BizAlgeria

Law 18-05 for online sellers in Algeria: what the text requires, article by article, with a checklist

What the e-commerce law 18-05 asks of an Algerian online seller: registration, offer, order steps, returns, invoice, payment, advertising and fines, with a downloadable checklist.

By Published Rules checked on 6 min read

A woman packing a parcel in a cardboard box at a table, with shelves of folded sweaters and a laptop behind her

Law 18-05 is the text that governs online selling in Algeria, and most sellers have never read it. It is short, and it is the law a customer, a consumer inspector or a payment platform will point to. This is a plain reading of the Official Journal text (no. 28 of 16 May 2018), article by article, with a checklist you can download. It is not legal advice, and we say at the end what we could not confirm.

Download the checklist

Does it apply to you?

Yes if one party to the sale is Algerian, legally resident in Algeria or an Algerian company, or if the contract is concluded or performed in Algeria (art. 2). That covers a shop selling to Algerian customers, even if the ad runs on a foreign platform.

What you cannot sell online (arts 3 and 5)

Gambling, bets and lotteries; alcohol and tobacco; pharmaceutical products; products that infringe intellectual, industrial or commercial property rights (counterfeits); anything prohibited by law; anything that requires a notarised deed; and sensitive equipment or products that harm defence or public order. Selling these online costs 200,000 to 1,000,000 DA and the judge may close the site for one to six months (art. 37). Advertising them online is also banned (art. 34).

Before you open (arts 8 and 9)

  • Be registered in the commercial register or the craft register.
  • Publish a site or web page hosted in Algeria with a .com.dz extension, with tools that authenticate it.
  • The CNRC keeps a national file of e-suppliers, and exercising e-commerce requires depositing the domain name with the CNRC.

If you are not registered, the domain name of an e-seller can be suspended on decision of the Ministry of Commerce until you regularise (art. 42). If you are an auto-entrepreneur or sell only through a social page, how this applies is not settled by the text we read: see auto-entrepreneur selling physical goods and reading your register extract.

What the offer must show (art. 11)

Visible, legible, understandable, with at least: your tax number (NIF), physical and email addresses and phone, the register or craft card number, the nature, features and price including all taxes, availability, delivery terms, fees and times. Missing these costs 50,000 to 500,000 DA, with a possible suspension of access to payment platforms (art. 39).

The order, in three steps (arts 10 to 14)

An electronic commercial offer comes first, then an electronic contract validated by the customer (art. 10). The order goes through three mandatory steps: the contract terms are made available; the customer checks the details (products, total and unit prices, quantities) and can change, cancel or correct; then confirmation forms the contract (art. 12). Fields must not contain anything that steers the customer’s choice. The contract must contain the listed items: specifications, delivery, warranty and after-sales, termination, payment, returns, complaints, general terms, competent court and so on (art. 13). If articles 10 or 13 are not respected, the customer can ask for the contract to be cancelled and for damages (art. 14). Our call scripts show how a confirmation call fits next to these steps.

Delivery, returns and refunds (arts 17 to 24)

  • On delivery, the seller must get the customer to sign an acknowledgement of receipt, and a copy goes to the customer. The customer cannot refuse to sign (art. 17).
  • You are responsible for performance even if a carrier does it, with a right of recourse against them (art. 18). See choosing a delivery carrier.
  • You send a copy of the contract electronically (art. 19) and issue an invoice (art. 20), on paper if the customer asks.
  • You cannot bill a product that was not ordered (art. 21).
  • Late delivery: the customer may send the product back within four working days of delivery (art. 22).
  • Non-conforming or defective product: you must take it back. The customer returns it in its original packaging within four working days of delivery, with the reason, at your cost. You then choose between a new delivery, repair, exchange, or cancellation and refund, and the refund must happen within 15 days of receiving the product (art. 23).
  • Do not validate an order for a product that is not in stock (art. 24).

Records, data and payment (arts 25 to 29)

You keep the register of transactions and their dates and send it electronically to the CNRC (art. 25); not doing so costs 20,000 to 200,000 DA (art. 41). On data, collect only what the transaction needs, with prior consent, and secure the files (art. 26). On payment, the law allows payment remotely or on delivery by authorised means (art. 27), so cash on delivery is not banned. Electronic payment must go through platforms operated exclusively by banks approved by the Bank of Algeria and by Algérie Poste, with a connection secured by electronic certification (arts 27 and 28). See CIB, Edahabia, SATIM and Chargily.

Advertising (arts 30 to 34)

Any commercial message online must be clearly identifiable as advertising, identify the person it is made for, not offend morals or public order, show any discount, bonus or gift clearly, and have conditions that are neither misleading nor ambiguous. Direct marketing by message to someone who has not consented is banned; the opt-out must be free, acknowledged and honoured within 24 hours; and if there is a dispute you must prove consent. Breaches cost 50,000 to 500,000 DA (art. 40). This applies to influencer content too: see the UGC brief and contract. For cold messages see cold outreach and the personal data law.

