Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA)

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International - Parties: New Zealand, Singapore, Chile (signatories); South Korea (acceded 2023). Applicants: China, Canada (accession process ongoing).

v2020 (signed) - effective 2021; no subsequent version releases

11 domains

34 controls

The Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), a plurilateral digital-trade agreement between Chile, New Zealand and Singapore signed 11 June 2020 (open to accession). Organised in 16 Modules covering business and trade facilitation (paperless trading, e-invoicing, e-payments, logistics), treatment of digital products (no customs duties on electronic transmissions, non-discriminatory treatment, cryptography), data issues (personal information protection, cross-border data flows, no forced data localisation), wider trust environment (cybersecurity cooperation, online safety), business and consumer trust (anti-spam, online consumer protection, internet access principles), digital identities, emerging technologies (fintech, AI, government procurement, competition policy), innovation (public domain, data innovation, open government data), SME cooperation, digital inclusion, and institutional/transparency/dispute-settlement/exceptions/final provisions.

Verified

Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) is a compliance framework from International - Parties: New Zealand, Singapore, Chile (signatories); South Korea (acceded 2023). Applicants: China, Canada (accession process ongoing). with 11 domains and 34 controls that map to 4 other frameworks. The largest domains are DEPA Module 2: Business and Trade Facilitation (6 controls), DEPA Modules 12-16: Institutional, Transparency, Dispute Settlement, Exceptions and Final Provisions (5 controls), DEPA Module 8: Emerging Trends and Technologies (4 controls). Every control below carries what it requires and what an assessor expects to see.

Maintained by Gerard BlokdykVerified against the published standard 31 May 2026Control text last updated 21 May 2026

Framework summaries on this platform are interpretations grounded in the published source, for educational and compliance planning purposes. They do not reproduce or replace the official standards. Refer to the authoritative source for the definitive text. Framework names and trademarks belong to their respective organisations.

Framework Domains (11)

DEPA Module 1: Initial Provisions and General Definitions

2 controls

Controls in the DEPA Module 1: Initial Provisions and General Definitions domain of Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA): 2 controls
Code	Title	Description
DEPA-1.2	Relation to Other Agreements	The Parties affirm their existing rights and obligations under other international agreements (e.g., the WTO Agreement)...
DEPA-1.3	General Definitions	Sets out the definitions applicable throughout the Agreement (including terms such as person, covered person, computing...

DEPA Module 2: Business and Trade Facilitation

6 controls

Controls in the DEPA Module 2: Business and Trade Facilitation domain of Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA): 6 controls
Code	Title	Description
DEPA-2.2	Paperless Trading	Each Party shall endeavour to make trade administration documents available to the public in electronic form and to acce...
DEPA-2.3	Domestic Electronic Transactions Framework	Each Party shall maintain a legal framework governing electronic transactions consistent with the UNCITRAL Model Law on...
DEPA-2.4	Logistics	The Parties recognise the importance of an efficient and digitalised logistics sector and shall cooperate to facilitate...
DEPA-2.5	Electronic Invoicing	The Parties recognise the importance of e-invoicing and shall endeavour to ensure the interoperability of their respecti...
DEPA-2.6	Express Shipments	Each Party shall adopt or maintain expedited customs procedures for express shipments while maintaining appropriate cust...
DEPA-2.7	Electronic Payments	The Parties recognise the importance of enabling secure, efficient and interoperable electronic payments and shall suppo...

DEPA Module 3: Treatment of Digital Products

3 controls

Controls in the DEPA Module 3: Treatment of Digital Products domain of Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA): 3 controls
Code	Title	Description
DEPA-3.2	Customs Duties	No Party shall impose customs duties on electronic transmissions, including content transmitted electronically, between...
DEPA-3.3	Non-Discriminatory Treatment of Digital Products	No Party shall accord less favourable treatment to a digital product created, produced, published, stored, transmitted,...
DEPA-3.4	ICT Products that Use Cryptography	A Party shall not require a manufacturer or supplier of an ICT product that uses cryptography, as a condition of manufac...

