The Legal Baseline: What Law 18-05 Actually Requires of Algerian Sellers
Law No. 18-05 of May 10, 2018 is Algeria’s primary statute for electronic commerce. It defines electronic commerce as any commercial transaction carried out via electronic means — covering goods, services, and digital content — and establishes the rights and obligations of both online merchants and consumers.
For any person or company selling online to Algerian residents, the law imposes obligations that span registration, technical infrastructure, transaction transparency, and payment processing. These obligations apply regardless of whether the seller is an individual freelancer, a small merchant running a social-media shop, or a large retailer with a dedicated e-commerce platform.
The regulatory environment has evolved since 2018 through a combination of implementing decrees, circular guidance from the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, and the introduction of the Auto-Entrepreneur regime in 2023-2024 — which created a second, lighter registration path specifically for digital-service providers. Understanding which path applies to a given business model is the first compliance decision any online seller in Algeria must make.
This guide maps both pathways, details the technical and operational obligations that apply across both, and explains the enforcement framework.
The Two Registration Pathways Under Algerian Law
Pathway 1 — CNRC Registration for Physical Goods and Service Companies
For any company or registered business selling physical goods online, or providing services as a formal legal entity (SARL, EURL, etc.), registration with the Centre National du Registre du Commerce (CNRC) is mandatory before launching an e-commerce operation. The CNRC has designated activity code 607.074 specifically for “Retail sale via e-commerce.”
An existing brick-and-mortar business that wants to add online sales simply needs to request an amendment to its existing commercial register entry, adding code 607.074 to its declared activities. A new business created specifically for e-commerce must include this code in its founding commercial register application.
CNRC registration also governs tax filing obligations. Merchants registered under the standard commercial regime file “G50” tax declarations — monthly or quarterly depending on their tax regime — and are subject to corporate income tax on profits. VAT obligations apply at the standard 19% rate on taxable turnover above applicable thresholds.
Pathway 2 — Auto-Entrepreneur for Digital Services
Introduced progressively from 2023 and expanded through 2024-2026, the Auto-Entrepreneur regime offers a simplified alternative for individuals providing digital services: programming, software development, graphic design, digital marketing, consulting, content creation, and similar activities. Registration is completed through the anae.dz platform.
Key parameters of the Auto-Entrepreneur regime:
- Unified tax rate: 0.5% of annual turnover (the IFU — Impôt Forfaitaire Unique)
- Social coverage: Eligible for CASNOS social security contributions at reduced thresholds
- Scope: Digital services and certain crafts. Physical goods resale is excluded.
- Threshold: Activity must remain within defined revenue limits to stay in the simplified regime
The Auto-Entrepreneur pathway is not a workaround for merchants selling goods — it is a distinct legal status for service providers. A developer selling custom software to Algerian clients qualifies. A merchant dropshipping physical goods does not.
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Technical Obligations That Apply to All Online Merchants
Domain and Hosting Requirements
Law 18-05 and its implementing regulations require that commercial websites selling to Algerian residents use Algerian-registered domain names — typically a .dz extension or .com.dz — and host their web infrastructure on servers located in Algeria. This rule was introduced to ensure that consumer disputes and regulatory oversight remain within Algerian jurisdiction.
For small merchants using third-party platforms (social media, marketplace apps), the domain and hosting obligation applies to any standalone website. Selling exclusively through a third-party marketplace that maintains its own infrastructure may create a different compliance profile — but merchants should seek specific guidance rather than assuming marketplace use eliminates all hosting obligations.
Payment Processing — The Satim Requirement
All electronic payments for goods and services sold online to Algerian residents must be processed through payment gateways certified by Satim (Société d’Automatisation des Transactions Interbancaires et de Monétique), Algeria’s interbank processing authority. Satim certifies payment service providers and ensures that electronic payment flows are auditable and compliant with CIB/Edahabia card network rules.
This means merchants cannot use international payment processors (Stripe, PayPal, Square) as their primary payment solution for Algerian card holders. Certified Algerian payment gateways — including those offered by Chargily, Satim-connected bank processors, and CIB-affiliated acquirers — must be integrated. This requirement creates an auditable payment trail that the Ministry of Commerce can use to verify transaction volumes for tax compliance.
Pre-Transaction Disclosure Obligations
Before a consumer completes any purchase, Law 18-05 requires the merchant to disclose: their tax identification number (NIF), physical address and electronic contact details, complete product or service description, total price including all taxes and delivery charges, and the applicable exchange, return, and refund terms. These disclosures must be presented in a clear, accessible format before the checkout confirmation step — not buried in general terms and conditions.
Merchants who fail to make these disclosures face consumer protection enforcement separate from the CNRC registration issue. The Ministry of Commerce can issue warnings and administrative sanctions for disclosure violations.
What This Means for Algerian Online Merchants and Digital Entrepreneurs
1. Determine Your Correct Pathway Before Registering Anything
The single most consequential compliance decision is choosing between the CNRC pathway and the Auto-Entrepreneur pathway. The rule is simple: physical goods go through CNRC (code 607.074). Digital services can go through Auto-Entrepreneur (anae.dz). Mixed businesses — a designer who also sells printed merchandise — require CNRC registration for the goods dimension, which then covers the whole business under the commercial register. Do not attempt to register digital services under Auto-Entrepreneur if your primary revenue comes from goods sales.
