Data protection & privacy laws in Turkmenistan (2026)

Law No. 519-V 'On Information about Private Life and its Protection' is the main and only law governing collection and processing of personal data; it was enacted on 20 March 2017 and entered into force on 1 July 2017.

There is no separate national data-protection authority. The Cabinet of Ministers administers the law (and may create an 'authorised body'), and supervisory/enforcement mandate is granted to the Prosecutor General and subordinate prosecutors.

Operators may collect personal data only with the explicit consent of the data subject; this is anchored in constitutional Article 38, which bars collection, storage and dissemination of information about private life without consent.

Individuals have rights to be informed of processing, to access data held about them, to rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data, to erasure under certain conditions, and to object to processing.

Exports of personal data are permitted only to states that 'ensure protection' of the information, otherwise requiring consent or protective measures.

Registration of personal-data databases is not required (unlike some neighbouring Central Asian states); non-compliance attracts administrative and criminal fines, correctional labour, and deprivation of position.