DEPA Module 4: Data Issues

3 controls

Controls in the DEPA Module 4: Data Issues domain of Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA): 3 controls
Code	Title	Description
DEPA-4.2	Personal Information Protection	Each Party shall adopt or maintain a legal framework that provides for the protection of the personal information of use...
DEPA-4.3	Cross-Border Transfer of Information by Electronic Means	Each Party shall allow the cross-border transfer of information by electronic means, including personal information, whe...
DEPA-4.4	Location of Computing Facilities	No Party shall require a covered person to use or locate computing facilities in that Party's territory as a condition f...

DEPA Module 5: Wider Trust Environment

2 controls

Controls in the DEPA Module 5: Wider Trust Environment domain of Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA): 2 controls
Code	Title	Description
DEPA-5.1	Cybersecurity Cooperation	The Parties recognise the evolving nature of cybersecurity threats and shall cooperate to build the capabilities of thei...
DEPA-5.2	Online Safety and Security	The Parties recognise the importance of online safety and security and shall cooperate to promote a safe and secure onli...

DEPA Module 6: Business and Consumer Trust

3 controls

Controls in the DEPA Module 6: Business and Consumer Trust domain of Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA): 3 controls
Code	Title	Description
DEPA-6.2	Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Messages	Each Party shall adopt or maintain measures regarding unsolicited commercial electronic messages that require suppliers...
DEPA-6.3	Online Consumer Protection	Each Party shall adopt or maintain consumer protection laws to proscribe fraudulent, misleading or deceptive conduct tha...
DEPA-6.4	Principles on Access to and Use of the Internet	The Parties recognise the benefits of consumers in their territories being able to access and use services and applicati...

DEPA Module 7: Digital Identities

1 controls

Controls in the DEPA Module 7: Digital Identities domain of Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA): 1 controls
Code	Title	Description
DEPA-7.1	Digital Identities	Recognising that interoperable digital identity regimes promote connectivity and growth in the digital economy, the Part...

DEPA Module 8: Emerging Trends and Technologies

4 controls

Controls in the DEPA Module 8: Emerging Trends and Technologies domain of Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA): 4 controls
Code	Title	Description
DEPA-8.1	Financial Technology Cooperation	The Parties recognise the importance of fintech to the growth of the digital economy and shall promote cooperation on fi...
DEPA-8.2	Artificial Intelligence	The Parties recognise the economic and social importance of developing ethical and governance frameworks for the trusted...
DEPA-8.3	Government Procurement	The Parties recognise the importance of cooperation on the use of digital technologies in government procurement and sha...
DEPA-8.4	Cooperation on Competition Policy	The Parties recognise the importance of cooperation on competition policy matters relevant to the digital economy and sh...

DEPA Module 9: Innovation and the Digital Economy

3 controls

Controls in the DEPA Module 9: Innovation and the Digital Economy domain of Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA): 3 controls
Code	Title	Description
DEPA-9.3	Public Domain	The Parties recognise the importance of a rich and accessible public domain and the role it plays in innovation in the d...
DEPA-9.4	Data Innovation	The Parties recognise that data and the cross-border transfer of data drive the digital economy, and shall collaborate o...
DEPA-9.5	Open Government Data	Recognising that facilitating public access to and use of government information fosters economic and social development...

DEPA Modules 10-11: SME Cooperation and Digital Inclusion

2 controls

Controls in the DEPA Modules 10-11: SME Cooperation and Digital Inclusion domain of Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA): 2 controls
Code	Title	Description
DEPA-10.1	SME Cooperation	The Parties recognise the fundamental role of SMEs in the digital economy and shall cooperate to enhance digital trade a...
DEPA-11.1	Digital Inclusion	The Parties recognise the importance of digital inclusion so all people and businesses can participate in and benefit fr...

