, any entity that already practices trade in this field or area will be given a time limit within which they must also obtain the license. The time limit is to ensure that these businesses are treated fairly, while also providing that they oblige with the new regulation as quickly as possible.

Conclusion

In general, the change is now in power. The Sharjah authorities are looking to have all entities covered under the umbrella of the regulations over the next few months. They wish for the change to fully be implemented as soon as possible, though, to give already established companies a chance to comply before any action against them occurs, a three month period in which to complete the requirements exists.