15. E-commerce

General

Russia has no unified e-commerce legislation; applicable provisions are scattered across various laws and regulations, including the Civil Code, the Information Law, the Advertising Law, the Data Protection Law, the e-Signature Law, the Consumer Protection Law, etc.

Supervisory authorities

No single authority regulates e-commerce in Russia; instead, several authorities oversee it within their own spheres of competence:
· Personal data protection and internet, communications – the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (“Roskomnadzor”);
· Advertising and competition – the Federal Anti-monopoly Service;
· Development of legislation in the communications sphere – the Russian Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media (“MinTsifry”);
· e-Payments and national payment system – the Central Bank of the Russian Federation;
· Consumer protection, including in terms of internet sales – the Federal Service for the Protection of Consumers’ Rights (“Rospotrebnadzor”); and
· Various regulations related to e-commerce, distance selling, etc. – the Russian Government.

Jurisdiction and applicable law for e-commerce disputes

Disputes from internet transactions in Russia are governed by the conflict-of-laws rules in the Civil Code, together with the procedural norms of the Commercial Procedure Code and the Civil Procedure Code.
Choice of forum
As a rule, parties may choose any law and forum for their online transaction, provided it has at least one foreign element connected to that law or jurisdiction.
If the parties do not choose any applicable law, the law of the country most closely connected to their contractual relation will govern their relations.
Competence of courts in e-commerce disputes
Even where foreign law applies, whether by the parties’ choice or under conflict-of-laws rules, mandatory provisions of Russian law will still apply to the transaction.
Russian consumer protection law is especially relevant here (see Consumer rights in e-commerce below): established court practice applies it whenever an online business targets Russian consumers, even without a legal presence in the country.
Russian courts assert jurisdiction over any e-contract dispute where a foreign entity offers goods to Russian customers online, even without a Russian legal presence or a Russian domain, and in other cases where the dispute is closely connected with Russia.

Distance selling of goods

Distance selling of goods, including online trade, is generally governed by the Civil Code, the Consumer Protection Law and certain field-specific legislation.
Distance selling is a sale and purchase agreement concluded on the buyer’s acquaintance with the goods via catalogues, brochures, descriptions or pictures sent by TV, post, phone, internet or other means – not from directly examining the goods.
The most popular type of transactions of this kind is trading over the internet through online retailer stores, aggregator websites or special apps.
Online trade in Russia is regulated by the same set of rules as trade in person, subject to several exceptions.
Firstly, some goods cannot be sold remotely, such as:
· Alcoholic drinks;
· Tobacco products;
· Narcotic or psychotropic substances and poisons;
· Occult goods; and
· Weapons and other types of goods of limited civil circulation.
The Russian Government is discussing the legalisation of online trade of alcohol.
Secondly, certain goods can in principle be sold online, but they are subject to special regulation:
· One example is the online retail sale of over-the-counter drugs, legalised since April 2020 for pharmacies holding a pharmaceutical licence and a special permit from the Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare (“Roszdravnadzor”). Rules introduced in May 2020 set the conditions for the permit and requirements for consumer information, delivery and returns.
· Another example is the online sale of jewellery and other products made of precious metals or stones, where special rules apply as well.
Breaching these restrictions can trigger administrative or criminal liability, but only for “proper” distance selling. This differs from cases where a website merely displays offers and takes orders while the purchase itself happens at the point of sale: such trade is lawful provided other trading rules are followed.
Conclusion of distance sales agreement
In distance selling, the seller must conclude a retail sales agreement with anyone who expresses an intention to buy under the offer’s terms posted on its website or app, unless the seller and an aggregator agree on another way to communicate the offer.
The offer must contain complete and reliable information describing the offered goods as well as information about the seller, including its name, registration number and address.
A distance sales agreement is considered concluded from the moment the seller:
· Receives the consumer’s message about their intention to conclude a sales agreement; or
· Issues a cash (sales) receipt or any other document confirming payment for the goods to the consumer.
A product is not treated as intended for distance selling if selling it via a website or app requires prior negotiation of the sale terms – such as availability, name or quantity – or where the seller has clearly stated the goods are not for distance selling. This lets sellers opt out of distance-selling rules where they are not desirable.
Delivery of goods
The sales agreement sets the delivery method and term; if none is set, delivery must occur within a reasonable time, or within seven days of the consumer’s request.
Goods can be delivered by third parties provided the seller informs the consumer accordingly.
Goods are delivered to the address the consumer specifies. If the consumer is absent, their relatives or friends can accept delivery without a proxy, ID or other documents.
At delivery, the seller must provide extensive information about the goods; failing to do so may trigger penalties (see Consumer rights in e-commerce below).
Rejection of goods
The consumer has the right to reject the goods at any time before they are received regardless of whether they have paid for them.
For more details, please see the Consumer rights in e-commerce section below.
New rules for marketplaces
A new 2025 law significantly reshaped the e-commerce market by setting rules for marketplaces and other intermediary platforms. It creates a registry of such platforms and defines how platform operators interact with their partners, pickup-point owners and users.
It covers product listings, discounts, services affecting search rankings, pre-trial dispute resolution and the operator’s logistics infrastructure, and is expected to create a unified, secure digital environment and improve online access to goods, works and services.
The new rules take effect on 1 October 2026.

