{"service":"GlobalRules API","description":"Per-country practical micro-facts for AI agents: VAT/GST rates, public holidays, tipping customs, plug types, date/number formats.","pricing":{"list":"$0.005/call","country_data":"$0.01/call","protocol":"x402 (USDC)"},"endpoints":{"GET /api/v1/countries":"List available country codes (paid)","GET /api/v1/country/:code":"All facts for a country (paid)","GET /api/v1/country/:code/:field":"One field. Fields: currency, vat, tipping, plug, date_format, number_format, week_start, business_hours_typical, holidays_2026_sample, driving_side, emergency, timezone, languages, calling_code, postal_format, tld, payment_culture, tap_water, legal_ages, road_rules, work_week, corporate_tax, tax_free_shopping, units, climate, idp, currency_detail, minimum_wage, public_transport_payment, internet_connectivity, sim_esim_availability, visa_requirement_common_passports, travel_insurance_requirement, customs_duty_free_allowance, mobile_roaming_note, main_religion, business_card_etiquette, gift_giving_custom, business_dress_code, negotiation_style_note, national_day, gdp_per_capita, business_ready_score, retirement_age, parental_leave_policy, banking_hours, public_holiday_in_lieu_policy, lgbtq_legal_status, alcohol_sales_hours, digital_nomad_visa (paid)"},"coverage":["JP","US","DE","FR","GB","IN","BR","AU","SG","AE","KR","CN","TW","HK","TH","VN","ID","MY","PH","MX","CA","IT","ES","PT","NL","BE","CH","AT","SE","NO","DK","FI","PL","CZ","IE","GR","TR","IL","SA","EG","ZA","NG","KE","AR","CL","CO","PE","NZ","RU","PK","BD","MA","UA","LK","HU","RO","HR","BG","QA","KW","OM","JO","SK","SI","LT","LV","EE","LU","MT","CY"],"meta":{"name":"GlobalRules Dataset","version":"1.0.0","updated":"2026-07-13","disclaimer":"Sample dataset for prototype. Verify against official government sources before production use. Provided as-is, no warranty.","holidays_note":"Public holidays for 2026 auto-sourced from Nager.Date (date.nager.at) where available; a representative sample of national holidays. Countries on lunar/Islamic calendars retain manually curated samples.","verification":"VAT rates cross-checked against 2026 aggregate sources (vatupdate.com global table, PwC WWTS) on 2026-07-08. Corporate tax rates from PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries (2026). Other facts knowledge-based; verify before high-stakes use. 50-topic pilot (2026-07-09): JP, US, DE, BR, KE expanded from 28 to 50 topics with per-field primary-source citations (government ministries, World Bank, ILO, national statistics offices) where available; fields without a reliable primary source were left null/flagged rather than estimated. Remaining 43 countries still at 28 topics pending the same treatment. 50-topic batch 2 (2026-07-09): GB, FR, IN, CN, AU expanded from 28 to 50 topics with per-field primary-source citations where available. Added 3 brand-new 50-topic countries: RU (Russia), PK (Pakistan), BD (Bangladesh). Total country count now 51. Notable unverified/flagged fields: UK B-READY pillar scores unconfirmed despite coverage; China esim_available=false (diverges from other countries, Great Firewall roaming caveat noted); Australia parental_leave_policy maternity/paternity weeks both null (scheme doesn't split that way); Russia has extensive 2022-sanctions-era payment/SIM/roaming caveats and unconfirmed B-READY coverage (WBG lending suspended in Russia since March 2022); Pakistan confirmed IN B-READY 2024 but pillar scores unconfirmed; Bangladesh confirmed IN B-READY 2024 WITH actual pillar scores (56.99 / 41.46 / 70.49) — the only one of these 8 countries with hard B-READY numbers found. Remaining ~38 existing countries still at 28 topics pending the same treatment. 50-topic batch 3 (2026-07-09): SG, AE, KR, MX, CA expanded from 28 to 50 topics with per-field primary-source citations where available. Added 2 brand-new 50-topic countries: MA (Morocco), UA (Ukraine). Sri Lanka (LK) research was interrupted mid-task by a session spend-limit error and is NOT included in this batch — pending a future pass. Total country count now 53. Notable flagged fields: UAE not covered by B-READY 2024/2025 (scheduled for 2027 edition per World Bank's own coverage page); Singapore/UAE/Korea/Mexico/Canada B-READY pillar scores partially unconfirmed (secondary-source only for some pillars); Singapore and UAE have no general statutory minimum wage (sector-specific floors only); Ukraine entry carries extensive 