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Opening an online store in Algeria: the law, payment and the site

To sell online in Algeria as a business: register your activity in the commercial register or the craft register, publish your store on a site or web page hosted in Algeria with a .com.dz extension, give every offer the information the law lists, and run the order in three steps. Online card payment goes through platforms set up by the banks and Algérie Poste, which you apply for on the CIBWEB portal. This guide sets the articles of Law 18-05 against the store’s pages and its checkout, and says what to ask your accountant.

The short answer for a business owner

Register your activity first: the commercial register or the craft register, then the national file of e-suppliers (articles 8 and 9).
The law speaks of a site or web page hosted in Algeria with a .com.dz extension; its text does not mention social networks, so ask the authorities about your case.
Every commercial offer carries information the law lists: the supplier’s identity, the tax-inclusive price, delivery, and the terms of sale, warranty and return (article 11).
An order runs in three steps: the terms, a modifiable review, the confirmation; this shapes the checkout page (article 12).
Payment on delivery is allowed; electronic payment goes through the platforms of the banks and Algérie Poste, applied for on the CIBWEB portal (articles 27 and 28).
Your customers’ data: only what is necessary, with their consent, and kept safe (article 26 and Law 18-07).

What the law asks, and where it shows in your store

A table drawn from the text of Law 18-05 as published in Official Journal no. 28 of 2018. The last column is our reading of what it means for whoever builds the store; it is not a legal text.

What the law asks	Article	Where it shows in the store	What it means for the builder
Registration in the commercial register or the craft register, and in the national file of e-suppliers	8 and 9	Before launch, and in the online payment file	Selling does not start before registration
A site or web page hosted in Algeria with a .com.dz extension, and the domain name deposited with the CNRC	8 and 9	The store’s address and hosting	A .com.dz domain and hosting in Algeria
The supplier’s identity: tax number, addresses, telephone, commercial register or craft card number	11	A legal information page and the footer	Fixed fields shown with every offer
Nature, characteristics and price with all taxes, availability, delivery terms, costs and delays	11	Product page and cart	Prices with all taxes; delivery cost and delay visible
General terms of sale: personal data, warranty and after-sales, return, exchange and refund, payment terms	11 and 13	Terms pages, before confirmation	Written pages linked to the cart
An order in three steps: terms, a review to modify, cancel or correct, confirmation	12	Checkout page	Three explicit steps, and fields not pre-filled in a way that steers the choice
An electronic copy of the contract, and an invoice for every sale	19 and 20	Order confirmation email and after delivery	The contract sent and the invoice issued automatically
Not confirming the order of a product that is out of stock	24	Stock management	Block the purchase when stock runs out
Payment remotely or on delivery; electronic payment through the platforms of the banks and Algérie Poste, the connection secured by electronic certification	27 and 28	Payment page	A request on CIBWEB, and a certificate for the connection
Collecting only the data needed, with the consumer’s consent, kept secure	26	Order and sign-up form	A consent box, fewer fields, safe storage
Keeping the transaction records and sending them electronically to the CNRC	25	The store’s dashboard	Export the order log; modalities left to regulation

Are you allowed to sell online? Registration first

Electronic commerce is subject to registration, as the case may be, in the commercial register or the craft register (article 8 of Law 18-05). A national file of registered e-suppliers is set up at the National Centre of the Commercial Register (CNRC) (article 9), and the CIBWEB payment portal requires being in it, as we will see.

The law forbids selling certain categories online: games of chance, betting and lotteries; alcoholic drinks and tobacco; pharmaceutical products; products infringing intellectual, industrial or commercial property rights; any good or service prohibited by law; any good or service that requires an authentic deed (article 3). All electronic transactions are subject to the duties and taxes provided by law.

The site: .com.dz and hosted in Algeria

Article 8 makes the activity subject to the registration above “and to the publication of a site or web page hosted in Algeria with a ‘.com.dz’ extension”, and asks that the e-supplier’s site have the means to authenticate it. Article 9 makes exercising the activity conditional on depositing the domain name with the CNRC’s services.

