International site separate from local sire

This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.

Problem:
You are considering a multisite setup where the main site (example.com) does not use WPML, and a subsite (example.com/en-us/) uses WPML. You are concerned about potential conflicts between the local and international sites on the same root domain.
Solution:
We can confirm that in a Multisite network, each site operates with its own independent language setup. Therefore, WPML will treat each subsite independently. This setup means that you can have WPML only on the example.com/en-us/ subsite without causing direct conflicts with the main site that does not use WPML. However, it's important to note that you will not be able to connect content between different subsites using WPML. For more details, you can visit our documentation on multisite support: WPML Multisite Support.

If this solution does not fully address your concerns, or if it seems outdated or not applicable to your specific case, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. Additionally, feel free to open a new support ticket for personalized assistance at WPML Support Forum.

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Tagged: Documentation request

This topic contains 3 replies, has 0 voices.

Last updated by Andreas W. 5 months, 1 week ago.

Assisted by: Andreas W..

Author	Posts
August 7, 2025 at 2:18 pm #17302939
chrisM-79	Background of the issue: Our client offers services globally but only sells the full range of products locally in the UK. We propose to keep the local site on example.com and create a separate site for international territories at example.com/en-us/. We plan to install WPML there and are considering a Multisite installation with WPML on the 'international' site, leaving the default language as a subfolder (en-us). Symptoms: We are concerned about potential conflicts between the local and international sites as they would exist on the same root domain. Questions: Do you have any insight on whether this setup would work as proposed? What is the most efficient way to implement this solution?
August 8, 2025 at 5:31 pm #17306112
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	Hello, On a Multisite network, each site has its own independent language setup. This means WPML treats each subsite independently. The downside of this is that you will not be able to connect content between different subsites with WPML. More details: https://wpml.org/documentation/support/multisite-support/ Best regards Andreas
August 11, 2025 at 3:19 pm #17310626
chrisM-79	Hi Andreas, I understand. My question whether having a site on ".com" without WPML, and a site on ".com/en-us/" with WPML on the same multisite installation could create issues.
August 12, 2025 at 2:33 pm #17313990
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	Yes, if you have multiple sites, like a site on ".com" without WPML, and A site on ".com/en-us/" with WPML is then possible with WPML. WPML treats each subsite independently, so having WPML only on example.com/en-us/ is technically valid. No direct conflict arises from having WPML on one subsite and not the other.