Consumer protection in Djibouti

A private consumer is an individual acting outside professional or business activity. Providers must disclose prices, liability limits and special conditions. Offers, instructions, warranties and receipts must use an official language of Djibouti. Misleading advertising and abusive contract clauses are prohibited, the minimum guarantee must be stated clearly, and providers may not unjustifiably refuse a sale, impose forced quantities or tie one product or service to another. The system is fragmented. The Ministère du Commerce et du Tourisme and its Inspection de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la répression des fraudes handle fraud, prices, quality and misleading or unfair practices. The Agence Djiboutienne des Normes et de la Qualité (ADN) deals with standards and quality. The courts and the Procureur handle sanctions and compensation. Inspection can examine imports and distribution, prices, quality and compliance with standards. A report or inspection record may be transmitted to the Minister of Commerce and then to the Procureur. Fines generally range from DJF 50,000 to DJF 3,000,000; the amount can double when conduct creates a health risk, and a business may be closed for up to three months. The limitation period for these offences is three years. Food and health products have additional controls. Prepackaged food must follow Codex STAN 1-1985 labeling requirements, including identity, ingredients, nutritional information, origin and safe-use instructions. Counterfeit or adulterated food, drinks, agricultural products and medicines may not be sold. Medicines generally require authorization through AMMD, and pharmacies, imports and wholesale distribution are subject to pharmaceutical rules and inspection. The Code Numérique applies to online orders, contracts and transactions. An online provider must keep its identity, prices with or without taxes and delivery charges, delivery date, complaint procedure, return and refund terms, warranties and withdrawal information permanently accessible. Delivery should occur within 30 days unless the contract expressly sets another period. Consumers normally have 14 days to withdraw without giving a reason; missing withdrawal information can extend this period to three months. The provider must refund within 30 days. Exceptions include fully performed services, personalized or perishable goods, and certain accommodation, transport, rental-car, catering and leisure bookings for a fixed date. Sealed digital content may also fall within an exception once it has been opened. For a lack of conformity in an online purchase, the consumer should report the problem within 14 days of delivery. The law provides a 24-month presumption in the consumer's favour, reduced to six months for used goods. The provider should repair or replace the item without charge, or otherwise provide a refund or price reduction where applicable. Implementation should take no more than one month. The conformity claim lasts two years, while claims for hidden defects run for two years from discovery. Telecommunications and energy use sector-specific procedures. A provider must maintain a transparent complaint system and process a complaint within one month. For telecommunications, the consumer first contacts the provider and may then approach the Autorité de Régulation Multisectorielle de Djibouti (ARMD) after an unsatisfactory response or no satisfactory resolution within one month. ARMD can require fair contract clauses, mediate, inspect and impose administrative sanctions. For electricity, the consumer first contacts EDD about service interruptions, billing, connections or possible compensation, then approaches ARMD after one month if the dispute remains unresolved. ARMD can be reached at contact@armd.dj or +253 21 44 13 10. The Banque Centrale de Djibouti (BCD) supervises credit institutions, financial intermediaries and microfinance providers. Licensed providers must give clear, accessible and current information about terms and tariffs; BCD may frame interest, commissions and business conditions. Insurers must provide pre-contract information about price, coverage and exclusions, and insurance contracts must be written in an official language. No general financial-consumer ombudsman was established in the available sources. Online travel bookings receive the Code Numérique protections, but fixed-date accommodation, transport, rental-car, catering and leisure bookings may be excluded from withdrawal, and no general national travel-consumer authority or automatic refund scheme was identified. For a complaint, preserve the contract, receipt, advertisement, messages, photographs and payment evidence. Send a written demand to the provider and state the remedy requested. Use the Commerce Inspection or the Ministry for fraud, price, quality or health issues; use ARMD for telecommunications and energy after the provider procedure; and contact the Procureur or a court when sanctions or compensation require formal proceedings. No published general complaint fee or standard processing deadline was identified. Online illegal content or fraud can also be reported to the police, while data-protection complaints go to the Commission nationale de protection des données.