By Digital Trade Outlook Editors · Last updated 31 October 2026 · Data: UNCITRAL status list and national legislation
The UN Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR) lets an electronic bill of lading, bill of exchange or promissory note do the same legal job as the paper original. UNCITRAL adopted it on 13 July 2017. Nine years on, 13 states have legislated on its basis, the pace has picked up since 2021, and China’s revised Maritime Code brought electronic bills of lading into force in the world’s largest exporter on 1 May 2026.
MLETR at a glance
Adoption timeline, by year of enactment
What the Model Law covers
Examples from the UNCITRAL Explanatory Note; national laws decide the final list.
How it works
An electronic record can replace a paper transferable document if a reliable method identifies it, keeps it under control and preserves its integrity.
Article 10Whoever has exclusive control of the record holds it, and transferring control transfers possession.
Article 11The method must be as reliable as its purpose requires, or proven to have worked in fact.
Article 12A record is not denied legal effect just because it was issued or used abroad.
Article 19Source: UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (2017).
The G7 commitment, five years on
In April 2021 G7 digital ministers agreed a framework committing members to promote laws compatible with MLETR. Gold: on the UNCITRAL list. Dashed: cabinet bill approved. The United States is not on the list, but the 2003 revision of UCC Article 7, enacted by individual states, already recognises electronic documents of title through “control”.
The laws, country by country
| State | Law | Enacted | In force | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | Maritime Code (revised), section on electronic transport records | 28 Oct 2025 | 1 May 2026 | Bills of lading only; influenced by MLETR |
| Mauritius | Finance Act 2025, amending the Bills of Exchange Act | Aug 2025 | Not confirmed | Bills of exchange only |
| Marshall Islands | Electronic Transactions Act 2025 | Apr 2025 | 21 Apr 2025 | Influenced by MLETR |
| France | Loi n° 2024-537 of 13 June 2024, Title II | 13 Jun 2024 | Implementing decree in force 15 Aug 2025 | Bills of exchange, promissory notes, bills of lading |
| Timor-Leste | Decree-Law No. 12/2024 | Feb 2024 | 180 days after publication | Bills of exchange, bills of lading, promissory notes |
| United Kingdom | Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023 | 20 Jul 2023 | 20 Sep 2023 | Trade documents generally; influenced by MLETR |
| Papua New Guinea | Electronic Transactions Act 2021 (No. 38 of 2021) | Feb 2022 | By gazette notice | Transferable records; securities excluded |
| Paraguay | Ley N° 6822 | 30 Dec 2021 | 1 May 2022 | Electronic transferable documents |
| Belize | Electronic Transactions Act 2021 (No. 25 of 2021) | Oct 2021 | Not confirmed | Transferable records; securities excluded |
| Kiribati | Electronic Transactions Act 2021 | Aug 2021 | By ministerial notice | Transferable records; securities excluded |
| Singapore | Electronic Transactions (Amendment) Act 2021 | Feb 2021 | 19 Mar 2021 | Bills of exchange, promissory notes, bills of lading |
| UAE (Abu Dhabi Global Market) | ADGM Electronic Transactions Regulations 2021 | Feb 2021 | Not confirmed | Applies in ADGM only, not federally |
| Bahrain | Law No. 55 of 2018 on Electronic Transferable Records | Nov 2018 | 60 days after publication | Electronic transferable records generally |
In progress
| Jurisdiction | Stage | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | Cabinet bill | Cabinet approved a bill amending the Commercial Code and the International Carriage of Goods by Sea Act to allow electronic bills of lading on 23 October 2026, according to the Ministry of Justice. It now goes to the Diet. |
| Mauritius | Law passed, awaiting start | The Electronic Transactions (Amendment) Act 2026, passed on 19 May 2026, adds a general MLETR style regime. It takes effect on a date set by Proclamation. |
| Hong Kong | Consultation closed | The government consulted from 29 December 2025 to 27 March 2026 on amending the Electronic Transactions Ordinance to codify key MLETR provisions. |
| Australia | Consultation closed | The Attorney-General’s Department consultation on MLETR aligned law closed on 28 October 2024. Reform options are under consideration. |
What the tracker shows
The headline count overstates coverage. Nine of the 13 states adopted the Model Law without a qualifying note from UNCITRAL. China’s law covers bills of lading only, and Mauritius’s 2025 law covers bills of exchange only. In the UAE, the rules apply in the Abu Dhabi Global Market rather than across the federation.
The large economies are arriving now. The UK’s law took effect in 2023, France’s implementing decree in 2025 and China’s revised Maritime Code in May 2026. Japan’s cabinet approved its bill in October 2026. An electronic document only works if the law at each end of the trade recognises it, so every large economy that joins raises the value of every earlier adoption.
The G7 commitment is half delivered. In 2021 the G7 agreed to promote laws compatible with MLETR. Five years later, two of the seven are on the UNCITRAL list and Japan is close behind. Germany, Italy and Canada have not legislated. The United States follows its own route through UCC Article 7. Until those markets move, paper remains the default on many of the world’s main trade lanes.