According to the registrar Gandi’s summary, .com.dz is open to companies registered in the commercial register, and registration requires supporting documents. Article 42 provides that the body authorized to allocate domain names in Algeria suspends, on the Ministry of Commerce’s decision, the registration of the domain name of any person established in Algeria who offers goods or services by electronic communications without prior registration in the commercial register, until it is brought into compliance.

The text of the law does not mention social networks, and we have no legal answer on selling through Facebook or Instagram pages: ask the commerce directorate, the CNRC or your accountant about your case. We are website developers, not legal advisers.

What every commercial offer must show

Every transaction must be preceded by an electronic commercial offer and formalized by an electronic contract validated by the consumer (article 10). The offer must be presented in a visible, legible and understandable way and include at least, without being limited to, what article 11 lists:

the tax identification number, the physical and electronic addresses and the telephone number;
the commercial register number or the craft professional card number;
the nature, characteristics and price of the goods or services with all taxes included, and their availability;
the terms, costs and delays of delivery;
the general terms of sale, notably those on the protection of personal data;
the terms of the commercial warranty and after-sales service;
the payment terms and procedures, the conditions for terminating the contract, and the conditions and delays of withdrawal where applicable;
a description of the stages of carrying out the transaction, how the order is confirmed, and how the product is returned, exchanged or refunded.

How the order must run: three steps

Ordering a product or service goes through three mandatory steps (article 12): making the contractual terms available to the consumer so they can contract knowingly; verifying the details of the order — products, total and unit prices, quantities — in order to modify it, cancel it or correct errors; then confirming it, which forms the contract. The consumer’s choice must be explicitly expressed, and the fields they fill in must contain no data intended to steer their choice.

What this means for the checkout page, in our reading of article 12: terms visible before confirmation, a summary that can be edited, an explicit confirmation button, and boxes that are not pre-filled in a way that steers the choice.

After the contract is concluded the supplier sends an electronic copy of it (article 19) and issues an invoice for every sale (article 20); it does not confirm the order of a product that is out of stock (article 24). If article 10 or article 13 is not complied with, the consumer may ask for the contract to be annulled and for damages (article 14).

Payment: on delivery or online

Payment of electronic commercial transactions is made remotely or on delivery of the product, by the authorized means of payment (article 27). Payment on delivery is therefore provided for by the text.

When payment is electronic, it goes through dedicated payment platforms set up and operated exclusively by banks approved by the Bank of Algeria and by Algérie Poste (article 27); the connection of your site to the platform must be secured by an electronic certification system (article 28), and the platforms are supervised by the Bank of Algeria (article 29).

To accept cards on your site you file a request on the CIBWEB portal, run by GIE Monétique. You must be registered in the commercial register or the craft register, and in the CNRC’s national file of e-suppliers. The request has four steps: filing, processing (GIE Monétique rules on admissibility in under 24 hours), integration tests, then authorization to go into operation. A request found admissible within 24 hours is not an activation within 24 hours: the tests and the authorization come after. The portal lists no fees; ask your bank and the provider of your payment module.

The two national cards used online are the interbank card CIB and Algérie Poste’s Edahabia card, according to a practical guide published by Zoom Algérie on 9 August 2026. GIE Monétique states that payment on the internet by CIB card has been officially operational since October 2016.

Delivery, returns and refunds

On actual delivery the supplier requires the consumer to acknowledge receipt; the consumer may not refuse to sign, and a copy is handed to them (article 17). The supplier may not demand payment for a product that was not ordered (article 21).

If the supplier misses the delivery deadlines, the consumer may send the product back as it is within four working days of actual delivery, and the supplier must return the amount paid and the cost of the return within fifteen days of receiving the product (article 22). For a product that does not match the order or is defective, the supplier must take it back; the consumer sends it back in its original packaging within four working days at most, at the supplier’s expense, and the supplier must make a new conforming delivery, repair the defective product, exchange it for an identical one, or cancel the order and refund, within fifteen days of receiving the product (article 23).

So the store must write these conditions into its pages (article 11) and build a returns process that respects these delays.

