On 15 February 2026 the Algerian Official Journal (Issue 13) formally published Executive Decree No. 26-97, which sets out the specific conditions and procedures for the homologation of electronic communications equipment pursuant to Article 143 of Law No. 18-04 of 10 May 2018 on the general rules for postal and electronic communications.

Scope and competent authority

The decree provides that the following categories of terminal equipment, radio stations or radio installations must be approved in advance:

Equipment manufactured or imported for the domestic market;

Equipment held or placed on the market for sale;

Equipment distributed free of charge or for consideration, or advertised.

Application procedure

Applicants must submit their application through a dedicated electronic platform, with both administrative and technical files. The administrative file includes proof of identity, an extract from the commercial register where applicable, the statutes (for non-commercial legal persons), proof of payment of the administrative processing fee and an undertaking to provide samples (Annex II to the decree). The technical file includes the equipment's technical specifications, the manufacturer's declaration of conformity, test reports issued by an accredited laboratory, proof of accreditation of the testing laboratory and, for mobile devices, the TAC code provided by the GSMA.

For imported equipment, applicants must ask the customs authorities to draw samples and deliver them to the certification body within five working days of sampling. The certification body must complete its review and decide whether to issue a certificate within two months. A refusal must be reasoned, and the applicant may appeal within 30 days.

Standards and validity

The applicable standards cover radio frequency use, electromagnetic compatibility, network protection, health and environmental safety, user and operator safety, and interoperability with public networks. The specific specifications refer to the International Telecommunication Union, the African Telecommunications Union, the Standing Committee on Spectrum Management of the League of Arab States and Algerian national regulations.

A certificate of conformity is valid for five years. For the same equipment model (identical technical characteristics and reference number, from the same country of manufacture), once the first applicant has obtained a certificate, other market participants do not need to repeat certification and may use the original certificate directly.

Labelling and market surveillance

Approved equipment must bear a label in the format of Annex IV to the decree before it is placed on the market. Where the label cannot be affixed to the equipment, it may be placed on the instructions or the packaging. The certification body publishes the list of approved equipment on its website, including model, brand, unique reference number, TAC code, country of manufacture and certificate validity. Certificate holders, importers and distributors must accept supervision by the certification body or other authorised bodies and produce the certificate and the equipment on request.

Exemptions and transitional provisions

Approval is not required for equipment admitted temporarily pending re-export, for professional, test demonstration, production, scientific and teaching, sporting, tourism promotion or humanitarian purposes.

The decree also provides that existing certificates of conformity valid on the date of publication remain valid until expiry, and that applications already submitted continue to be handled under the previous procedure.

Note that Executive Decree No. 12-367 on RFID equipment is expressly repealed.

Special treatment of seized equipment

For electronic communications equipment that has been seized and cannot be approved under the decree, the authorities responsible for electronic communications, the interior, finance and industry will issue a joint order providing, by way of exception, for a review of its conformity with recognised standards.

The decree marks a further step in standardising and digitalising Algeria's market access regime for electronic communications equipment, and strengthens real-time information exchange with customs and other departments.