In PrestaShop, Geolocation allows your store to detect a visitor’s country using their IP address. It can automatically:
- Restrict access by country
- Show localized taxes
- Display country-specific shipping methods
- Improve fraud prevention
- Support regional compliance
How to Configure Geolocation in PrestaShop
Step 1: Open Geolocation Settings
Go to:
International → Geolocation
Step 2: Download GeoLite2 Database
PrestaShop uses the MaxMind GeoLite2 country database.
Download from:
After downloading:
- Extract the file
- Upload
GeoLite2-Country.mmdb
Upload location:
/app/Resources/geoip/
For older PrestaShop versions:
/tools/geoip/
Step 3: Enable Geolocation
In back office:
- Enable geolocation
- Choose allowed or blocked countries
Options include:
- Visitors cannot see catalog
- Visitors can browse but not order
- Full access
Step 4: Configure Behavior
You can:
- Restrict orders from certain countries
- Disable shipping for unsupported regions
- Show country-specific taxes
Example:
- India customers → GST
- Europe customers → VAT
Step 5: Whitelist Your IP
Very important during testing.
Add your IP address to whitelist:
127.0.0.1
YOUR_PUBLIC_IP
Otherwise you may block yourself accidentally.
Common Uses
A. Country Restrictions
Block:
- Fraud-prone regions
- Unsupported shipping countries
B. Localized Pricing
Show:
- INR for India
- USD for USA
- EUR for Europe
C. Tax Automation
Automatically apply:
- GST
- VAT
- Sales tax
Troubleshooting
Geolocation Not Working
Check:
- GeoLite2 database installed
- Correct folder permissions
- PHP extensions enabled
- Cache cleared
Required PHP Extensions
Usually:
geoipmbstringcurl
Performance Tips
Geolocation can slightly increase server load.
Recommendations:
- Enable caching
- Use CDN
- Optimize hosting
Especially important for:
- Shared hosting
- Large catalogs
- High traffic stores
Security Benefits
Geolocation helps:
- Reduce fake orders
- Block suspicious regions
- Prevent bot traffic
- Control market access