Published October 22, 2026 · By Berke Gözübüyük

Amazon Seller Account Requirements from Abroad: Do You Need a US Company, and What Does It Cost?

Short answer: You don't need a US company or LLC to sell on Amazon.com from abroad. Amazon accepts registrations from listed countries if you have a valid phone number, an internationally chargeable credit card, a supported bank account, ID, proof of address, and tax information. The Professional plan costs $39.99 a month; Individual costs $0.99 per item sold, plus referral fees.

This guide summarizes Amazon's official registration and fee pages. It isn't tax or legal advice. Talk to an accountant or attorney about the right structure for you, both in your home country and in the US.

Do you need a US company to sell on Amazon from another country?

No. Amazon's seller registration guide says you don't need to be an LLC or registered business, or be otherwise incorporated, to sell in the Amazon store. During signup, if you operate as an individual or your business isn't incorporated, you select "None, I am an individual." Amazon's global selling page for European businesses makes the same point for companies: you may not be required to form a US company to sell in the US.

That said, Amazon's rule only covers Amazon's side. Your home country may tax that income or require a registered business for exports, and US tax treatment depends on your situation. Those questions belong with a tax professional.

Whether to form a US LLC anyway comes down to your own needs, not Amazon's. The questions usually worth raising with an advisor are where and in whose name the sales income will be taxed, how you'd limit personal liability if a product claim came up, how easy it is to open a US bank account and work with US suppliers, what the entity costs to maintain each year, and whether you plan to run more than one store or brand later. The answers differ from seller to seller, so blanket advice in either direction is rarely right.

Which countries can register to sell on Amazon.com?

Amazon maintains a list of countries accepted for seller registration, and it's broad: Turkey, the UK, most of the EU, Latin America, and much of Asia and Africa are on it. Registrations from Russia and Belarus are currently not accepted. The same page lists three baseline conditions: you must be resident in an accepted country, have a valid phone number, and have an internationally chargeable credit card.

What documents do you need to open an Amazon seller account?

Amazon's US registration guide lists what to have ready:

Government-issued ID (passport or national ID)
Email address and phone number
Internationally chargeable credit card
Bank account and routing number
Business license or registration, if you're registering a business
Proof of residential address from the last 180 days, such as a bank or credit card statement
Tax information

Amazon's registration requirements by store add a few specifics for North America. You'll complete an online tax interview that determines whether you file a W-9 (US taxpayer) or a W-8BEN (non-US taxpayer). The North America account is unified, so one Seller Central login covers Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and Amazon.com.mx. Your bank account must be in a country supported by the Amazon Currency Converter, and your account must have a business address associated with it. You can use a US bank account or have Amazon convert proceeds and pay them to a supported account at home.

How much does an Amazon seller account cost?

Opening the account is free. You pay through your selling plan and through fees on each sale. Figures below come from the Sell on Amazon pricing page and the Selling on Amazon fee schedule.

Fee	Individual plan	Professional plan
Monthly subscription	None	$39.99, charged only in months with active listings
Per-item fee	$0.99 per item sold	None
Referral fee	By category; 15% with a $0.30 minimum in most	Same
Closing fee (books, music, video, DVD)	$1.80 per item	$1.80 per item
Shipping rates on books, music, video, DVD	Amazon's rates apply	You can set your own, including free shipping
Best fit	Testing the market with a few items	Regular sales above roughly 40 items a month ($39.99 ÷ $0.99 ≈ 40)

Fulfillment by Amazon, storage, and advertising are billed separately and only if you use them. Two details are easy to miss. First, Amazon's fee schedule notes that a different subscription fee may apply if you have active listings in additional countries or regions through merged accounts. Second, the referral fee is calculated on the total sales price, which includes any shipping and gift-wrap charges the buyer pays, so price your listings off the full amount rather than the item price alone.

Should you register as an individual or as a company?

From Amazon's side, both work. The choice usually comes down to liability, banking, and tax, which is why it's a conversation for your accountant.

