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    AI by country · North Africa

    AI in Algeria: the rules, the readiness and where to start

    Last checked: 29 October 2026

    What should a company in Algeria know before starting with AI?

    Algeria has no AI law as of 29 October 2026. The rule that applies today is Law 18-07 of 2018 on personal data, amended by Law 25-11 of July 2025 and enforced by the ANPDP. It requires express consent, a prior declaration or authorization for processing, and authorization before data goes abroad, and since 2025 a data protection officer and processing records.

    At a glance

    Algeria at a glance

    Key facts about Algeria
    Data protection lawLaw 18-07 of 10 June 2018, amended by Law 25-11 of 24 July 2025, in force
    RegulatorANPDP (Autorité nationale de protection des données à caractère personnel)
    AI policyNo dedicated AI law as of 29 October 2026. A national AI strategy was presented in December 2024; a new draft was reviewed by the government in May 2026
    Time zoneUTC+1 all year (India is 4.5 hours ahead). Working week Sunday to Thursday
    CurrencyDZD (Algerian dinar)
    Business languageArabic and French

    Why now

    Why Algeria is worth watching

    Each point links to the document it comes from.

    • Law 25-11, published in the Official Journal on 24 July 2025, added a mandatory data protection officer, processing registers and automated logs to Law 18-07.[2]

    • On 25 May 2026 a government meeting chaired by the Prime Minister reviewed a draft national AI strategy built on data, digital infrastructure and human skills.[4]

    • In August and September 2026 the Higher Education minister chaired coordination meetings on the strategy and set up five thematic commissions, including one on large language models.[5]

    • The higher education ministry has stated a goal of training 50,000 AI specialists by 2030 and decided to create a national AI and data research centre.[5]

    • An earlier national AI strategy presented in December 2024 named agriculture, health and industry as priority sectors.[6]

    The rules

    The rules that matter for AI

    What each law or policy means when you build or buy an AI system.

    Law 18-07 of 10 June 2018 on the protection of natural persons in the processing of personal data

    In force2018Processing needs the person's express consent, with listed exceptions (article 7). Every processing operation needs a prior declaration to the ANPDP or its authorization (article 12). Sensitive data is banned unless an exception applies, such as express consent or ANPDP authorization (article 18). Transfers abroad need ANPDP authorization and a country with a sufficient level of protection (article 44), with exceptions such as express consent (article 45).[1]

    Law 18-07: penalties

    In force2018Penalties are criminal. Processing without the required declaration or authorization carries 2 to 5 years in prison and DZD 200,000 to 500,000 (article 56). A transfer abroad in breach of article 44 carries 1 to 5 years and DZD 500,000 to 1,000,000 (article 67). Using data for purposes other than those declared carries 6 months to 1 year and/or DZD 60,000 to 100,000 (article 58). Penalties double for repeat offences (article 74).[1]

    Law 25-11 of 24 July 2025 amending Law 18-07

    In force2025Every controller must name a data protection officer and give the ANPDP their contact details (article 41 bis). Controllers and processors must keep a register of processing and an automated log of operations (articles 41 bis 2 and 41 bis 3). It adds definitions of profiling and biometric data. A new title on police and justice processing adds impact assessments, a 5-day breach notice and limits on decisions based only on automated processing. How far those reach ordinary companies is unclear as of 29 October 2026.[2]

    Where AI fits first

    Where AI fits first

    Public administration

    Arabic and French assistants that answer questions on administrative procedures.

    The May 2026 government meeting reviewed the AI strategy together with the deployment plan for the Dzair digital services portal. Public bodies are controllers under Law 18-07 too.[4]

    Health care

    Summarising patient files and triage support, with doctors making decisions.

    Health is a priority sector in the 2024 strategy. Health data is sensitive data, which Law 18-07 bans unless an exception such as express consent or ANPDP authorization applies.[1]

    Agriculture and industry

    Crop and yield forecasting, and quality checks on production lines from images.

    Both are priority sectors in the 2024 strategy. Data about farms and machines is often not personal data, which makes these lower-risk places to start.[6]

    Your first steps

    Your first steps

    1. Create an account on the ANPDP portal and file a declaration, or ask for an authorization, before an AI project processes personal data (article 12).
    2. Name a data protection officer and send their contact details to the ANPDP, as Law 25-11 requires.
    3. Set up a register of processing activities and an automated log of operations for each AI system that touches personal data.
    4. Find out where your AI vendor processes data. If it leaves Algeria, get ANPDP authorization first or confirm an article 45 exception applies, because an unlawful transfer is a criminal offence.
    5. Do not use health or other sensitive data in AI without express consent or ANPDP authorization.
    6. Keep a person in charge of any decision with legal effect on someone, rather than relying only on a model.
    7. Test models on Arabic and French documents from your own business before customers see them.

    AI services for Algeria

    AI consulting and development for teams in Algeria

    We work remotely with companies in Algeria, in your time zone, and keep your data under the rules described above.

    AI agents and automation

    Agents that finish multi-step work across your tools, with people approving what matters.
    Learn more

    Document Q&A (RAG)

    Answers from your own documents, with the source shown for every answer.
    Learn more

    AI governance and data protection

    Policies, review steps and audit trails that fit your local data law.
    Learn more

    Software and cloud engineering

    Web apps, integrations and cloud platforms built around your AI use case.
    Learn more

    How we work with you

    How we work with you

    We work remotely with clients worldwide, in the client's time zone. Algeria is on UTC+1 and India on UTC+5:30, a 4.5 hour gap. Taking a 09:00 to 17:00 day in Algiers and 09:30 to 18:30 in India, the overlap is 5 hours, from 09:00 to 14:00 Algiers time. Algeria works Sunday to Thursday, so Monday to Thursday are the shared working days.

