Constitution of Timor-Leste, Section 38(1) (Access to personal data)

Section 38(1) (access), Constitution of Timor-Leste (2002)

A citation is an address, not a summary. The first part names the law; what follows narrows it to the exact section, article or paragraph.

What follows is LexLint's own research summary of this law, not legal advice.

In force since 20 May 2002.

A data subject rights rule binding public and private bodies.

As of 19 September 2026.

What it requires

Give a Timor-Leste citizen who asks it access to the personal data you hold about them, whether it sits in a computer system or in mechanical or manual records.
Tell that citizen the purpose of the data you hold about them when they demand it.
Include a voiceprint or faceprint your service creates in what you disclose, since no statute narrows what counts as personal data for this right.
Expect no statutory response deadline, fee cap or appeal route, and no supervisory authority: the right is constitutional and its procedure is unlegislated.

What it reaches

Obligation class

Data subject rights, Disclosure

What this law does

Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.

Section 38(1) gives every citizen a right to access personal data about them, whether it is stored in a computer system or entered into mechanical or manual records, and a right to demand the purpose of that data. The right is stated directly in the Constitution and does not wait on the implementing statute Section 38(2) calls for, so it binds on its own terms while its scope stays undefined.

No response deadline, no fee rule, no format requirement and no appeal route is stated, and there is no supervisory authority to complain to. Because no statute defines personal data, a voiceprint or faceprint a service creates is not excluded from what a citizen may ask for.

When LexLint raises it

crawls_web
trains_models
deploys_chatbot
processes_biometrics
processes_voice
operates_social_platform
aggregates_content

Read the law

Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, official government text (timor-leste.gov.tl)

Every line above is drawn from the primary source linked here, read on the date shown. This is a research summary, not legal advice.

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