Question	Individual registration	Company registration
Allowed on Amazon.com?	Yes ("None, I am an individual")	Yes; enter company name and registration number
Identity verification	Your ID and proof of address	Company documents plus ID and address proof for the person registering
US tax form	Usually W-8BEN if you're not a US taxpayer	Determined by the tax interview based on entity type
Bank account	In your name, in a supported country	In the company's name, in a supported country
Home-country obligations	Check with a local tax advisor	Check with a local tax advisor

One country-specific note: if you're in Turkey and also want to sell on Amazon.com.tr, that store works differently. Amazon Türkiye requires sellers to be registered taxpayers (sole proprietorship, limited, or joint-stock company) and asks for a tax certificate or trade registry record. Its 99 TL + VAT monthly fee is currently waived for new accounts, according to Amazon Türkiye's fee page.

How do you register, step by step?

Choose your region. North America (US, Canada, Mexico) is one registration.
Decide on structure (individual or company) with your accountant.
Prepare documents and confirm the name and address match across your ID, card, and bank statement.
Enter business information: location and type, company name and registration number if any, business address, and phone.
Enter seller information: full legal name, country of citizenship and birth, date of birth, residential address.
Add billing details: the credit card for Amazon's charges and the bank account for payouts.
Complete the tax interview.
Verify your identity. Upload your ID and address proof, then either take a photo of your face and ID or join or schedule a video call with an Amazon associate.
Finish store setup and confirm your selling plan.
Check restrictions before listing. Products that show "Apply to sell" need approval first.

If you'd like help keeping the paperwork consistent, Amazon seller account setup covers what that service includes. Cloverlight's role there is checking that application documents line up with each other before submission; Amazon decides whether an account is approved.

What do international sellers have to do after the account is open?

Amazon's page of important information for international sellers sets ongoing obligations. You must answer buyer messages within 24 hours in the store's language, list products in the store's primary language and currency, state accurate shipping times from your actual location, and keep buyers clear of customs delays and surprise duties. You're also responsible for confirming that each product is legal to sell, import, and deliver in the destination country.

What should you focus on in your first month as a seller?

Getting approved is the starting line. In the first month, check Account Health daily, keep your first listings to products that don't need approval, set handling time to match how fast you can really ship, and watch the three numbers Amazon's Order Performance program policy enforces: Order Defect Rate under 1%, cancellation rate under 2.5%, and late shipment rate under 4%. Going over those thresholds can cost you selling privileges, and a new account has little history to absorb a bad week. If you plan to sell without holding inventory, read up on how Amazon dropshipping works under Amazon's rules before you list anything. And if you'd rather have someone monitor the account day to day, that's what Amazon account management covers.

What are the most common mistakes when opening an Amazon seller account?

Mismatched details. Different spellings or addresses across your ID, card, and bank account slow verification.
Stale address proof. Amazon's guide asks for a document from the last 180 days.
A card that won't charge internationally. It's one of the baseline eligibility conditions.
Opening a second account. Amazon's seller code of conduct allows one Seller Central account per region unless you have a legitimate business need.
Registering with someone else's documents. The account belongs to whoever is verified, with all the liability that implies.
Staying on Individual too long. Past about 40 sales a month, the per-item fee costs more than Professional.
Listing gated products right away. Unapproved listings in restricted categories can trigger early policy notices.

A resale certificate isn't part of Amazon registration, but it often comes up once you start buying inventory from US suppliers; Amazon resale certificate explains where it fits.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Can I sell on Amazon.com without a US bank account?

Yes. Amazon requires a bank account in a country supported by the Amazon Currency Converter, not necessarily a US one. If you use a non-US account, Amazon converts your US sales proceeds and deposits them in your local currency. You can also use a US bank account if you have one. Amazon pays out to bank accounts only, not to credit cards.

How does Amazon's identity verification video call work?

After you upload your ID and proof of address, Amazon offers two options: take a photo of your face and your government-issued ID, or join or schedule a video call with an Amazon associate. For the call, have your ID and your proof of residential address with you. The details on both should match what you entered during registration.

Can one person have more than one Amazon seller account?

Generally no. Amazon's seller code of conduct allows one Seller Central account per region unless you have a legitimate business need, such as owning multiple brands run as separate businesses, and all accounts are in good standing. If any of your accounts isn't in good standing, Amazon may deactivate all of them until every account is back in good standing.

How much do Amazon sellers make?

There's no typical or guaranteed figure. Earnings depend on product margins, category referral fees, your selling plan, shipping, returns, and advertising, and revenue isn't the same as profit. Before you start, build a per-product sheet with every cost line. That gives you a realistic expectation, which no average from the internet can.

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