2. Integrate a Satim-Certified Gateway Before Launch — Not After
Launching an e-commerce operation and accepting informal payments (bank transfer, cash on delivery without a certified gateway for card payments) is not a compliance gap that can be patched quietly later. The Satim certification requirement is an operational prerequisite. Gateway integration takes 4-8 weeks depending on the provider, requires bank documentation, and involves technical testing. Plan this into the product launch timeline, not as a post-launch retrofit.
3. Register Your Domain and Move Hosting to Algeria
For merchants currently operating on international hosting (OVH France, DigitalOcean, AWS) with a .com domain, the hosting and domain requirement creates a technical migration task. Algerian domain registration is managed through the ANIC (Agence Nationale de l’Internet). Hosting can be migrated to Algerian providers such as Djaweb or Algérie Télécom Entreprises. This migration should be combined with an SSL certificate renewal and DNS propagation plan to avoid service interruption.
4. Build Your Pre-Transaction Disclosure Into the Checkout Flow
Law 18-05’s disclosure requirements are not satisfied by a terms-and-conditions page linked in the footer. The required information — NIF, address, product details, price breakdown, return terms — must be presented on or before the checkout confirmation page. Most e-commerce platforms (WooCommerce, Shopify customized for Algeria, PrestaShop) support this as a configurable checkout field set. This is a one-time development task but must be verified to be displaying correctly before the site goes live.
5. Understand the Penalty Structure Before Taking Shortcuts
Operating an online business without CNRC registration exposes merchants to financial penalties and confiscation of goods under Ministry of Commerce enforcement powers. These are not theoretical risks: the Ministry has been active in digital commerce enforcement as part of broader informal economy formalization efforts. For merchants currently operating informally — selling through social media without registration — the formalization path is now straightforward enough that the risk-benefit calculation strongly favors compliance.
The Bigger Picture: Algerian E-Commerce Is a Regulated Market
Algeria’s e-commerce market exceeded 7 billion DZD in tracked transaction volume annually by 2025 estimates, and the regulatory framework is maturing to match. The Auto-Entrepreneur system, introduced progressively from 2023, represents a deliberate government choice to bring digital-economy participants into the formal system through a low-friction pathway — rather than leaving them in a compliance grey zone.
For merchants and digital entrepreneurs, this regulatory maturation is a positive development: formal status provides access to banking products, social protection, and the credibility that comes with a registered business. It also creates a level playing field where businesses that comply with Law 18-05 are not undercut by informal competitors avoiding VAT and registration costs.
The Ministry of Post and Telecommunications publishes a regularly updated Guide de l’E-commerce (available at mpt.gov.dz) that consolidates the implementing guidance for Law 18-05. Any merchant who has not read the January 2024 edition of that guide is operating with incomplete information about their current obligations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the practical difference between registering under CNRC code 607.074 versus the Auto-Entrepreneur regime?
CNRC code 607.074 is for merchants who sell physical goods online — it requires full commercial registration (RC), is subject to standard corporate taxation (IBS/IRG), and mandates Satim-certified payment gateway integration. The Auto-Entrepreneur regime is for digital service providers (developers, designers, consultants, content creators) — it requires only an ANAE registration, applies a flat 0.5% IFU tax on turnover, and is available in 30 days online. If you sell physical goods, you need 607.074. If you provide digital services, Auto-Entrepreneur is faster and cheaper.
What exactly does Satim payment gateway integration require for a merchant website?
Satim certifies payment gateway providers — not individual merchant websites directly. Merchants must use a payment solution built on Satim’s certified infrastructure (Satim’s own API, or certified third-party integrators). Integration requires: a merchant account with a CCP or CIB bank; execution of a merchant agreement with the bank specifying settlement terms; API integration of the Satim-certified payment module into the merchant website; and compliance with Satim’s 3D Secure requirements. The process typically takes 4-8 weeks from bank application to live checkout integration.
Can a merchant operating on a .com domain (not .dz) comply with Law 18-05?
Law 18-05 requires that e-commerce websites selling to Algerian consumers be hosted on Algerian servers with .dz domain registration. A .com domain operating from a foreign server is technically non-compliant. However, enforcement has historically focused on payment compliance (Satim integration) rather than domain enforcement. The safest approach is dual deployment: maintain the .dz domain as the primary legally compliant presence for Algerian consumer sales, while maintaining international domains for export markets. ARPCE has signalled increasing scrutiny of domain compliance in 2026.
Sources & Further Reading
- E-Commerce in Algeria 2026: Laws, Taxes, and Commercial Register — Ecommaps Blog
- Law No. 18-05 on Electronic Commerce — Digital Watch Observatory
- Guide of E-Commerce — Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (PDF)
- Algeria eCommerce — US Trade.gov Commercial Guide
- E-Commerce: A New Law to Prevent Chaos — Algeria Invest
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