Experimental Legal Regime: Current Status and Challenges

Introduction: the experimental legal regime has become a significant legal instrument for achieving a balance between established social relations and the current level of technology development, including the digital ones. This goal has become one of the main reasons for its use in legal practice. The history, practical application, and theoretical development of this legal institution are limited. As of November 2025, there is no complete information on the progress and results of the implementation of the experimental legal regimes introduced within the territory of the Russian Federation. In this regard, it is important to research the characteristics of the experimental legal regime for the development of its doctrine. The purpose of this study is to analyze the main features of the experimental legal regime. This will allow determining the limits for its establishment. The methodology is based on the use of the general scientific methods of cognition and special legal ones. As a result, the specifics of the experimental legal regimes introduced within the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as the opinions of scientists regarding their legal nature, are studied. The examples of existing experimental legal regimes are considered. For public scholarly discussion, the author presents clarifying criteria to distinguish the experimental legal regime from similar legal constructs. Conclusions: an experimental legal regime should be set up for the pilot testing of innovations by business entities for use in their practice. The process of such verification is complex and multistage, requiring organizational, technical and financial costs.