Regulations and services verified in August 2026. Tax schedules, provider requirements, and regulations still being implemented can change. For your specific case, confirm with an accountant or lawyer.
Choosing a platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, or custom development) is a separate decision—if you haven’t made it yet, we cover it in Shopify vs WooCommerce vs custom development. This post covers the operational and legal requirements that apply regardless of which platform you use.
One clarification up front: this article does not replace advice from an accountant or lawyer for your specific business. The Paraguayan e-commerce regulatory framework is in flux (electronic invoicing in rollout), and where the rule is not conclusive we mark it explicitly, claim by claim.
What is mandatory and what depends on your model
In Paraguay, opening an online store does not by itself create a distinct tax category: the obligation to obtain a RUC and issue receipts derives from the economic activity, while the obligation to use SIFEN depends on the specific situation of the taxpayer and the current resolutions issued by the DNIT. A payment gateway and a logistics service, by contrast, are operational decisions. You need them depending on how you collect payment and what you deliver, not because the law requires them across the board.
| Element | Is it mandatory? | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| RUC | Yes, for the economic activity carried out | From the start of business operations |
| Receipt issuance | Yes | According to tax regime |
| SIFEN / electronic invoice | Depends on the taxpayer’s situation | Groups designated by DNIT, new legal entities, contracts with the State covered by RG 41/25, and other cases provided by resolution |
| E-commerce legal information | Yes | For providers covered by Law N° 4.868/2013 |
| Privacy policy / information | Yes, already in force | Law N° 4.868/2013 |
| Online payment gateway | Not necessarily | If you want to process electronic payments through a gateway |
| Last-mile logistics | Depends | Mainly for physical goods with home delivery |
| Compliance with Law N° 7.593/2025 | Not yet fully enforceable | Scheduled to enter into force on November 27, 2027; worth preparing in advance |
This table is a general guide, not an opinion on your case. Each business’s situation, meaning sector, volume, and taxpayer type, changes exactly what applies.
Electronic invoicing (SIFEN / e-Kuatia)
The DNIT (formerly SET) has been bringing taxpayers into the electronic invoicing system (SIFEN) in a phased approach by groups, not all at once across the country. According to the DNIT General Resolution N° 52, that resolution brings in groups 19 through 24, with staggered dates from June 2026 through September 2027, affecting approximately 3,000 taxpayers. Affected taxpayers receive notification from DNIT; to confirm whether your business is in a specific group and from when, check directly with DNIT or your accountant. We did not find an explicit list in the publicly available text of “B2C e-commerce” as a separate category within those groups.
There is an important additional scenario that is often overlooked: since April 1, 2025, legal entities registering as new taxpayers in the RUC can only issue their tax documents through e-Kuatia or e-Kuatia’i, according to article 9 of DNIT General Resolution N° 21/24, except for the exceptions that the regulation itself provides (for example, for withholdings). If you are about to set up a new company for your online store, this applies to you directly, regardless of any group schedule.
Regarding State suppliers: DNIT General Resolution N° 41/25 establishes that anyone who signs a contract, on or after January 2, 2026, as a supplier, contractor, or consultant to the entities covered by Law N° 7.021/2022 and who is not yet enrolled in SIFEN must enroll starting the day after that contract is signed—it is not that all State suppliers became obligated in bulk on January 2, 2026, but rather that the obligation is triggered contract by contract, subject to the rules and exceptions in the resolution (which also repealed the old article 7 of RG 21/24 to unify the criterion). If you sell to the State, check the date on every new contract you sign.
One point that DNIT itself confirms directly: as of the start date for each group under RG 52, authorization and stamping of preprinted or self-printed documents from affected taxpayers loses validity from the following day. Don’t wait until the last minute to migrate to the electronic system once your turn comes up.
To choose a tool: DNIT offers e-Kuatia’i, free, aimed at small taxpayers with low issuance volume who also have a single establishment and a single billing point declared in the RUC (e-Kuatia’i official portal); and e-Kuatia, the solution aimed at medium and large taxpayers. A small store that is just getting started probably fits better with e-Kuatia’i, as long as it meets those eligibility conditions. If you have more than one establishment or more than one billing point, you do not qualify for e-Kuatia’i; in that case, you will need to look at the electronic invoicing option that matches your situation and the applicable regulations.
RUC and formalization: do you need it to sell on social media?
The RUC is the first step to operate legally as a self-employed person, merchant, or company, and DNIT marks it as mandatory for those who carry out economic activities (DNIT—RUC registration). Law N° 6.380 on Modernization and Simplification of the National Tax System defines the purchase-sale of goods within organized and habitual business activity.