2022-war/martial-law caveats (entry restrictions, male travel ban, B-READY coverage unconfirmed, GDP reflects war-impacted economy); Morocco paternity leave reform (15 days) confirmed only for public-sector employees, private-sector figure left null. Remaining ~33 existing countries still at 28 topics pending the same treatment; Sri Lanka pending as a new-country addition. Data-quality fix (2026-07-09): corrected a schema-type bug in the MA/UA batch-3 entries where several base fields (business_hours_typical, timezone, climate, languages, idp, payment_culture, tap_water, tax_free_shopping) had been written as nested objects instead of plain strings by the research subagent, which would have rendered as '[object Object]' on the generated site; flattened to descriptive strings using the original note content. Added Sri Lanka (LK) as a new 50-topic country (batch 4), including a monthly Poya-day holiday pattern and 2022-crisis recovery context in its GDP figure. Total country count now 54. 50-topic batch 5 (2026-07-09): TW, HK, TH, VN, ID, MY, PH, IT expanded from 28 to 50 topics with per-field primary-source citations where available. Notable flagged fields: Taiwan/Hong Kong B-READY status complicated by political/SAR status (Taiwan excluded from World Bank publications; HK tracked separately from mainland China); Thailand/Vietnam/Malaysia visa and alcohol-sales rules flagged as being in active transition as of mid-2026 (reverify before relying on them); Italy has no statutory minimum wage (relies on sector collective bargaining, compliant with EU Minimum Wage Directive via high CBA coverage); Indonesia/Vietnam/Philippines/Malaysia minimum wages are regional/provincial, not single national figures. Remaining ~25 existing countries still at 28 topics pending the same treatment. | Batch (2026-07-09): expanded ES/PT/NL/BE/CH/AT/SE/NO to 50 topics via primary-source research (government ministries, EU sources, World Bank/IMF, statistical offices); B-READY coverage status flagged per country (most not yet in 2024/2025 editions); soft cultural-etiquette fields (business_card_etiquette, gift_giving_custom, business_dress_code, negotiation_style_note) explicitly flagged as non-primary-source cultural convention where no government data exists. | Batch (2026-07-09): expanded DK/FI/PL/CZ/IE/GR/TR/IL to 50 topics via primary-source research (government ministries/statistical offices, EU sources, World Bank/IMF, ILGA-Europe); B-READY coverage status flagged per country (none confirmed in 2024/2025 editions); politically/legally sensitive fields (lgbtq_legal_status in PL/TR/IL, gdp_per_capita in IE and TR) carry explicit caveats about volatility or in-flux legal status; soft cultural-etiquette fields flagged as non-primary-source where no government data exists. | Batch (2026-07-09, FINAL): expanded SA/EG/ZA/NG/AR/CL/CO/PE/NZ to 50 topics via primary-source research (government ministries/statistical offices, World Bank/IMF, ILGA/HRW/Human Dignity Trust for LGBTQ status). All 54 countries in the dataset are now at the full 50-topic schema. B-READY coverage confirmed absent for most of this batch (only SA/EG were pilot/scheduled candidates); politically/legally sensitive fields (lgbtq_legal_status in SA/EG/NG/PE, alcohol_sales_hours in SA) stated factually and neutrally per research instructions; volatile-currency countries (AR, EG, NG) carry explicit inflation/exchange-rate caveats on wage and GDP figures. | Re-verification pass (2026-07-10): TH visa-exemption rollback status updated (approved 19 May 2026, not yet in Royal Gazette as of early July — 60-day rule still live at border); TH alcohol sales-hours change confirmed PERMANENT from 29 May 2026 (was flagged as 180-day trial); CN eSIM note updated for the Oct 2025 domestic eSIM launch (still Chinese-ID-only, foreigners unchanged). | 50-topic batch 6 (2026-07-10): added 8 brand-new countries - HU, RO, HR, BG (EU: all four confirmed full Schengen; RO VAT 21% since Aug 2025 verified; BG euro adoption 1 Jan 2026 at 1.95583 BGN/EUR verified; 2026 minimum wages from Eurostat Jan-2026 release: HU EUR838, RO EUR795, HR EUR1050, BG EUR620; holidays from Nager.Date 2026) and QA, KW, OM, JO (Gulf/Middle East: QA/KW confirmed still no VAT as of 2026, OM VAT 5%, JO GST 16%; KW 15% DMTT effective 2025 (Decree-Law 157/2024) and QA DMTT (Law 22/2024) verified; OM 5% personal income tax from 2028 verified - first in GCC; Islamic-calendar holidays flagged