Selling abroad (art. 7)

A sale by a resident e-supplier to a customer abroad is exempt from foreign trade and exchange formalities below the value limit set by regulation, and the proceeds must be credited to the e-supplier’s account at a bank approved by the Bank of Algeria or at Algérie Poste. We did not read the current limit. See receiving foreign payments.

Checks and penalties

Commerce inspectors and judicial police can record violations, and you must give them free access to your transaction history (art. 36). Fines range from 20,000 DA to 2,000,000 DA depending on the offence, and double for a repeat within 12 months (art. 48). The administration can offer a settlement fine equal to the minimum, with a 10% reduction if accepted; settlement is excluded for repeats and for the offences of articles 37 and 38 (arts 45 and 46).

What we could not confirm

  • Whether law 18-05 has been amended, and the content of its implementing texts.
  • How the .com.dz hosting rule is applied to a seller who only uses a social media page or a foreign platform, and how the e-seller register and the domain deposit work in practice at the CNRC.
  • The current value limit for cross-border sales in art. 7.

To confirm your own case, contact the Ministry of Commerce or your local trade directorate.

Sources and verification

7 points checked against the texts, 1 still to confirm.

Sources consulted

Show the point-by-point detail
  • Verified Law 18-05 of 10 May 2018 applies when one party is Algerian, legally resident in Algeria, an Algerian legal entity, or when the contract is concluded or performed in Algeria (art. 2). Online sale is banned for gambling, bets and lotteries; alcohol and tobacco; pharmaceutical products; products infringing intellectual, industrial or commercial property; anything prohibited by law; anything requiring a notarised deed (art. 3); and sensitive equipment or products that harm defence or public order (art. 5).
  • Verified E-commerce is subject to registration in the commercial register or the craft register, and to a website or web page hosted in Algeria with a .com.dz extension, with authentication tools (art. 8). A national file of e-suppliers is kept at the CNRC and the domain name must be deposited with the CNRC (art. 9).
  • Verified The offer must show the seller’s tax number, physical and email addresses and phone, register or craft card number, nature, features and price including all taxes, availability, delivery terms, costs and times (art. 11). The order has three mandatory steps and fields must not steer the choice (art. 12). The electronic contract must contain the items listed in art. 13; if arts 10 or 13 are not respected the consumer can ask for cancellation and damages (art. 14).
  • Verified At delivery the seller must have the consumer sign an acknowledgement of receipt, and a copy is handed to the consumer (art. 17). The seller is liable for performance even where others perform it, with recourse against them (art. 18). A copy of the contract is sent electronically (art. 19) and an invoice issued (art. 20). A non-ordered product cannot be billed (art. 21). Late delivery: the consumer may return the product within four working days of delivery (art. 22). A non-conforming or defective product must be taken back: return within four working days, at the seller’s cost; options are new delivery, repair, exchange or cancellation with refund, refund within 15 days of receiving the product (art. 23). An order for a product not in stock must not be validated (art. 24). The seller keeps the transaction register and sends it electronically to the CNRC (art. 25).
  • Verified Payment can be made remotely or on delivery by authorised means; electronic payment goes through platforms operated exclusively by banks approved by the Bank of Algeria and Algérie Poste, with a connection secured by electronic certification (arts 27 and 28). Personal data: only what is needed, prior consent, security (art. 26).
  • Verified Electronic advertising must be identifiable as such, identify the person on whose behalf it is made, not offend morals and public order, show clearly any discount, bonus or gift, and have non-misleading conditions (art. 30). Direct marketing without prior consent is banned (art. 31); an opt-out must be free and honoured within 24 hours (art. 32); the seller must prove consent (art. 33). Advertising a product banned from online sale is banned (art. 34).
  • Verified Fines: 200,000 to 1,000,000 DA for selling products banned by art. 3, with a possible 1 to 6 month site closure (art. 37); 500,000 to 2,000,000 DA for art. 5 (art. 38); 50,000 to 500,000 DA for breaching arts 11 and 12, with possible suspension of access to payment platforms for up to six months (art. 39) and for arts 30, 31, 32 and 34 (art. 40); 20,000 to 200,000 DA for art. 25 (art. 41). Domain name suspended for an e-seller not registered in the commercial register (art. 42). Fines doubled for a repeat within 12 months (art. 48). Settlement fine possible with a 10% reduction (arts 45 and 46).
  • To verify Later amendments and implementing texts of law 18-05; how the .com.dz hosting rule is applied to sellers who only use social media pages or foreign platforms; how the e-seller register and the domain deposit work in practice at the CNRC: not verified.

Corrections log

  • : First published.

General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules can change: check the date above.

Confirm with the official source

Contact details as published by the bodies themselves, collected on 28 October 2026. Before you act, call or write to confirm the point that concerns you, and keep the answer in writing.