Electronic Commerce Act 2000
Number 27 of 2000
ELECTRONIC COMMERCE ACT 2000
REVISED
Updated to 1 June 2025
This Revised Act is an administrative consolidation of the Electronic Commerce Act 2000. It is prepared by the Law Reform Commission in accordance with its function under the Law Reform Commission Act 1975 (3/1975) to keep the law under review and to undertake revision and consolidation of statute law.
All Acts up to and including Finance (Provision of Access to Cash Infrastructure) Act 2025 (4/2025), enacted 20 May 2025, and all statutory instruments up to and including Telecommunications (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2025 (S.I. No. 237 of 2025), made 27 May 2025, were considered in the preparation of this Revised Act.
Disclaimer: While every care has been taken in the preparation of this Revised Act, the Law Reform Commission can assume no responsibility for and give no guarantees, undertakings or warranties concerning the accuracy, completeness or up to date nature of the information provided and does not accept any liability whatsoever arising from any errors or omissions. Please notify any errors, omissions and comments by email to
revisedacts@lawreform.ie.
Number 27 of 2000
ELECTRONIC COMMERCE ACT 2000
REVISED
Updated to 1 June 2025
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
Preliminary and General
Section
1.
2.
3.
4.
Laying of orders and regulations before Houses of Oireachtas.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Legal Recognition and Non-Discrimination in respect of Electronic Signatures, Originals, Contracts and Related Matters
Legal Recognition of Electronic Communications and Information in Electronic Form
9.
Electronic form not to affect legal validity or enforceability.
10.
11.
Certain laws not to be affected.
12.
13.
14.
Signatures required to be witnessed.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Acknowledgement of receipt of electronic communications.
21.
Time and place of dispatch and receipt of electronic communications.
22.
23.
General
24.
25.
Prohibition of fraud and misuse of electronic signatures and signature creation devices.
26.
Activities partly outside the State.
27.
28.
Confidentiality of deciphering data.
Certification Services
29.
Accreditation and supervision of certification service providers.
30.
Liability of certification service providers.
Registration of Domain Names
31.
32.
Registration of ".ie" domain names.
33.
34.
Commission to have access to domain database.
35.
Power of Commission to designate interim registration authority.
Companies Act, 1990
Consumer Credit Act, 1995
Criminal Evidence Act, 1992
Petty Sessions (Ireland) Act, 1851
14 & 15 Vict., c.93
Succession Act, 1965
F1[…]
Number 27 of 2000
ELECTRONIC COMMERCE ACT, 2000
REVISED
Updated to 1 June 2025
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE LEGAL RECOGNITION OF ELECTRONIC CONTRACTS, ELECTRONIC WRITING, ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES AND ORIGINAL INFORMATION IN ELECTRONIC FORM IN RELATION TO COMMERCIAL AND NON-COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS AND DEALINGS AND OTHER MATTERS, THE ADMISSIBILITY OF EVIDENCE IN RELATION TO SUCH MATTERS, THE ACCREDITATION, SUPERVISION AND LIABILITY OF CERTIFICATION SERVICE PROVIDERS AND THE REGISTRATION OF DOMAIN NAMES, AND TO PROVIDE FOR RELATED MATTERS.
[10th July, 2000]
BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:
Annotations
Modifications (not altering text):
C1
Functions transferred and references to Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications construed as Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (1.06.2025) by Telecommunications (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2025 (S.I. No. 237 of 2025), arts. 2, 3 and sch. part 1, in effect as per art. 1(2), subject to transitional provisions in arts. 4-8.
2. (1) The administration and business in connection with the exercise, performance or execution of any functions transferred by Article 3 are transferred to the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
(2) References to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications contained in any Act or any instrument made under an Act and relating to any administration and business transferred by paragraph (1) shall, from the commencement of this Order, be construed as references to the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
3. (1) The functions vested in the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications –
(a) by or under the Acts or provisions of the Acts mentioned in Part 1 of the Schedule,
(b) under the Regulations or provisions of the Regulations mentioned in Part 2 of that Schedule,
are transferred to the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
(2) References to the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications contained in any Act or instrument made under such Act and relating to any functions transferred by this Article shall, from the commencement of this Order, be construed as references to the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
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Schedule
Part 1
...
Electronic Commerce Act 2000 (No. 27 of 2000)
...
The history of the Ministers concerned with the Electronic Commerce Act 2000 can be traced as follows:
• Functions transferred and references to Minister for Public Enterprise changed to Marine and Natural Resources (18.06.2002) by Communications, Energy and Geological Survey of Ireland (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2002 (S.I. No. 300 of 2002), in effect as per art. 1(2);
• Title of Minister for Marine and Natural Resources changed to Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (19.06.2002) by Marine and Natural Resources (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2002 (S.I. No. 307 of 2002), in effect as per art. 1(2);
• Title of Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources changed to Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (20.10.2007) by Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2007 (S.I. No. 706 of 2007), in effect as per art. 1(2);
• Title of Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources changed to Communications, Climate Action and Environment (23.07.2016) by Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2016 (S.I. No. 421 of 2016), in effect as per art. 1(2);
• Title of Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment changed to Environment, Climate and Communications (24.09.2020) by Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 373 of 2020), in effect as per art. 1(2).
• Functions transferred and references to Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications construed as Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (1.06.2025) by Telecommunications (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2025 (S.I. No. 237 of 2025), in effect as per art. 1(2).
• Title of Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media changed to Culture, Communications and Sport (2.06.2025) by Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2025 (S.I. No. 236 of 2025), in effect as per art. 1(2).
C2
Application of Act restricted (24.02.2003) by European Communities (Directive 2000/31/EC) Regulations 2003 (S.I. No. 68 of 2003), reg. 14(1), in effect as per reg. 1(2).
Placing of orders pursuant to contracts concluded by electronic means.
14. (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of the Electronic Commerce Act 2000 (No. 27 of 2000) and subject to paragraph (2), in relation to contracts concluded by electronic means where the recipient of the relevant service places his or her order through electronic means—
(a) the relevant service provider shall acknowledge the receipt of the order of the recipient without undue delay and by electronic means,
(b) the order and the acknowledgement of receipt are deemed to be received when the parties to whom they are addressed are able to access them.
...