approximate/moon-sighting dependent; JO minimum wage JOD290 from Jan 2025 flagged for reconfirmation). B-READY 2024 coverage: HU/RO/HR/BG included (pillar scores not fetched), QA/KW/OM/JO not covered. Cultural-etiquette fields flagged as non-primary-source convention. Total country count now 62. | Loop A batch 7 (2026-07-11): added 4 brand-new 50-topic countries -- SK, SI, LT, LV (Baltics/Central Europe: all four confirmed full Schengen/EU members; SK VAT raised to 23%/19% in 2025; SI VAT 22%/9.5% with temporary 22% CIT surcharge (2024-2028) for flood reconstruction; LT VAT restructured Jan 2026 (9% rate abolished, split into 12%/5%); LV distinctive 0%-on-retained-profits CIT model; 2026 minimum wages verified: SK EUR915, SI EUR1,481.88, LT EUR1,153, LV EUR780; holidays from Nager.Date 2026). B-READY 2024/2025/2026 coverage confirmed for all four but no public composite score found for any -- set to null per no-guessing policy. LGBTQ legal status flagged as fast-moving/contested in SK (2025 constitutional two-gender amendment) and LT (2025 court ruling, partnership bill pending, referendum motion introduced); LV civil unions in force since Jul 2024. Total country count now 66. Verification rotation (2026-07-11): re-checked VAT/minimum-wage/visa/alcohol fields for the 8 longest-unverified 50-topic countries (JP, US, DE, BR, KE, GB, FR, IN) against current sources. Confirmed unchanged and already current: JP consumption tax, alcohol; US federal minimum wage and alcohol framework; DE VAT and alcohol; BR e-visa status and alcohol; KE VAT and eTA policy; GB VAT, minimum wage, ETA rollout, alcohol; FR VAT, minimum wage, alcohol; IN minimum wage (NFLMW) and alcohol. Two fields found stale and updated with sources: KE minimum_wage (KES 16,113.75 to KES 18,047.40/month, May 2026 gazette) and IN vat (updated to reflect GST 2.0 5%/18%/40% slab structure effective Sept 2025, replacing outdated 0/5/12/18/28% description). Other observed upcoming-but-not-yet-effective changes noted for future rotations: JP JESTA travel authorization (law passed, effective ~2029), US ESTA fee change to $40.27, DE/FR ETIAS rollout expected Q4 2026, BR CBS/IBS tax reform pilot phase (1% test rate from Jan 2026, full effect through 2033). | Loop A batch 8 (2026-07-13): added 4 brand-new 50-topic countries -- EE, LU, MT, CY (all EU/eurozone members; EE/LU/MT full Schengen, CY EU member but not yet Schengen as of mid-2026 -- accession technically ready per EU's 5th State of Schengen report but final Council approval pending, noted neutrally re: island's political division). Notable: EE has 0% CIT on retained/reinvested profits (22% only on distribution, planned 2026 hike to 24% was cancelled); LU has the EU's highest minimum wage and free nationwide public transport since 2020; MT nominal 35% CIT with 6/7ths imputation refund system (effective ~5%) and driving on the left; CY raised its signature 12.5% CIT to 15% effective 1 Jan 2026 (OECD Pillar Two) and also drives on the left. business_ready_score left null for all four (World Bank B-READY has no confirmed composite score for these economies yet) -- no guessing per policy. Holidays 2026 sourced via Nager.Date/official government calendars. Total country count now 70. Verification rotation (2026-07-13): re-checked vat/minimum_wage/visa_requirement_common_passports/alcohol_sales_hours for the 8 oldest-researched 50-topic countries not yet covered by a prior rotation (CN, AU, RU, PK, BD, SG, AE, KR -- selected as the earliest-researched batch, since JP/US/DE/BR/KE/GB/FR/IN were already rotated on 2026-07-11). Confirmed unchanged: CN vat/minimum_wage/alcohol; AU vat/visa (alcohol_sales_hours marked uncertain -- state-level rules not individually re-checked, left as-is); RU vat/minimum_wage/visa; PK vat/visa/alcohol; BD all four fields; SG all four fields; AE vat/minimum_wage/alcohol; KR all four fields. 5 fields found stale and updated with sources+verified date: CN visa-free list expanded 46->50 countries (UK/Canada added Feb 2026); AU minimum wage raised to AUD 26.44/hr effective 1 Jul 2026 (was 24.95); RU alcohol sales-hours baseline refined to spirits 10:00-20:00 / beer+wine to 22:00 under the 2026 nationwide overhaul; PK minimum wage raised to PKR 40,700/month effective 1 Jul 2026 (was 37,000, FY2026-27 budget); AE visa-on-arrival list expanded 25 Jun 2026 to Indonesia/Vietnam/Thailand/Philippines/Kenya/South Africa nationals holding a Group-2 residence permit."}}