E-Commerce Act Checker
Check your online shop against Nepal's E-Commerce Act 2081 and get your store disclosure block.
Based on the official text of the Electronic Commerce Act, 2081 (2025). Last checked 18 October 2026.
- Act in force for all online sellers in Nepal
- Since Apr 2025Act in force for all online sellers in Nepal
- for the Department to issue your listing number
- 7 daysfor the Department to issue your listing number
- to decide and reply to a customer complaint
- 15 daysto decide and reply to a customer complaint
- fines, plus prison for the most serious offences
- Rs 20k – 5 lakhfines, plus prison for the most serious offences
1. How do you sell online?
2. Answer honestly
0/14 answered1.Is your business registered as a firm, company or institution?
Section 32.Do you have a PAN or VAT registration number?
Section 4(2)(f)3.Are you listed on the Department of Commerce e-commerce portal, with a listing number?
Section 54.Does your store show your business name, address, registration number, PAN/VAT, contacts and complaint contact?
Section 4(2)5.Does every product page show the final price including tax, delivery charges, delivery time, payment methods and return policy?
Section 66.Do buyers get an invoice and a payment receipt as soon as they pay?
Section 8(3)7.Do you deliver within the time you promised (except force majeure)?
Sections 9, 15(f), 16(d)8.Do you accept returns when the item doesn't match its description, is defective or arrives late, and refund including tax?
Sections 10, 15(h), 16(g)9.Are all reviews and ratings on your products real (no fake reviews by you or people you ask)?
Sections 15(c), 16(f)10.Do your ads describe products accurately, without misleading features or claims?
Sections 15(d), 16(e), 1911.Do you have a complaint contact, record each complaint, and reply in writing within 15 days?
Section 3312.Do you keep customer data private, and let users view, change or deactivate their personal information?
Section 1213.If a product needs a special licence (for example medicines), do you have it?
Section 1314.Do you keep records of all sales for the period required by tax law?
Sections 14(b), 15(e)
This tool summarises the Act in plain language to help you prepare. It is not legal advice, and other laws (Consumer Protection Act 2075, Privacy Act 2075, tax laws) also apply. For your specific case, contact the Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection or a lawyer. Your answers stay in this browser and are never sent to us.
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About the E-Commerce Act Checker
Nepal's Electronic Commerce Act, 2081 (2025) has applied to online selling since mid-April 2025. It says who may sell online, what every store and product page must show, how returns and complaints must be handled, and the fines for breaking these rules. It covers websites and apps as well as selling through social media marketplaces.
This free checker turns the Act's main duties into simple questions, then gives you a compliance score and a to-do list with the exact section for each item. It also builds the 'business information' block the Act requires and a checklist for your product pages. Everything was written from the official text published by the Nepal Law Commission.
How to use the E-Commerce Act Checker
- In Compliance check, choose how you sell: your own website, a marketplace you run, a marketplace like Daraz, or social media.
- Answer each question Yes, No or Not sure. The questions change with how you sell.
- Read 'What to do next': every open item says what to fix, the section of the Act, and the possible fine. Items with the heaviest penalty are listed first.
- Open Store disclosure generator, fill in your details, and copy the block as plain text (Facebook, Daraz) or HTML (website footer or About page).
- Open Product page checklist and tick each of the 16 details your product pages already show.
Tips
- Your answers are saved only in this browser, so you can come back and continue.
- Update your business information on your platform within 48 hours of any change (Section 4(3)).
- This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. Confirm your case with the Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to register to sell online in Nepal?
Yes. Section 3 says only a firm, company or institution registered under Nepal's laws may do e-commerce. Section 5 then requires e-commerce businesses to apply online to be listed on the Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection's e-commerce portal. Small sellers may sell through other platforms such as social media instead of their own website (Section 4), but should confirm their listing duty with the Department.
How do I get an e-commerce listing number?
Apply electronically on the Department's e-commerce portal with your business name, address, registering authority and registration number, the owner's, partners' or directors' details, a description of your business, PAN or VAT number, contact details and branches. The Department must send your listing number within 7 days (Section 5). Report any new or closed branch within 7 days.
What business details must my online store show?
Section 4(2) requires your platform name, business name and address, registering authority and registration number, offices and branches, any special licence, whether you are a list-based or intermediary business, PAN or VAT number, contact and customer service details, the complaint handler's contact, and your e-commerce listing number. Update them within 48 hours of any change.
What must every product page show?
Section 6 lists 16 details, including the final price including tax, delivery charges and time, payment methods, warranty, the producer, country of origin for imports, whether the item can be returned or cancelled, manufacture and expiry dates, key terms in plain language, and a way to leave reviews and complaints.
What are the return and refund rules for online shops in Nepal?
If an item does not match its description, the buyer may return it unused and the business must accept it unconditionally (Section 10). The buyer can take an exchange of equal value or a full refund including tax. Shops must also accept returns and refund when goods are defective or delivered late (Sections 15 and 16).
How fast must I answer a customer complaint?
Register the complaint and confirm it to the buyer immediately, then decide within 15 days and reply in writing, giving reasons if you cannot resolve it (Section 33). Every e-commerce business must have an online complaint system.
What are the fines under the E-Commerce Act?
Selling without a platform, without being listed or without the required product details, and some other duties, can bring a fine of Rs 20,000 to Rs 1,00,000 (Section 22). Fake reviews, misleading ads, refusing valid returns or refunds, and breaking warranty promises can bring Rs 50,000 to Rs 5,00,000, prison of six months to three years, or both (Section 23).
Is cash on delivery allowed?
Yes. The buyer may pay before, during or after delivery, and payment to your delivery partner counts as payment to you (Section 8). Give the buyer an invoice and payment receipt immediately and keep a record.