Required materials and requirements for the Amazon European Seller Qualification Review (KYC)

The European site, which has vast business opportunities, has always been favored by many sellers. In order to successfully enter the European site, please ensure that you have completed the qualification review required to enter the European site - the Seller Qualification Review (Know Your Customer (KYC)).

Under what circumstances will KYC review be triggered?How to pass the KYC review?Don't worry, the detailed guide is here!Xiaobian has summarized the relevant details about KYC review for you, take you to quickly understand seller qualification review (KYC), and understand the required steps and related requirements in one article~

According to European law, if sellers need to sell or continue to sell on Amazon Europe and receive transaction proceeds, they are required to provide Amazon with information about themselves and their business, that is, Know Your Customer (KYC).

Depending on the actual situation of different sellers, KYC review may be triggered in the following 3 situations:

1 Once the seller registration stage has been verified
After completing registration and identity verification, most sellers will trigger a simplified KYC review immediately after entering Amazon Seller Central on the European site and confirming that all beneficiary information has been added in “Settings > Account Information > Identity Information”.
The KYC review process triggered at this stage has been greatly simplified, and there is no need to provide complicated information. For new sellers, it is more convenient and efficient to start your European best-selling journey!

2 Change key store account information
The review may also be triggered again if the seller changes key information (such as credit card information, beneficial owner information, etc.) in Amazon Seller Central from the time the authentication is completed until the sale is launched. At this point, sellers need to complete the review as soon as possible in accordance with the required information, otherwise they may face sales restrictions.

3 Open an after-sales store account and receive payments close to a certain threshold
If the seller has not triggered a full KYC review before starting the sale, they will also need to provide more information for review when the payment is close to a certain threshold after opening the store account.
During the review process, if the receipt has not reached a certain threshold, the store can still sell normally; however, when the store's receipt reaches a certain threshold, you may face sales restrictions until you can reactivate the store and restart sales after passing the review.

Depending on several of the situations mentioned above, sellers will be required to provide different materials for KYC review. Here's a summary of the relevant review process for you:

1 When you have completed registration and entered Amazon Seller Central Europe

The seller will trigger a KYC review, which is divided into the following two situations:
▲If beneficiary information has been filled in, the simplified KYC review process will be automatically triggered, and no action is required on your part.
▲If you have not filled in the beneficiary information: Please complete the beneficiary information on the “Settings > Account Information > Identity Information” page. After filling in the information, you will enter a simplified KYC review process.

2 Check the results of the simplified KYC review process via email

After completing the previous step, Amazon will conduct a KYC review and notify you of the results via email. Generally, there are two types of results:
▲The seller does not need to provide additional materials: at this point, you have passed the simplified KYC review and can sell normally on the European site!

▲Sellers need to provide simple materials: Please refer to the email notification and submit relevant materials according to the specific requirements in the email to further complete the simplified KYC review.

3 Changing key store account information/opening an after-sales store account to receive payments close to a certain threshold will trigger the regular KYC review process

If the seller changes key store account information, or if the receipt of funds from the store account is close to a certain threshold after opening, they will need to provide more materials for KYC review. Please check your email and performance notifications first. If you receive a notification, be sure to prepare the corresponding materials according to the requirements. If you have not received it, please prepare the corresponding materials according to the “Identity Information” window opened in “Account Information”.

The following is a summary of the material requirements and general KYC review process steps required for the review. The specific materials to be submitted will depend on your situation and are for reference only:

💡 Company and personal materials (6 items)
1. A color scan or color photograph of the company's business documents must be issued by mainland China/Hong Kong/Taiwan
2 Company Articles of Association
3 Company equity diagram (only applicable to subsidiaries/listed companies/other companies with complex shareholding structures in mainland China)
Identification documents for 4 individuals (primary contact, legal representative of the enterprise, or beneficiaries)
5 Legal representative address information data
6 Bank account owner certificate (for companies in mainland China)

💡 Additional materials (3 items)
1 Authorization letter
2 Notarized documents for relevant materials
3 One photo, one code

Once the materials are ready, click the red box “More Information Required” on the homepage, or click “Identity Information” in “Account Information” to upload the data according to the window that opens in the back office and then click Submit. Please be patient after submission. Generally, Amazon's review time is 3-5 business days.

After the review is approved, please try not to modify it at will if it is not necessary. Any modification may re-trigger the review for verification. It is recommended that you pay attention to the following points when submitting materials again:
1 Be sure to fill in and upload real materials in good faith to avoid failure to pass the review due to acts such as forgery or tampering with materials and documents
2. Pay attention to the consistency of the materials and the validity period of the documents
3 Complete all audit materials and information at one time

If Amazon requires additional information from you in the future, it will notify you in the following three ways:
1 Email address provided during registration
2 Notification bar in Amazon Seller Central:
You can find this information under the Performance > Performance Notifications tab.
3 “Identity Information” page in Amazon Seller Central:
You can find this page under Settings > Account Information > Identity Information tab.

I believe that the above popular science has given all novice sellers a certain understanding of KYC audits. Below, Xiaobian has also prepared an FAQ section to try to solve your problems during the review process in more detail.

Currently, I have registered a total of 14 sites. Does the European site trigger KYC need to be managed? If not, will the site I'm running now be affected?

A: Generally, if you don't need to open the European site, then not completing the KYC review will not affect the operation of other sites; if you need to sell or continue to sell and receive transaction revenue on the European site, you must pass the KYC review.

What is the difference between KYC review and second review?