Your customers’ data and marketing messages

An e-supplier who collects personal data and builds files of customers and prospects collects only the data needed to conclude transactions; it must obtain consumers’ consent before collecting and guarantee the security of the information systems and the confidentiality of the data (article 26). Law 18-07 also applies (express consent, prior declaration to the national authority or authorization), as Law 25-11 of 2025 amended it by requiring a data protection delegate, a register of processing activities and an automated log of operations.

Law 18-05 forbids direct prospecting by electronic message to a person who has not given prior consent (article 31) and requires a procedure letting anyone stop receiving advertising, at no cost, with their wish respected within 24 hours (article 32).

What you risk if you get it wrong

Breaching articles 11 and 12 is punished by a fine of 50,000 to 500,000 DZD, and the supplier’s access to any electronic payment platform may be suspended by the court for up to six months (article 39). Selling the products banned by article 3 is punished by a fine of 200,000 to 1,000,000 DZD, and the judge may order the site closed for one to six months (article 37). The domain name registration is suspended for anyone offering goods or services without registration in the commercial register (article 42).

What a store adds to a site’s price

A store is a site that sells, takes payment and tracks stock. Our service page says it costs more than a landing page, whose starting price with us is 15,000 DZD, and that it earns its place only if you will really sell online. With us, a store comes with online payment and order and stock management.

What the provisions above add to the work: legal and terms pages, a three-step order flow, the connection to the payment platform, stock management, a transaction log. We build the store for the trader who sells on Facebook today and wants a store they own themselves.

Common questions

Do I need a commercial register to sell online?

Yes. Under article 8 of Law 18-05, electronic commerce is subject to registration in the commercial register or the craft register, as the case may be. Article 42 provides for suspending the domain name registration of anyone offering goods or services online without prior registration in the commercial register, until it is brought into compliance.

Can I sell only on Facebook and Instagram?

The text of Law 18-05 does not mention social networks; it speaks of a site or web page hosted in Algeria with a .com.dz extension. We have no legal answer on selling through them: ask the commerce directorate, the CNRC or your accountant. We build the store for the trader who sells on Facebook and wants a store they own.

What does .com.dz mean, and must the site be hosted in Algeria?

.com.dz is open to companies registered in the commercial register, according to the registrar Gandi’s summary. Article 8 speaks of a site or web page hosted in Algeria with that extension, and article 9 makes exercising the activity conditional on depositing the domain name with the CNRC.

Is payment on delivery allowed?

Yes, under article 27: payment of electronic transactions is made remotely or on delivery of the product, by the authorized means of payment. The supplier issues an invoice for every sale (article 20) and requires an acknowledgement of receipt on delivery (article 17).

How do I accept card payment in my store?

By a request on GIE Monétique’s CIBWEB portal, once you are registered in the commercial or craft register and in the national file of e-suppliers. The steps: filing, processing (admissibility in under 24 hours), integration tests, authorization to go into operation. The portal lists no fees.

Which products are forbidden to sell online?

Under article 3: games of chance, betting and lotteries, alcoholic drinks and tobacco, pharmaceutical products, products infringing intellectual, industrial or commercial property rights, any good or service prohibited by law, anything that requires an authentic deed. Article 5 forbids sensitive equipment and products defined by regulation.

Can I sell to customers abroad?

Article 7 exempts the online sale by a resident supplier to a consumer abroad from foreign-trade and exchange-control formalities as long as its value does not exceed the dinar equivalent of the limit set by law and regulation; the proceeds must be credited to the supplier’s account domiciled in Algeria at an approved bank or Algérie Poste. The text does not give the limit’s figure: ask your bank.

How long do returns and refunds take?

Four working days to send the product back in case of late delivery, non-conformity or a defect, and the supplier refunds within fifteen days of receiving the product (articles 22 and 23). The conditions for return, exchange and refund must appear in the commercial offer (article 11).

Move from reading to a concrete step

Website and online store developmentA store you own: online payment, orders and stock; the price starts at 15,000 DZD for a single landing page and a store costs more.Digital marketing and Meta and Google campaignsAfter the store: a written plan and campaigns whose results are measured in numbers.The free diagnosticFifteen questions that surface your first gap, with no sign-up and no email.