E-contracts

A contract may be concluded electronically if the parties to this contract use qualified electronic signatures or exchange electronic documents (e.g. scanned copies of signed documents).
When signing electronically by exchanging documents, parties should note:
· The contract must contain a provision under which it may be executed by exchange of scanned copies.
· Concluding the agreement by exchanging scanned copies by email requires verifying that the proper parties sent the documents.
· It is advisable for the parties to a contract to use the domain name containing their respective company names.
It is not possible to e-sign a contract when:
· The contract requires mandatory notarisation and/or state registration (e.g. agreements on transferring participatory interests in an LLC’s charter capital), subject to specific exceptions; or
· The law requires the contract to be concluded by signing a single document (e.g. corporate agreements, joint-stock company formation agreements).
The contract is also deemed concluded if a party starts to perform the contract in response to a written offer (e.g. paying the amount provided for in the contract).

E-signatures

An e-signature is electronic information attached to or otherwise linked with another piece of electronic information (the information being signed), used to identify the signer.
There are three types of e-signatures:
· Simple e-signatures (e.g. login and password, code from a message, email);
· Enhanced unqualified e-signatures;
· Enhanced qualified e-signatures.
The last two types of signatures differ from each other by the level of encryption protection.
Simple e-signatures
Documents signed by a simple e-signature will only be deemed legally binding if provided for by:
· Law (e.g. requests filed by citizens with state or municipal authorities using simple e-signature are deemed signed by a wet ink signature); or
· An agreement on e-signature use – best signed itself with a wet-ink or qualified electronic signature.
Enhanced unqualified e-signature
An enhanced unqualified e-signature is valid subject to the following conditions:
· It is created using e-signature creation data (a private encryption key), encrypting information with a code obtained through cryptographic transformation using that key;
· It allows to identify the person who signed an electronic document; and
· It allows to detect whether the electronic document was amended after it was signed.
Qualified e-signatures
A qualified e-signature must meet the criteria set out for unqualified e-signatures and the following additional criteria:
· The verification key must appear in a qualified certificate issued by a MinTsifry-accredited certifying centre. Obtaining one is quick and easy, especially for Russian companies and individuals, requiring only a few documents; foreign companies and citizens can also obtain it, subject to additional requirements.
· Qualified e-signatures must be created by e-signature devices that are compliant with the requirements established by the e-Signature Law.
Only enhanced qualified e-signatures are unconditionally equivalent to handwritten (wet ink) signatures.
This makes it the preferred signature for tendering: although tendering laws do not specify a required type, an enhanced qualified e-signature is usually required in practice.

E-payments and money transfers

According to the National Payment System Law, electronic means of payment let a client transfer funds through cashless payment forms using information technologies, including payment cards, or other technical devices.
The Law on Digital Financial Assets and Currency establishes a legal framework for digital financial assets (“DFAs”) and digital currency in Russia.
The Law defines digital currency as a set of electronic data (i.e. a digital code or designation) contained in an information system:
· Which is offered and/or may be accepted as a means of payment;
· Which is not a monetary unit of the Russian Federation, a monetary unit of a foreign state and/or an international monetary or account unit; and
· Where no one is liable to the owners of the electronic data, except for the operator and/or information system nodes that are only obliged to maintain the procedure for the issue of these electronic data and to make entries in or changes to the information system.
Russian residents may not yet use digital currency for settlements, i.e., accept or offer it as consideration for goods, works or services.
Recent and expected changes
Mining was legalised in Russia in 2024, letting residents receive newly issued digital currency. A miner (including a mining-pool member) or pool organiser can also earn digital currency remuneration for confirming entries in an information system.
Several bills before the State Duma would significantly change the regulation of digital currencies and “digital rights” and establish liability for breaching DFA and digital currency circulation rules.

