On October 1, 2026, a law comes into force in Russia that obliges marketplaces to carry out mandatory verification of sellers and product cards. The initiator of the changes was the Ministry of Economic Development, which presented a concept for the implementation of this mechanism within the framework of the law on the platform economy.
Verification will become a universal requirement for all sellers, from self—employed to foreign companies. Legal entities will need to confirm their data through the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and the ESIA, individual entrepreneurs — through the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, and the self—employed - through the register of taxpayers. Reconciliation with the register of accredited representative offices is provided for foreign companies.
Special attention will be paid to checking product cards. High-risk categories will be monitored: dietary supplements, medicines, medical products, agrochemicals and pesticides. Platforms will be required to verify information about labeling and certification with government databases, in particular, with the Honest Sign.
The essence of innovations is automation of processes. Until now, each marketplace has set its own verification rules, which has led to chaos, barriers for sellers, and reduced customer confidence. The new order is designed to align approaches, simplify the launch of business on platforms and increase transparency. Verification will not be based on declarations, but on direct verification of data through state registers.
The Ministry of Economic Development emphasizes that the innovation is not aimed at tightening controls, but at creating a unified environment where sellers work according to transparent rules. At the same time, the agency promises to take into account the interests of small businesses and avoid excessive bureaucracy.
Industry representatives generally support the initiative, especially in the fight against counterfeiting. However, they emphasize that integration with government systems will require significant technical improvements. This is especially true for marketplaces operating under the dropshipping model, when the product is physically located with the seller, and not in the platform's warehouse.
It is expected that the final list of marketplaces subject to regulation will be determined before the law comes into force in October 2026. The criteria include attendance of at least 100,000 users per day or an annual transaction volume of at least 50 billion rubles.
Thus, the e-commerce market in Russia is moving to a new level of maturity. Unified verification should become the basis for creating a trusting environment between the buyer, seller and the platform.