You do not need to live in the United States to sell on Amazon.com. Amazon Seller Central for non-US sellers is open to residents of more than 100 countries, and tens of thousands of founders run US storefronts from abroad. The signup itself is straightforward. The verification is not: Amazon checks your identity, your address, and your tax status carefully, and small mismatches between documents are the most common reason new accounts get stuck.
This guide walks through the whole process step by step: choosing between an Individual and Professional account, the documents to prepare, how the video verification works, and how to get through the tax interview without guessing. It also covers why many non-US sellers form a US LLC with an EIN before they sign up, and what that actually changes.
One caveat up front: Amazon adjusts its onboarding flow regularly. Treat this as a map of the typical process in 2026, not a contract.
Individual vs Professional: pick your plan first
Amazon has two selling plans. The Individual plan has no monthly fee and charges $0.99 for every item you sell. The Professional plan costs $39.99 per month regardless of volume.
The math flips at about 40 sales a month, but the plans differ in more than price. Advertising, bulk listing tools, detailed reports, and eligibility for the Featured Offer (the Buy Box) in most categories all sit behind the Professional plan, and most Brand Registry tools like A+ Content and Stores require it too.
| Feature | Individual | Professional |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | None | $39.99 |
| Per-item fee | $0.99 per sale | None |
| Advertising tools | No | Yes |
| Featured Offer eligibility | Limited | Yes, in most categories |
| Bulk listings and reports | No | Yes |
| Best for | Testing with a few sales | Anyone serious about volume |
If you are building a real business, start with Professional. You can downgrade later if the volume is not there yet.
Why non-US sellers form a US LLC and get an EIN first
Amazon does not require a US company. Foreign individuals can register with a local ID and a home-country address. But a US LLC with an EIN typically makes three parts of selling on Amazon.com smoother.
Payouts. A US LLC lets you open a US business bank account and get paid in dollars, instead of losing a currency conversion spread on every disbursement to a local account. More on this below.
The tax interview. An EIN gives your business a clean US tax ID, which keeps the interview and your bank paperwork consistent. On your own, the IRS typically takes 2 to 4 weeks to issue an EIN to a non-resident; through Brio’s EIN service it usually lands in about 10 days.
Brand Registry. Enrolling requires a registered or pending trademark. For Amazon.com that generally means a US trademark, and foreign-domiciled applicants must file through a US-licensed attorney, which is exactly what a trademark registration service handles.
Forming the company is the cheap part. Brio forms your LLC for $1 plus the state fee, and most states approve in 3 to 7 business days. Do this before you start the Amazon application, not during it, so your documents exist when Amazon asks for them.
Documents to prepare before you sign up
Amazon verifies your business information, your identity, and your banking. Gather everything first:
- A valid government-issued photo ID, ideally your passport, with a name that matches everything else you submit.
- A recent bank or credit card statement showing your name and address (Amazon typically wants one issued within the last 180 days).
- A chargeable credit or debit card for the selling plan fee. Prepaid cards get rejected.
- A phone number that can receive calls or texts.
- A bank account for payouts.
- If you register as a company: formation documents, the business address, and your EIN.
Consistency matters more than anything else here. The legal name on your LLC paperwork, your bank statement, and your Amazon application should match character for character.
The signup, step by step
- Go to sell.amazon.com and create an account, ideally with a fresh email dedicated to the business.
- Choose your business location and type. Location is the country where your business is registered: the United States if you sell through a US LLC, your home country if you register as an individual.
- Enter business and personal details: legal entity name exactly as it appears on your formation documents, address, and the identity details of the beneficial owner.
- Add a billing card and a deposit method (your bank account).
- Answer the store questions: store name, whether you have UPC codes, whether you own a brand.
- Upload your ID and bank statement for identity verification.
- Complete the video verification.
- Complete the tax interview.
- Wait. Approval typically takes a few business days, sometimes longer if a document needs a second look.
