Consumer protection in Angola

Article 78 of the Constitution and Lei n.º 15/03, Lei de Defesa do Consumidor, form the general legal basis. A consumer can be a natural or legal person who receives goods or services as the final user. The rules also cover public bodies, state-owned companies and concessionárias de serviços públicos when they supply goods or services. Consumer rights include protection of life, health and safety, clear information, free choice, equal treatment, protection of economic interests and compensation for material and moral harm. Legal, administrative and technical protection are available within their respective procedures. Hidden, indirect or misleading advertising, misleading omissions, unsolicited deliveries, exploiting weakness or lack of knowledge, repairs without a prior estimate and express authorisation, pyramid selling and forced sales are prohibited. Suppliers must provide clear and adequate information about quantity, characteristics, composition, quality, price and risks. If the information is missing, insufficient, illegible or ambiguous, the consumer can withdraw within 7 business days from receipt of the product or conclusion of the service contract. Information is commonly provided in Portuguese, and the applicable documents should be kept with the receipt, contract and payment record. Non-consumable movable goods have a minimum warranty period of 1 year, while real estate has a minimum period of 5 years. The period pauses while a repair is being carried out. For a defective product, the supplier should repair it or replace defective parts. If the defect is not corrected within a maximum of 30 days, the consumer can choose equivalent replacement, immediate reimbursement, a proportional price reduction or completion of a missing quantity or measure. A serious or essential defect can allow these alternatives immediately. For an obvious defect, the limitation period is 30 days for services and non-durable goods and 90 days for durable goods, calculated from delivery or completion of the service. A damages claim generally expires 5 years after the consumer learns of the damage and its author. For defective services, the consumer can request performance again without additional cost, reimbursement or a proportional price reduction. A provider is generally liable for safety or information defects regardless of fault, unless there was no defect or the damage resulted exclusively from the consumer or a third party. General contract terms require prior access and an understandable wording. Clauses that exclude or reduce liability, exclude repayment, shift responsibility unfairly, impose excessive disadvantage, reverse the burden of proof against the consumer, require compulsory arbitration or allow unilateral price or content changes are ineffective, and consumers cannot waive mandatory rights. Retailers must display price, identity and product information under Lei n.º 1/07 and DP n.º 263/10. A defective product must be clearly identified. A replacement agreement normally requires proof of purchase and should be handled within 5 business days. A stationary retailer must provide a Livro de Reclamações free of charge and immediately; the consumer receives the second copy, while the original goes to the competent consumer protection authority within 10 business days. Refusal to provide the book can be reported to the competent authority or the police, and completed books must be archived for at least 3 years. For distance sales, the supplier must disclose its identity, price, quantity, characteristics, durability, payment and delivery terms, reflection period, return method and return costs. Under DP n.º 263/10, the contract takes effect only after 7 business days from the day after delivery, and the consumer can withdraw before delivery or during that period. Advance payment before the period ends is not allowed, subject to the rules on consumer credit. Electronic contracts under DP n.º 202/11 require pre-contract information, access to terms, correction of technical input errors and electronic confirmation of receipt. Angola has no single modern electronic-commerce dispute-resolution platform established by the reviewed sources. Since DP n.º 142/26 of 17 August 2026, INADEC has been expressly repealed and ANIESA is the national inspection and control authority for consumer rights throughout Angola. ANIESA covers private manufacturers, sellers and service providers in commerce, services, industry, tourism, health, transport and agriculture, and provincial delegations are being developed. ANIESA coordinates with regulators in controlled sectors and succeeds INADEC in open procedures, contracts and litigation. Some older public pages still mention INADEC and should be treated as legacy information. ANIESA provides an online complaints and suggestions form with optional location and attachments in PDF, JPG, PNG, DOC or DOCX format up to 10 MB. Its displayed status sequence is Recebido, Triagem, Encaminhado, Análise, Respondido and Encerrado; the form also permits an anonymous denunciation. The form does not state a general processing deadline or binding effect. A written complaint to the supplier should identify the transaction and request a specific remedy. Keep the receipt or invoice, contract, warranty, advertising, screenshots, serial or batch number, payment evidence and dates. Informal retail can create greater proof and enforcement risks when no purchase record exists. If the supplier does not resolve the matter, the consumer can contact ANIESA or the relevant sector regulator. These administrative or mediation procedures do not automatically award compensation for every loss, so a court claim may still be needed. Sector rules determine the appropriate complaint channel. For banking services, BNA rules require transparent fees, interest and contract information, data protection and an accessible free complaints service. The bank should provide a reference number, updates and a written result; the stated periods are 20 days for one institution, 30 days for two or more institutions in Angola and 60 days when one or more institutions outside Angola are involved. A consumer can also complain directly to BNA without first complaining to the bank. ARSEG handles insurance complaints free of charge; the insurer or fund manager has up to 20 business days to give a complete and reasoned answer, after which the consumer can contact the customer ombudsman or ARSEG. CMC accepts complaints from non-institutional investors about supervised activities and entities, and its licensing register can help check investment fraud. For telecommunications and digital communication, INACOM regulates electronic communications and postal services. Its free consumer line is 15555 on business days from 8:00 to 17:00, and complaints can also be submitted by email or through the virtual counter. The consumer should complain to the operator first and then contact INACOM. For electricity and water, IRSEA requires providers to offer complaint channels and answer within 15 business days; the consumer can then contact IRSEA online, in person or by email. Attach the contract or invoices and the last 3 paid bills. IRSEA promotes voluntary settlement and may issue an opinion or recommendation, but the reviewed material does not establish that this outcome is binding. For air travel, ANAC investigates passenger complaints under Lei n.º 31/21. If a flight is not operated, the passenger can seek reimbursement for the unused part and ordinary transport, food, accommodation and communication costs. An interruption can lead to proportional reimbursement and onward-travel costs, while confirmed overbooking can require the next or another comparable flight and related costs. Delay-related losses may be considered unless force majeure applies. Keep the ticket, boarding pass, baggage report and expense receipts; Angola has not been shown to have a general EU-style fixed compensation regime. AR​MED supervises medicines and medical devices through licensing, registration, import and export controls, quality control, pharmacovigilance and clinical-trial oversight. ANIESA also inspects the market and food safety. Do not use suspected counterfeit or expired health products; preserve the packaging, batch number and receipt and notify the supplier, ARMED or ANIESA. Adverse reactions should be reported through the relevant health-product channel. For suspected fraud or criminal conduct, SIC accepts electronic complaints and denunciations, including anonymous denunciations; an electronic complaint identifies the complainant. In an emergency call 111. Notify the bank or payment provider immediately after an unauthorised debit or phishing incident, preserve evidence unchanged and consider using consumer, regulatory and criminal procedures in parallel. The reviewed consumer complaint channels through Livro de Reclamações, ANIESA and SIC are free, and BNA and ARSEG complaint procedures are also free. Court proceedings, experts, transport and storage can still create costs. Angola has an established general legal framework and ANIESA, fragmented sector supervision, and partly informal retail enforcement. No single binding consumer ombudsman, alternative-dispute-resolution system or online dispute platform was established by the reviewed sources, so the responsible institution, deadline and legal effect should be checked for the specific sector.