A: The KYC review is a qualification review for sellers who sell on Amazon Europe. Sellers are required to provide information about themselves and their business to ensure compliant sales.
Depending on the actual situation of different sellers, not all situations triggering KYC audits are the same. Generally, there are three types:
The first situation is that after completing registration and authentication, most sellers enter the Amazon seller platform on the European site and confirm that all beneficiary information has been added, and KYC review will be triggered immediately;
The second situation is that some sellers need to provide more information for review when the store's account payment is close to a certain threshold after the sale is launched.
The third situation is when opening an after-sales store account to receive payments close to a certain threshold. If the seller has not triggered a full KYC review before starting the sale, they will also need to provide more information for review when the payment is close to a certain threshold after opening the store account. During the review process, if the receipt has not reached a certain threshold, the store can still sell normally, but when the store's receipt reaches a certain threshold, you may face sales restrictions until you can reactivate the store and restart sales after passing the review.
The account review triggered after completing Amazon registration is called a “second review” by many people across borders. This is a review process where Amazon may suspend some sellers' accounts and request more information in order to help buyers and sellers maintain a trustworthy marketplace. This usually happens when an account is suspended and needs to be reactivated. Sellers are required to submit clear and clear relevant information and documents as required in order for the review department to carry out an “account review”. However, this is not an inevitable procedure, and not every seller will be required to conduct an account review!
Reminder: If you encounter a second trial and KYC review at the same time, please apply for a successful second review before appealing for KYC review.

Is there anything special to be aware of during the KYC review process?

A: When proofreading and supplementing identity information, please fill it out accurately and make no mistakes. Once the review is approved, please do not modify the Amazon Seller Central information at will unless necessary; any changes may re-trigger the review for verification.

What proof of business registration do I need to submit during the KYC review?

A: It means a color scan of the company's business license:
• Mainland China: business license;
● Companies in Hong Kong, China: Company Registration Certificates and Business Registration Regulations
• Taiwan, China: Limited company registration form, limited company registration form, limited company change registration form, corporation change registration form.
Since April 5, 2023, the following six documents have been added, which can also be submitted for review: Sole Proprietary Business Registration Approval Letter, Limited Partnership Establishment/Change Registration Form, Unlimited Company Establishment/Change Registration Form, Joint Stock Company Establishment/Change Registration Form, and Closed Joint Stock Company Establishment/Change Registration Form.

I need to submit “one license, one code” when receiving a performance notice, but the statute window is open. Which documents should I submit?

A: Please refer to the performance notice requirements. The original “one license, one code” registration application, or company change (filing) registration application. All three types of documents are accepted; just provide one of them.

Is there a template for the company's articles of association?

A: Please consult your local market supervision authority and/or other government departments or your advisors. The first and last pages of the submitted scanned copy of the company's articles of association should be stamped and signed and stamped with a seal.

When I upload a file, I get an invalid document prompt, what should I do?

A: First, please click on Performance - Performance Notifications on Amazon Seller Central to see if there are any recent notifications requiring you to submit additional materials. If so, please refer to the documents requested in the email; if not, please check whether the documents you have submitted meet the following requirements:
• The file size must be less than 10MB;
• Accepted formats are png, tiff, tif, jpg, jpeg, and pdf;
• Documents should be easy to read;
• The document must not be a screenshot.

Can the European site's payout account only be a public account?

A: Yes. There are 3 types of bank accounts to choose from for receiving payments (choose one of three):
• Domestic bank accounts
• Overseas bank accounts
• Third-party payout accounts
Also, be careful!The payee account owner is a registered company.

What type of bill is required for KYC?

A: The documents each seller needs to provide depend on the situation. For specific requirements, please check the email notification or go to Amazon Seller Central to check the specific required documents in Settings → Identity Information. Examples include business licenses, articles of association, proof of address, ID cards, account pages, comprehensive bank inquiries, etc.

Why do I need to provide a power of attorney?

A: When you set up a selling account with Amazon EU or Amazon Payments UK, you registered yourself as the contact person (POC) for that account. As a POC, you may or may not be authorized to open an account on behalf of your registered business. This permission is indicated when you fill in your information (such as POC), and you'll see a box at the bottom that says “I am also the legal representative for this business”. If you check this box, you are authorized to manage and disburse the funds in the account on behalf of the enterprise; for example, you are the beneficial owner of the business within the company, the chief financial officer, or a similar senior position. If you do not have this permission, you will be required to provide a letter of authorization. The person authorized to set up and manage the account on behalf of the business registration authority may authorize you to manage the account on their behalf.

Amazon Seller Central requires me to upload a letter of authorization, what should I do?

A: If the primary contact is not the company's legal representative or beneficiary, Amazon will require the seller to provide a letter of authorization from the company's legal representative authorizing the primary contact to actually operate the account. The documentation requirements are as follows:
• Written according to the template provided below;
• Signed by the beneficiaries/legal representatives;
• Company seal and letterhead (company's special paper);
• Indicate the date of signature;
• There is no time limit or end date.
If your primary contact is the legal representative, simply fill in the name of the legal representative in both places in the power of attorney.

I can't click the submit button on the KYC page, what should I do?

A: Please confirm if you have added beneficiaries. If the contact person is a legal representative and the legal representative is the beneficiary, please check on Amazon Seller Central. If the legal representative is not a beneficiary, remember to add a beneficiary on Amazon Seller Central. KYC cannot be submitted without beneficiary information.

Why does the Amazon Seller Central page in Europe keep saying “Your information is currently being verified. If additional information is required, we will contact you. ” Not verified yet?

A: There is a reminder that your account is being verified. During the verification process, please check your account email address promptly and pay attention to whether an email informs you to reply to the email or submit information, etc. If so, please respond promptly in accordance with the email requirements. If not, please wait patiently for the review, which usually takes up to 10 working days to complete.