What happens in the video verification
Most new sellers now go through a live video check. Amazon schedules a short call, or offers an instant queue, with an associate who compares your face to your ID and asks you to hold the original documents up to the camera.
Treat it like a border crossing, not an exam. Use the original passport, not a photocopy or a photo on another screen. Sit in a quiet, well-lit room with stable internet, and make sure the person on the call is the primary contact named on the account. The call itself usually takes under 15 minutes, and the result typically arrives within a few days.
The tax interview: W-8BEN or W-9
During signup, Amazon runs a guided tax interview that generates an IRS form. Which form depends on who the seller is for US tax purposes.
A W-9 is for US persons: citizens, residents, and US-taxed entities. If your US LLC has two or more members, or has elected corporate taxation, the interview typically ends in a W-9 with the LLC’s EIN.
A W-8BEN is for foreign individuals, and here is the part that surprises people: a single-member US LLC owned by one foreign person is disregarded for US tax purposes. So in most cases you complete the interview as the beneficial owner, on a W-8BEN, even though your storefront runs through a US LLC. You can generally use your home-country tax ID, so you do not need an SSN or ITIN just to pass the interview. If those acronyms are blurring together, our guide to EIN vs ITIN vs SSN untangles them.
One warning: the tax interview is not tax filing. A foreign-owned single-member LLC still files Form 5472 attached to a pro forma 1120 every year, and the penalty for missing it is $25,000. If you are unsure how your setup should be reported, book a free tax consultation before your first sales season, not after.
Common rejection reasons (and how to avoid them)
- Name or address mismatches between your ID, your statement, and the application.
- Cropped, blurry, or edited scans. Amazon wants the full page, all four corners visible.
- An expired ID or a statement older than the allowed window.
- A prepaid or virtual card entered as the billing method.
- Signing up over a VPN, or from a device or network tied to another seller account.
- Reusing details connected to a previously suspended account.
If you are rejected, Amazon usually tells you which document failed. Fix that one document and resubmit; clean appeals typically succeed. Do not open a second account in frustration, because linked accounts are one of the fastest ways to get banned permanently.
Linking a US bank account for payouts
Amazon can deposit to local bank accounts in many countries through its currency converter, but the conversion spread comes out of every single disbursement. Most non-US sellers doing real volume connect a US account and keep their revenue in dollars.
With a US LLC and EIN, opening one remotely is realistic. Mercury and Wise both accept remotely opened accounts for non-resident-owned US LLCs (Mercury excludes some countries), while traditional banks like Chase or Bank of America usually require an in-person branch visit. Our guide to opening a US business bank account from abroad covers the applications in detail.
When you add the account in Seller Central, the account holder name must match your seller legal entity. An account opened under your LLC’s exact legal name keeps this painless.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell on Amazon US without a US company?
Yes. Amazon accepts individual sellers from more than 100 countries with a local ID, address, and bank account. A US LLC is optional, but it typically simplifies payouts, banking, and Brand Registry, which is why many non-US sellers form one before scaling.
Do I need an EIN for Amazon Seller Central?
Only if you sell through a US entity. Foreign individuals can usually complete the tax interview with their home-country tax ID on a W-8BEN. If you form a US LLC, you will need an EIN for the account and for banking, and non-residents should budget 2 to 4 weeks to get one on their own, or about 10 days through a service.
How long does Amazon seller verification take?
The video call is usually available within days and takes under 15 minutes. Full approval typically lands within a few business days of the call, though document re-reviews can stretch it to a couple of weeks.
Does Brand Registry require a registered trademark?
You need a registered trademark or a pending application in the marketplace where you enroll, so Amazon.com generally means a US trademark. Foreign-domiciled applicants must file through a US-licensed attorney.
Will Amazon withhold US tax from my payouts?
For foreign sellers of physical goods with a valid W-8BEN on file, Amazon typically does not withhold US income tax from sales proceeds. Your own US filing obligations are a separate question that depends on your structure and activities, so get specific advice for your situation.
