Honduras: technology regulation at a glance

Framework: CNBS Resolution 069/09-02-2024 (Circular 003/2024); Banco Central de Honduras (BCH); no dedicated crypto legislation enacted

Honduras has no dedicated cryptocurrency law. In February 2024 the National Banking and Insurance Commission (CNBS) issued Circular 003/2024 barring all supervised banks and financial institutions from holding, investing in, or brokering any virtual asset not authorized by the BCH. Private citizens may hold and trade crypto at their own risk, but no exchange licensing regime exists, no domestic VASPs are licensed, and a draft FinTech bill proposing a VASP framework had not been tabled in Congress as of May 2026.

Framework: No AI-specific law, strategy, or designated regulator; general digital governance falls under CONATEL (telecommunications regulator) and IAIP (public information/transparency authority)

As of May 2026, Honduras has enacted no legislation, regulations, or formal national strategy specifically governing artificial intelligence. The National Digital Government Plan 2023-2026 acknowledges AI as a strategic challenge but does not constitute an AI governance framework. Regional legal experts confirmed in February 2026 that Honduras, alongside Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, has produced no regulatory material on AI.

Framework: Constitutional Habeas Data (Article 182, 1982 Constitution rev. 2013) + Law on Transparency and Access to Public Information (LTAIP, Decree 170-2006), supervised by the Instituto de Acceso a la Información Pública (IAIP)

Honduras has no comprehensive personal data protection law in force. Data protection rests on a constitutional habeas data guarantee (Article 182) and the 2006 Transparency Law (LTAIP), which regulates personal data held by public-sector obligated institutions under IAIP oversight. A draft comprehensive Personal Data Protection Law has been stalled in the National Congress since April 2018 with no final approval as of May 2026.

Framework: Legislative Decree 83-2021 (regulatory framework for electronic payment and transfer services), implemented by Banco Central de Honduras (BCH) regulations, Acuerdo 01-2024 for INDEL (electronic-money institutions, replacing Acuerdo 12-2022) and Acuerdo 13-2022 for EPSPE (electronic payment service providers); supervised by BCH with a favorable opinion (dictamen) from the Comisión Nacional de Bancos y Seguros (CNBS).

Honduras has a dedicated, in-force licensing/authorization regime for digital payments and e-money. Decree 83-2021 created the legal framework and BCH regulations (notably Acuerdo 01-2024 for non-bank electronic-money institutions and Acuerdo 13-2022 for electronic payment service providers) set authorization, registration, capital and risk requirements. Authorization is granted by the BCH with a favorable opinion from the CNBS; instant interbank rails (ACH-PRONTO) and a real-time gross settlement system (BCH-TR) are operated by the BCH.

Framework: Ley de Migración y Extranjería (Migration and Aliens Law), administered by the Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM) under the Secretaría de Gobernación, Justicia y Descentralización; supplemented by Ministerial Agreement No. 374-2025 (in force 29 July 2025)

Honduras has no dedicated digital nomad visa as of mid-2026. Remote workers with verifiable foreign-sourced passive income can obtain legal long-term residency through the Rentista or Pensionado categories under the Migration and Aliens Law. A July 2025 ministerial decree (Agreement 374-2025) eased income thresholds and created an additional exceptional-residency pathway for cases not covered by standard categories.

Framework: Penal Code cybercrime provisions (Decree 130-2017, effective 2019); CONATEL expanded digital-media mandate; proposed National Cybersecurity Law (not yet enacted)

Honduras lacks a comprehensive online safety or content-moderation law. Applicable rules are limited to cybercrime provisions embedded in the 2019 Penal Code and CONATEL's executive-decree-expanded mandate over digital media and social networks. A proposed cybersecurity law with platform takedown obligations was approved by a parliamentary commission in 2018 but has never been fully enacted, and as of 2025 remains stalled amid strong civil-society and press-freedom opposition.

Framework: CNBS Circular No. 025/2022 (Normas para la Gestión de Tecnologías de Información, Ciberseguridad y Continuidad del Negocio) for the financial sector; Penal Code cybercrime provisions (Decree 130-2017, updated 2019); CERT-HN as national incident-response body

Honduras lacks a comprehensive cross-sectoral cybersecurity law. Its primary binding cybersecurity rules are sector-specific: CNBS Circular 025/2022 imposes IT-security governance, risk management, and incident-notification duties on supervised financial institutions, while the 2019 Penal Code update criminalises a range of cyber offences. A standalone 'Ley de Ciberseguridad' has been debated in Congress but remained unenacted as of mid-2026, with civil society and the UN Human Rights Office raising free-expression concerns.

Framework: Código de Comercio (Decreto No. 73-50, 1950, as amended) and Ley para la Promoción y Protección de Inversiones (Decreto 51-2011); administered by the Registro Mercantil and Servicio de Administración de Rentas (SAR)

Honduras permits 100% foreign ownership in most sectors, with no general minimum capital requirement for foreigners, but company formation involves multiple sequential steps including notarized incorporation, Registro Mercantil registration, and tax ID issuance. A key practical constraint is that the SAR requires the company's legal representative to hold valid Honduran residency or nationality to obtain the mandatory tax identification number (RTN), meaning most foreign founders must secure residency or appoint a resident local representative before full activation.