We get a lot of enquiries regarding the issue of documents required when registering an Amazon Seller account. We decided to compile this information so that any new Amazon seller can find out what documents they need before opening an Amazon Seller Central account.

Before registering an Amazon Seller account

Firstly, being an Amazon seller is only possible for businesses. It is not possible for individuals to sell on Amazon. If you’re running a business it doesn’t matter if it’s a sole trader, limited company or public limited company, any form is acceptable.

Before you start the account creation process, please go through the checklist below and make sure you have all the items / information listed below:

1. company details preferably from a current extract from Central Register of Information on Economic Activity (CEIDG) or National Court Register (KRS)
2. data of persons who are the owners / persons legally representing the company
3. data of the person who will be the main contact person and account manager
4. details of the persons who will be given additional user rights to the account
5. details of company bank account
6. credit/debit card
7. email address for account registration
8. 2 mobile phone numbers for account verification

Required documents to register an Amazon Seller account for a sole proprietorship.

To start with, we will tell you what documents you need to register a seller account running a business. In the next paragraph, we will add information on what additional document will be required for Companies. Ok, then running a business and wanting to start an Amazon account, you need:

1. an extract from CEIDG no older than 3 months counting from the date of account opening. From this document it is best to copy the exact details to be completed on the Seller Central side so that everything matches 1 to 1. Do not shorten the company name, use abbreviations or substitutions. For example, if the street name is General Sikorski Avenue, do not change it to General Sikorski Street, etc. Depending on a number of variables at times, Amazon may ask for a CEIDG extract in electronic form, but often does not do so. If we are asked to send it, usually the Polish language version is sufficient, however, it is becoming more and more common to be told that it is an “Invalid Document” and then a translation must be sent. The translation does not have to be certified, but it is important that it is done by a professional translator and preferably stamped. The preferred form of such a file is .pdf.

    – Identity document of the person who manages the accounts, the so-called “Primary Contact”. For several months now, a separate scan for both sides of an ID card has been required – one file for the front and a separate file for the reverse of the document. In the case of a passport, a scan of the photo page is sufficient. Make sure that the scan is clearly legible. If you have an old ID card with your address on it, it is important that this address matches the address you gave when registering for an account and on the proof of address receipt, which is discussed below.

– Documentary proof of address. This is the part that usually surprises new sellers the most and often causes a lot of problems. The residential address confirmation applies to the person who is the “Primary Contact” and not the business address. Amazon wants confirmation that the details of the person actually managing the Amazon account are real. Address confirmation can be used as: An electricity, gas, water, telephone or cable TV bill. It is important that this bill shows the person’s name and address and that these details match the details you provided when registering your account. You can erase sensitive data such as customer number, PESEL, bill amount, but you cannot interfere with the file itself, i.e. change its records. If you want to erase part of the data, simply print out the bill, erase the sensitive data, scan it and attach it to Seller Central in this form.

As an alternative to the invoice, it is possible to attach a bank statement as proof of the account manager’s details. As above, you can blur the account number, balance, etc.

– Business account statement. There are several ways of confirming a bank account, one of which is to send a bank statement. This is the business account into which the money from Amazon will be transferred. It is important that the details match the company details given during the account registration. As with the account, you can remove sensitive data such as the balance or transaction details from the account.

Documents required for Amazon Seller for Companies

Of course, when it comes to company data, we use an extract from the National Court Register, also not older than 3 months.

In addition to the documents mentioned above, you will additionally need the following documents.

1. data of persons representing the company or its co-owners, so called Beneficial Owners. If the company’s board of directors/co-owners is composed of more than one person, you will need the data of all these persons. This includes basic data such as: first name, last name, home address, date of birth and identity card or passport number.
2. scans of the identity documents of the co-owners/managers. As in the case of sole proprietorships, we need a scan of the ID card / passport in .pdf format. Fortunately, receipts proving the residential addresses of these people are not required.
3. Letter of Authoristation. If the person who will be responsible for maintaining the account is not a board member / co-owner, Amazon will ask for a letter confirming that the person is authorised on behalf of the company to represent its interests with Amazon. It is important that this letter is on company letterhead and signed by a representative of the company.

Secondary Users” Amazon Seller Central

OK, your account is up and running. It’s time to assign tasks and accesses. If you want other people to have access to your account, you can assign them access and specify the extent of their access to specific sections of your account.

Each Secondary User, once the account has been created, will need to provide their basic details which you will need to enter from the main account. These basic details are: First name, last name, date of birth, ID number and home address. In addition, if you authorise this user to process refunds to customers and make withdrawals from their Amazon account to their bank account, you will also need a scan of their ID and a receipt confirming their residential address – see above.

Summary

It is important that you prepare most of the above documents right away, before you set up your account, so that nothing surprises you when you open it. If you do not provide the required documents or if they are wrong, you risk a partial block of the account even before the sale starts.

Prepare all scans preferably as .pdf files and make sure they are legible and the files are not larger than 10MB.

If you are registering your sales account as a foundation, the documents required will differ from those listed above.

The above is valid for September 2019 and Amazon changes dynamically, so make sure the list of required documents is still up to date before launching your account or contact us – we’d be happy to help.

We share what we know and want Polish sellers to grow their business on Amazon dynamically. If you have any comments or updates on the above, please share them below this post. Be part of the Go2Market Community.

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