| Significant Accounting Policies (Policies) | 3 Months Ended |
| Mar. 31, 2019 |
| Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |
| Basis of Accounting, Policy [Policy Text Block] | Basis of Presentation The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP and pursuant to the reporting and disclosure rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). |
| Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block] | Principles of Consolidation These consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Net Element, Inc. and our subsidiary companies. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. |
| Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block] | Cash We maintain our U.S. dollar-denominated cash in several non-interest bearing bank deposit accounts. All U.S. non-interest bearing transaction accounts are insured up to a maximum of $250,000 $0 $600,000 March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018, 67,000 $74,000 March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018, |
| Cash and Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block] | Restricted Cash Restricted cash represents funds held-on-deposit with processing banks pursuant to agreements to cover potential merchant losses. It is presented as other long-term assets on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets since the related agreements extend beyond the next twelve 2016 18, Statement of Cash Flows: Restricted Cash 230 March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018 Cash on consolidated balance sheet $ 476,989 $ 1,645,481 Restricted cash 654,754 604,070 Total cash and restricted cash $ 1,131,743 $ 2,249,551 |
| Receivables, Trade and Other Accounts Receivable, Allowance for Doubtful Accounts, Policy [Policy Text Block] | Accounts Receivable and Credit Policies Accounts receivable consist primarily of uncollateralized credit card processing residual payments due from processing banks requiring payment within thirty not |
| Inventory, Policy [Policy Text Block] | Inventories Inventories consist of POS equipment which we use to service both merchants and ISG's. Often, we will provide the equipment as an incentive for merchants and independent sales agents to enter into a merchant contracts with us. The term of these contracts has an average length of three |
| Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Intangible Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block] | Intangible Assets Intangible assets acquired, either individually or with a group of other assets (but not not December 31, 2018 three March 31, 2019. The cost of internally developing, maintaining and restoring intangible assets (including goodwill) that are not Intangible assets include acquired merchant relationships, recurring cash flow portfolios, referral agreements, trademarks, tradenames, website development costs and non-compete agreements. Merchant relationships represent the fair value of customer relationships purchased by us. Recurring cash flow portfolios give us the right to retain a greater share of the cash flow, in the form of paying less commissions to an independent sales agent, related to certain future transactions with the agent referred sales partners. Referral agreements represent the right to exclusively obtain referrals from a partner for their customers' credit card processing services. We amortize definite lived identifiable intangible assets using a method that reflects the pattern in which the economic benefits of the intangible asset are expected to be consumed or otherwise utilized. The estimated useful lives of our customer-related intangible assets approximate the expected distribution of cash flows on a straight-line basis from each asset. The useful lives of contract-based intangible assets are equal to the terms of the agreement. Management evaluates the remaining useful lives and carrying values of long-lived assets, including definite lived intangible assets, at least annually, or when events and circumstances warrant such a review, to determine whether significant events or changes in circumstances indicate that a change in the useful life or impairment in value may no three March 31, 2019 March 31, 2018. |
| Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Goodwill, Policy [Policy Text Block] | Goodwill In accordance with ASC 350, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other Our goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the net identifiable assets acquired in business combinations. The goodwill generated from the business combinations is primarily related to the value placed on the employee workforce and expected synergies. Judgment is involved in determining if an indicator or change in circumstances relating to impairment has occurred. Such changes may We have the option of performing a qualitative assessment of impairment to determine whether any further quantitative testing for impairment is necessary. The option of whether or not may not January 1, 2017 No. 2017 04, not At December 31, 2018, $636,000 2019, For a discussion of the estimate methodology and the significance of various inputs, please see the subheading below titled “Use of Estimates.” |
| Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Capitalized Customer Acquisition Costs, Net, Policy [Policy Text Block] | Capitalized Customer Acquisition Costs, Net Capitalized customer acquisition costs consist of up-front cash payments made to ISG’s for the establishment of new merchant relationships. Capitalized customer acquisition costs represent incremental, direct customer acquisition costs that are recoverable through gross margins associated with merchant contracts. The up-front cash payment to the ISG is based on the estimated gross margin for the first not four 5 Client Acquisition Costs |
| Accrued Residual Commissions, Policy [Policy Text Block] | Accrued Residual Commissions We record commissions as a cost of revenues in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. We pay agent commissions to ISGs and independent sales agents based on the processing volume of the merchants enrolled. The commission obligations are based on varying percentages of the volume processed by us on behalf of the merchants. Percentages vary based on the program type and transaction volume of each merchant. |
| Fair Value of Financial Instruments, Policy [Policy Text Block] | Fair Value Measurements Our financial instruments consist primarily of cash, accounts receivables, accounts payables. The carrying values of these financial instruments are considered to be representative of their fair values due to the short-term nature of these instruments. The carrying amount of the long-term debt of approximately $6.3 $6.4 March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018, not 2 We measure certain nonfinancial assets and liabilities at fair value on a nonrecurring basis. Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. We use a three three Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 not These non-financial assets and liabilities include intangible assets and liabilities acquired in a business combination as well as impairment calculations, when necessary. The fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in connection with the PayOnline acquisition, were measured at fair value by us at the acquisition date. The fair values of our merchant portfolios are primarily based on Level 3 3. 3. |
