Insiders Transactions?

All of us know that insiders of any company in USA stock markets are allowed to purchase stocks and to award options contract for the same company they work for .
My question is : is there is a limit time the insiders should hold this stock before to start selling ? I mean they can buy today but they cant sell after one week by law as I think ,

and after they award options contract , when they are allowed to exercise them ??
What the time limit for holding the stock before selling ?? and after awarding option contract when allowed to exercise them ? after how long by law of USA stock market and rules ??

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Answers: Keep in mind that I am not an Attorney so if you want to know specific answers according to "Law" as you mentioned, it is always best to consult with an Attorney if that is what you are seeking.

With that said, I will answer what I can based upon what knowledge I have and believe may be helpful.

1) Is there a time limit before insiders can sell shares after they purchase them? That would probably depend on how they purchased them. If an insider purchases shares of stock for the company they work for in their brokerage account just as you or I could, then I would think that they could sell them just as you or I could. Meaning, they would be able to sell them whenever they wanted to (IN MOST CASES). I mentioned "in most cases" because there are laws that prevent insiders from buying and selling shares of company stock for specific reasons (Just look up Martha Stewart Insider Trading for more info). However, under normal circumstances, if I worked for GE I would be able to buy GE stock one day and sell it the next if I wanted to.

2) If the shares were purchased through some type of employee compensation or stock purchase discount plan, there may be limitations that specify a holding period before the shares can be sold. These limitations would be described in the plan documents themselves I believe.

3) Award of Options Contract for Shares: similar to above, any limitations would be specified in the original documents of the award and the terms of the Options Contract. Someone could be awarded 10,000 shares of stock on January 1st but not be allowed to exercise them until December 31st of the same year. Even if the stock price soared during mid year, they would still have to wait if the original award documents specified so.

If someone is awarded a specific Options Contract for a specific time in the future, when and how they could exercise them would be specified in the original award and could vary between instances. Each situation would have to be looked at individually to find out the specifics.

If more information is needed, start by checking the original award notification for specifics. After that, any further information may be obtained by an Attorney for clarification if needed.