Consumer rights in e-commerce

The Consumer Protection Law contains the following special rules applicable to online transactions:
· Before the transaction, the seller must give the consumer information on the goods’ basic consumer properties, the seller’s address and full name, and other required details;
· On delivery, the seller must provide extensive information about the goods, including a full description and their conformity with applicable technical regulations;
· The consumer has the right to reject the goods at any time before delivery and within seven days of delivery.
· The consumer may also reject the purchase within three months of delivery if not informed, at delivery, of the return procedure and terms;
· The consumer does not have the right to return goods that have individually defined properties if they can only be used by that consumer.
· If the consumer rejects the purchase, the seller must refund all sums paid within ten days of the claim, minus the cost of return shipping;
· It is prohibited to impose additional goods, work, or services on consumers for a separate fee by preconditioning their purchase for acquiring the main goods.
The rights of consumers in case of defects in the goods purchased online are similar to those of consumers when purchasing goods in person.
Failing to provide legally required information may increase the seller’s liability for any damage to the consumer or their property. A consumer may also ask the court to amend or terminate a contract containing unfair or unfavourable terms, including where they had no real chance to renegotiate them.
The Code of Administrative Offences imposes administrative liability for consumer-rights violations, and producers or sellers may face criminal liability under the Criminal Code if goods fail safety requirements or endanger consumers’ life or health.
Consumers’ personal data is protected under mandatory Russian data protection law and, as a rule, cannot be transferred abroad without their informed written consent¹.

¹ Please see the Personal Data Protection section.

Domain names

In Russia, domain names do not qualify as intellectual property, so unlike IP objects they cannot be licensed or assigned: only transferred via a registrar.
Domain names are registered and delegated to an organisation or an individual under an agreement with the relevant registrar.
From 1 September 2026, registering or renewing .ru / .рф / .su domains requires identifying the domain administrator through the Unified Identification and Authentication System (the “ESIA” or “Gosuslugi” portal).
Several accredited registrars hold exclusive competence for the .ru local top-level domain (“TLD”) and Cyrillic domains (e.g. .рф, .москва).
The Coordination Centre for RU/РФ TLD and the Autonomous Non-profit Organisation “Russian Scientific Research Institute for the Development of Public Networks” for the SU TLD act as regulators, accreditation centres for registrars, and technical DNS support for national domains.
Domain names and trademarks are both registered on a first-to-file basis. An existing domain name in .ru/.рф or any other TLD is not grounds to refuse registration of an identical or similar trademark, and vice versa.
Bad-faith registration of a trademark or domain name aimed at damaging a competitor may constitute unfair competition.
Earlier trademark registration alone does not bar use of a later domain name, but Russian courts tend to favour trademark owners, easing the claimant’s burden of proof once a trademark is registered.

Online audio-visual platforms

Regulations on online platforms for creating and distributing audio-visual works took effect on 1 July 2017, covering platforms such as:
· websites;
· information systems; and
· computer programmes.
The regulations will, however, only apply to platforms:
· That provide access to audio-visual works for a fee and (or) on the condition that the viewers watch advertisements; and
· Having a daily audience of at least 100,000 Russian-based users.
Owners of audio-visual platforms must meet several obligations, including a ban on disseminating certain information, specific rules on disseminating information to the public, and age-based content restrictions where appropriate.
Such platforms may only be owned by Russian legal entities or Russian citizens without other citizenship. Roskomnadzor maintains a register of audio-visual platforms.

Taxation

Under the Russian Tax Code (Article 174.2), foreign companies that supply electronic services (“e-services”) to customers located in Russia must pay VAT (directly or via a withholding mechanism).
E-services are services delivered automatically over the internet or a similar network using information technology. They include rights to use online products such as (i) software (including video games, e-books, music and audio-visual content); (ii) advertising services; (iii) domain registration and hosting; and (iv) data storage and access to online search engines, among others.
The following services are not recognised as e-services by the law:
· The sale of goods and/or services ordered through the internet where supply takes place without using the internet;
· The sale of or provision of rights to use software (including video games) on tangible media;
· The provision of consulting services via e-mail; and
· Services for providing remote access to the internet.
A customer is deemed to be located in Russia if any of the following criteria are met:
· For B2B provision of services: when an organisation is registered with the Russian tax authorities;
· For B2C provision of services, when the consumer:
· resides in Russia;
· pays through a bank or an electronic payment operator located in Russia;
· uses a Russian IP address when obtaining an e-service; or
· uses a telephone number with Russian country code when obtaining an e-service.
For more information related to tax issues please see the Tax system section.