| Lessee, Leases [Policy Text Block] | Leases Effective January 1, 2019, 2016 02, Leases 842 840, Leases 840 842 Under Topic 842, not 12 March 31, 2019. We identify leases in our contracts if the contract conveys the right to control the use of identified property or equipment for a period of time in exchange for consideration. We do not not |
| Revenue from Contract with Customer [Policy Text Block] | Revenue Recognition and Deferred Revenue We recognize revenue when all of the following criteria are met: ( 1 2 3 4 5 not not Our transactional processing fees are generated primarily from TOT Payments doing business as Unified Payments, which is our North American Transaction Solutions segment, PayOnline, which is our International Transaction Solutions segment, and Aptito, which is our point of sale solution for restaurants. We work directly with payment card networks and banks so that our merchants do not The majority of our revenues is derived from volume-based payment processing fees ("discount fees”) and other related fixed transaction or service fees. Discount fees represent a percentage of the dollar amount of each credit or debit transaction processed. Discount fees are recognized at the time the merchants’ transactions are processed. Generally, where we have control over merchant pricing, merchant portability, credit risk and ultimate responsibility for the merchant relationship, revenues are reported at the time of sale on a gross basis equal to the full amount of the discount charged to the merchant. This amount includes interchange fees paid to card issuing banks and assessments paid to payment card networks pursuant to which such parties receive payments based primarily on processing volume for particular groups of merchants. Revenues generated from merchant portfolios where we do not Revenues are also derived from a variety of fixed transaction or service fees, including authorization fees, convenience fees, statement fees, annual fees, and fees for other miscellaneous services, such as handling chargebacks. Revenues derived from service fees are recognized at the time the services are performed and there are no no We primarily report revenues gross as a principal versus net as an agent. Although some of our processing agreements vary with respect to specific terms, the transactional processing service fees collected from merchants generally are recognized as revenue on a gross basis as we are the principal in the delivery of the managed payments solutions to the sellers. The gross fees we collect are intended to cover the interchange, assessments and other processing and non-processing fees which are included and are part of our gross margin. We have primary responsibility for providing end-to-end payment processing services for our clients. Our clients contract us for all credit card processing services, including transaction authorization, settlement, dispute resolution, data/transmission security, risk management, reporting, technical support and other value-added services. We have concluded that we are the principal because we control the services before delivery to the merchant, and are primarily responsible for the delivery of the services, have discretion in setting prices charged to merchants, and responsible for losses. We also have pricing latitude and can provide services using several different network options. |
| Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block] | Net Loss per Share Basic net loss per common share is computed by dividing net loss applicable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per common share is determined using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period, adjusted for the dilutive effect of common stock equivalents, consisting of shares issuable upon exercise of common stock options or warrants. In periods when losses are reported, the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding excludes common stock equivalents because their inclusion would have an anti-dilutive effect. |
| Income Tax, Policy [Policy Text Block] | Income Taxes We account for income taxes under the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined on the basis of the differences between the financial statements and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. We recognize net deferred tax assets to the extent that we believe these assets are more likely than not We account for uncertainty in income taxes using a two first not second 50% one December 31, 2012 March 31, 2019. |
| Cost of Goods and Service [Policy Text Block] | Interchange, Network Fees and Other Cost of Services Interchange and network fees consist primarily of fees that are directly related to discount fee revenue. These include interchange fees paid to issuers and assessment fees payable to card associations, which are a percentage of the processing volume we generate from Visa and Mastercard, AMEX, and Discover, as well as fees charged by card-issuing banks. Other costs of services include costs directly attributable to processing and bank sponsorship costs, which may not |
| Foreign Currency Transactions and Translations Policy [Policy Text Block] | Foreign Currency Transactions We are subject to exchange rate risk in our foreign operations in Russia, the functional currency of which is the Russian ruble, where we generate service fee revenues, interest income or expense, incur product development, engineering, website development, and selling, general and administrative costs and expenses. Our Russian subsidiaries pay a majority of their operating expenses in their local currencies, exposing us to exchange rate risk. |
| Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block] | Use of Estimates The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses for the reporting period. Such estimates include, but are not not Below is a summary of the Company’s critical accounting estimates for which the nature of management’s assumptions are material due to the levels of subjectivity and judgment necessary to account for highly uncertain matters or the susceptibility of such matters to change, and for which the impact of the estimates and assumptions on financial condition or operating performance is material. Goodwill The Company tests goodwill for impairment using a fair value approach at least annually, absent some triggering event that would require an interim impairment assessment. Significant estimates and assumptions are used in our goodwill impairment review and include the identification of reporting units, assigning assets and liabilities to reporting units, assigning goodwill to reporting units and determining the fair value of each reporting unit. Our assessment of qualitative factors involves significant judgments about expected future business performance, general market conditions, and regulatory changes. In a quantitative assessment, the fair value of each reporting unit is determined based largely on the present value of projected future cash flows, growth assumptions regarding discount rates, estimated growth rates and our future long-term business plans. Changes in any of these estimates or assumptions could materially affect the determination of fair value and the associated goodwill impairment charge for each reporting unit. |
| New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block] | Recent Accounting Pronouncements Adoption of ASU 2016 02, In February 2016, 2016 02, 842 December 15, 2018, January 1, 2019, 842 842 no January 1, 2019. January 1, 2019 842, not 840. 842. We recorded operating lease right-of-use asset $564,000 January 1, 2019, 12 Recent accounting pronouncements not In January 2017, 2017 04 350 2 not December 15, 2019 not In June 2016, 2016 13, 326 January 1, 2020. January 1, 2019. not |
