Launching an online store in Georgia starts from a deceptively simple legal position: under the Law of Georgia on Electronic Commerce, the provision of information society services is not subject to licensing, permits or authorisation. That freedom does not leave e-commerce unregulated: the same statute imposes precise duties on providers and gives recipients a direct complaint mechanism before the agency. On this page the lawyers of Legal.ge explain these obligations, article by article, so that your online business rests on demonstrable compliance.
Licence-Free Provision and Its Limits
The starting point is Article 3 of the law: the provision of information society services is not subject to licensing, obtaining a permit or authorisation. For an online shop this means that no separate e-commerce licence exists — the service may be launched once ordinary business registration is complete.
The freedom has a border: Article 3 does not extend to activities subject to licensing, permit or authorisation regimes under other legislation. If what you sell online falls within a regulated sector, that sectoral regime applies first and the general rules of electronic commerce apply on top.
The Provider Information Duty
Article 4 obliges the service provider to ensure that at least the following information about the provider is permanently and easily accessible to recipients: the business name and legal form; the address; the e-mail address and other contact information; the identification or personal number registered in the registry of entrepreneurs and non-commercial legal entities; and, where one exists, the number of the licence or permit, data on its registration, its validity period and the name of the issuing authority.
Pricing receives separate attention: the value of the service must be indicated clearly and include detailed information on all costs, including delivery charges and other taxes provided for by Georgian legislation. The provider is responsible for the accuracy and accessibility of this information, and a higher sectoral standard does not release the provider from it.
Commercial Communications and Advertising
Article 5 treats commercial communications as part of information society services and subjects them to transparency requirements: it must be possible to identify a commercial communication clearly; it must be possible to identify unambiguously the natural or legal person on whose behalf it is sent; discounts, special offers or gifts, and the conditions for benefiting from them, must be easily accessible and understandable; and promotional prize competitions must be clearly identifiable, with participation conditions that are easily accessible and explained comprehensibly.
Unsolicited commercial communications — marketing sent without the recipient’s prior consent — are governed by the rules of the Law of Georgia on Personal Data Protection. For anyone building contact databases, consent architecture is therefore not optional.
The Electronic Contract and the Order Process
The electronic form of contracting is fully valid: where an electronic contract needs confirmation by signature, it is concluded in accordance with Georgian legislation, as Article 7 provides.
Before conclusion, Article 8 requires the provider to give the recipient clear, complete and comprehensible information on all technical steps of contracting, the conditions of storing and accessing the contract electronically, the languages available, and the technical means of identifying and correcting input errors before the order is finally placed. The parties may agree on a different rule, unless the recipient belongs to the protected category defined in the statute, and the regime does not apply to contracts concluded by e-mail or similar individual means. The recipient must also be able to store and use the information provided, including the contract, in electronic form.
The order itself is regulated by Article 9: an order placed by electronic means must be acknowledged without delay by electronic means. An order or acknowledgement is deemed received when it becomes actually accessible to the recipient, and before final placement the provider must equip the recipient with the means to identify and correct errors.
Personal Data and the Complaint Mechanism
Article 6 obliges every participant in electronic commerce to protect personal data; the data of the parties are processed under the Law of Georgia on Personal Data Protection, which also determines liability for breach.
Finally, Article 15 arms the recipient with an enforcement mechanism: where the provider breaches the information, commercial-communication, contracting or ordering rules, the recipient may apply to the agency — without losing the right to go to court or arbitration or to use mediation, so a complaint can arrive in parallel with litigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are answers to the questions providers and consumers ask us most often, grounded in the precise norms of the Law on Electronic Commerce.
Does an online shop need a licence in Georgia?
No. Under Article 3, the provision of information society services is not subject to licensing, permits or authorisation. The exception covers only activities subject to sectoral licensing or authorisation regimes under other legislation.
What provider information must a website display?
Article 4 requires the business name and legal form, address, contact details and registry identification number, and where applicable licence data — all permanently accessible.
How must an electronic order be confirmed?
An order placed by electronic means must be acknowledged without delay by electronic means. It is deemed received once it is actually accessible to the recipient, and error-correction tools must be available before final placement.
Where can a consumer complain about breaches?
Under Article 15 the recipient may apply to the agency for breaches of the information and commercial-communication duties and of the contracting rules, while retaining the right to go to court or arbitration or to mediation.
How We Help on Legal.ge
The Legal.ge team audits online businesses against every obligation described above: we align the provider-information block of your site, review how prices and promotions are presented, structure your checkout flow, prepare data documentation and represent you before the agency and the courts. Contact us — and your e-commerce will operate on a complete legal foundation.