DEPA Modules 12-16: Institutional, Transparency, Dispute Settlement, Exceptions and Final Provisions

5 controls

Controls in the DEPA Modules 12-16: Institutional, Transparency, Dispute Settlement, Exceptions and Final Provisions domain of Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA): 5 controls
Code	Title	Description
DEPA-12	Joint Committee and Contact Points	The Parties establish a Joint Committee to supervise implementation, review the Agreement, consider amendments and adopt...
DEPA-13	Transparency	Each Party shall promptly publish or otherwise make available its laws, regulations and procedures of general applicatio...
DEPA-14	Dispute Settlement	The Agreement provides a dispute settlement mechanism (good offices, conciliation, mediation and arbitration) for resolv...
DEPA-15	Exceptions	Sets out the general exceptions, security exceptions, the Treaty of Waitangi exception (New Zealand), prudential and mon...
DEPA-16	Final Provisions	Addresses the depositary (New Zealand), entry into force, amendments, accession by other economies, withdrawal, disclosu...

Your Compliance Coverage

If you comply with Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), you already cover:

ISO/IEC 23894:2023

1 controls mapped

Compare →

OECD Recommendation on Artificial Intelligence (2024 Update)

1 controls mapped

Compare →

OECD AI Principles

1 controls mapped

Compare →

+ 1 more: GDPR (3%)

See all 4 mapped frameworks ↓

Maps to 4 other frameworks

34 total controls

ISO/IEC 23894:2023

1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered

OECD Recommendation on Artificial Intelligence (2024 Update)

1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered

OECD AI Principles

1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered

GDPR

1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered

Compare Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) with ISO/IEC 23894:2023

Coverage is not the same as your position

This page shows what Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) overlaps with in general. Where your organisation actually stands, against the standard you are going for and the certifications you already hold, is a different question. Same graph and the same recorded refutations, scoped to you rather than to a pair.

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What is Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) and who does it apply to?

Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) is a compliance framework from International - Parties: New Zealand, Singapore, Chile (signatories); South Korea (acceded 2023). Applicants: China, Canada (accession process ongoing). with 11 domains and 34 controls. The Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), a plurilateral digital-trade agreement between Chile, New Zealand and Singapore signed 11 June 2020 (open to accession). Organised in 16 Modules covering business and trade facilitation (paperless trading, e-invoicing, e-payments, logistics), treatment of digital products (no customs duties on electronic transmissions, non-discriminatory treatment, cryptography), data issues (personal information protection, cross-border data flows, no forced data localisation), wider trust environment (cybersecurity cooperation, online safety), business and consumer trust (anti-spam, online consumer protection, internet access principles), digital identities, emerging technologies (fintech, AI, government procurement, competition policy), innovation (public domain, data innovation, open government data), SME cooperation, digital inclusion, and institutional/transparency/dispute-settlement/exceptions/final provisions. It is used by organisations to establish and maintain compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.

What does Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) actually require?

Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) has 34 controls organised across 11 domains. The largest domains are DEPA Module 2: Business and Trade Facilitation (6 controls), DEPA Modules 12-16: Institutional, Transparency, Dispute Settlement, Exceptions and Final Provisions (5 controls), DEPA Module 8: Emerging Trends and Technologies (4 controls). Each control defines specific requirements that organisations must implement to achieve compliance.

If I already comply with another framework, how much of Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) do I already cover?

Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) maps to 4 other compliance frameworks. The top mapping partners are ISO/IEC 23894:2023 (3% coverage), OECD Recommendation on Artificial Intelligence (2024 Update) (3% coverage), OECD AI Principles (3% coverage). Use our comparison tool to explore control-level mappings between frameworks.

How do I implement Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA)?

Start your Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) compliance journey by running a self-assessment on our platform to identify your current compliance posture. Our AI advisory can answer specific questions about Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) requirements, and cross-framework mapping helps you leverage existing controls from other frameworks you may already comply with. Create a free account to access all 34 controls and track your progress.

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