    Questions

    Common questions about AI in Algeria

    Is there an AI law in Algeria?

    No, not as of 29 October 2026. The government is working on a national AI strategy, which is a policy, not a law. Law 18-07 on personal data, as amended in 2025, is the main rule that applies to AI.

    Do I need ANPDP approval before using AI on personal data?

    Law 18-07 requires a prior declaration or an authorization for every processing operation. The ANPDP can move a declared processing to the authorization regime if it sees clear risks to privacy. Sending data abroad always needs authorization unless an exception applies.

    Can I use a foreign cloud AI service with Algerian customer data?

    Only with ANPDP authorization and to a country with a sufficient level of protection, or under an article 45 exception such as the person's express consent. An unlawful transfer can mean 1 to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to DZD 1,000,000.

    What changed with Law 25-11?

    It added a mandatory data protection officer, a processing register and an automated log of operations, plus new definitions such as profiling and biometric data. It also added a full title on processing by police and justice bodies.

    Complimentary tools

    Try these first

    Three complimentary tools from our AI Toolkit that suit a team starting out.

    AI readiness score

    Answer a few questions and see where your team stands, in about five minutes.
    Open the tool

    AI use case triage

    Test an idea against data, risk and effort before you spend on it.
    Open the tool

    AI project cost estimator

    Get a rough build and run cost range for a first AI project.
    Open the tool

    Read next

    Sources

    Sources

    Facts checked on 29 October 2026. Numbers in square brackets above match this list.
    1. [1] Journal officiel de la République algérienne (JORADP), 2018-06-10. Official Journal no. 34 of 10 June 2018: Loi n° 18-07 relative à la pro…(joradp.dz)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Official Journal no. 34 of 10 June 2018: Loi n° 18-07 relative à la protection des personnes physiques dans le traitement des données à caractère personnel. Primary law text in French, read in full. Used for articles 7, 12, 17, 18, 44, 45, 56, 58, 67, 74 and 75. The reading is ours, not an official translation.

    2. [2] Journal officiel de la République algérienne (JORADP), 2025-07-24. Official Journal no. 48 of 24 July 2025: Loi n° 25-11 modifiant et comp…(joradp.dz)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Official Journal no. 48 of 24 July 2025: Loi n° 25-11 modifiant et complétant la loi n° 18-07. Primary law text in French, read in full. Used for the new definitions, the DPO, registers and logs (articles 41 bis to 41 bis 3), the new Title V bis (articles 45 bis to 45 bis 14) and the repeal of articles 10 and 11. Whether Title V bis duties apply beyond police and justice processing is our open question, not something the text answers.

    3. [3] Gide (law firm), 2023-07-31. Setting up of the National Authority for the Protection of Personal Dat…(gide.com)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Setting up of the National Authority for the Protection of Personal Data (ANPDP). Law-firm note, used for interpretation only: the ANPDP members' appointment by Presidential Decree 22-187, installation in August 2022, the 11 August 2023 end of the compliance period and the online portal. The ANPDP website (anpdp.dz) refused our connection.

    4. [4] Algérie Eco (citing a communiqué from the Prime Minister's office), 2026-05-25. Réunion du Gouvernement : la stratégie nationale d'intelligence artific…(algerie-eco.com)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Réunion du Gouvernement : la stratégie nationale d'intelligence artificielle à l'ordre du jour. Press report of an official communiqué. Used for the draft strategy review, its three pillars and the next step of Council of Ministers adoption. We found no report of that adoption, so the strategy's formal status is unclear as of 29 October 2026.

    5. [5] Algérie Eco (citing a Ministry of Higher Education statement), 2026-09-09. L'Algérie va former 50.000 spécialistes en IA à l'horizon 2030(algerie-eco.com)
      Full title and what we used it for

      L'Algérie va former 50.000 spécialistes en IA à l'horizon 2030. Press report. Used for the five thematic commissions, the 50,000 specialists goal, the AI and data research centre and the tax management project. The Algeria Press Service report of 5 August 2026 confirms the first coordination meeting: https://www.aps.dz/fr/algerie/education-et-technologie/msg23yd3-reunion-de-coordination-pour-la-mise-en-œuvre-de-la-strategie-nationale-en-matiere-de-l-ia

    6. [6] Algérie Eco, 2024-12-08. L'Algérie adopte une stratégie nationale de l'IA(algerie-eco.com)
      Full title and what we used it for

      L'Algérie adopte une stratégie nationale de l'IA. Press report. Used for the December 2024 strategy, presented at the 3rd African Startup Conference, its six axes and priority sectors. We found no official strategy document online.

    7. [7] Echorouk Online, 2009-08-14. Algeria switches weekend, again(echoroukonline.com)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Algeria switches weekend, again. Press report. Used for the Friday and Saturday weekend in force since August 2009. We found no later change.

    This is general information, not legal advice. Algeria's data protection law was amended in 2025 and implementing texts may follow, and the national AI strategy's formal status is unclear. Check your plans with a qualified Algerian lawyer. Facts were checked on 29 October 2026.

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