Now, the specific question most often asked—“do I need a RUC to sell on Instagram or WhatsApp?”—has no Paraguayan regulation that says it in those words. Unlike Peru, which does have an express provision on sales through social media, in Paraguay we did not find a DNIT resolution dedicated to the topic. The answer is inferred from the general principle: if the activity is habitual and commercial, the obligation to obtain a RUC and issue a receipt applies, whether the sales channel is an online store, social media, or WhatsApp—the channel does not by itself change the nature of the activity. It is a reasonable inference from the general economic activity law, not a direct quote from a regulation dedicated to social media commerce. For your specific business case (frequency of sales, volume, whether it is your only activity or something occasional), talk to an accountant before assuming a firm answer either way.
Legal and privacy information already mandatory today
This is the part no e-commerce checklist in Paraguay can skip, and the part generic platform comparisons usually get thin on.
The Electronic Commerce Law N° 4.868/2013 is in force and directly regulates providers of goods and services by electronic means at a distance covered by the regulation. Article 7 requires making the following available to the buyer, among other information:
- identification and contact details of the provider (business name, address, email address, telephone);
- level of security and privacy policy used to protect personal data;
- characteristics of the product or service;
- delivery conditions and responsibility;
- warranties, when applicable;
- cancellation procedure;
- refund, exchange, and return conditions;
- price, currency, payment methods, shipping cost, and final amount;
- mechanisms to detect and correct errors before confirming the purchase;
- express confirmation of the transaction.
Additionally, article 17 establishes a refund mechanism when what was received does not match what was promised, and article 30 recognizes, in certain cases, a right of withdrawal of up to five business days from receipt for the buyer—the regulation itself sets conditions for exercising it, including the condition of the product and the costs associated with the return (BACN—text of Law N° 4.868).
The Consumer and User Protection Law N° 1.334/1998 also applies to all commercial transactions of goods and services between provider and consumer, including online sales (BACN).
This list is a summary for orientation, not a substitute for legal review specific to your sector. Some requirements, such as warranties and return conditions, vary with what you sell.
The new Personal Data Protection Law
The Personal Data Protection Law N° 7.593/2025, the country’s first comprehensive personal data protection framework, was published on November 27, 2025. Article 57 of that law establishes that it enters into force 24 months after official publication (BACN—text of Law N° 7.593), which places its entry into force on November 27, 2027. MITIC confirmed in April 2026 that the regulation will enter into force at the end of 2027 (MITIC). The law creates the National Agency for Personal Data Protection as the supervisory authority, though its structure and day-to-day operation still depend on the implementing regulations.
One important nuance: the fact that this general law is not yet in force does not mean an online store has no privacy obligations today. As detailed above, the Electronic Commerce Law N° 4.868/2013, in force since 2013, already requires you to inform your privacy policy and the level of security used to protect your customers’ personal data.
With extraterritorial scope (it would apply to those who offer goods or services to Paraguay residents even if they are not established there), Law N° 7.593 gives you a long runway, but the clock is already running. If your store collects customer data (name, address, purchase history), putting a reasonable privacy policy together now, which Law N° 4.868 already requires of you, will cost far less than scrambling to do it once the new law takes effect.
Payment gateways
Two options available to collect payments online in Paraguay are Bancard, with its vPOS system, and Pagopar.
Bancard vPOS allows payments from web or app, with support for credit cards, debit cards, and Zimple; its published requirements for business accounts include a RUC and business documentation, and depending on the type of business it also asks for a bank account and corporate paperwork (Bancard vPOS). Pagopar also offers online checkout aimed at small and mid-sized businesses, with local and international cards, cash collection points, and digital wallets; its merchant signup process likewise asks for a RUC and business documentation (Pagopar registration).
The commercial processes published by both require RUC and business documentation; additional requirements (bank account, corporate documentation) depend on the provider and the type of company. The exact terms, meaning fees and settlement times, also vary by gateway and sales volume, so get quotes from both before deciding.
Logistics and shipping
Last-mile logistics is not a universal legal requirement: it depends on your model. If you sell physical products with home delivery, you have to solve it one way or another. If your model is store pickup, or you sell digital products or services, you may not need it at all.
Some options available today for those who do need physical delivery:
- Correo Paraguayo, the national postal network.
- PedidosYa Envíos, last-mile logistics with e-commerce integration and quick deliveries in covered areas (PedidosYa Envíos).
- AEX, e-commerce logistics with API integration, door-to-door delivery, and eLockers (AEX).
- Local delivery or courier, especially for deliveries within Asunción and Greater Asunción.
There is no single comparable rate sheet between all these providers: prices, coverage, and times depend on the service and the area. The practical way to decide is to check each provider’s current terms and get coverage quotes for the area you actually sell into.
How to resolve all of this with a single e-commerce provider
Electronic invoicing, payment gateway, and logistics usually end up integrated into the same system—our e-commerce service handles that technical integration, and if you already have other systems (accounting, inventory, CRM) that need to talk to each other, that is work for automation and integrations. What Flexora does not do is make the tax or legal determination for your specific case. That is your accountant’s or lawyer’s call; our job is making sure the system does what that determination requires.