The short answer. Amazon sends this notice because German VAT law makes a marketplace record a valid German VAT ID (USt-IdNr) for sellers who have to be registered for VAT in Germany. If you hold stock in Germany and have no German registration, you need one; if you are registered, the number or the company details behind it need correcting. The date that counts is the deadline in Amazon's notice, and a new registration typically takes 4-8 weeks for the tax number, so start now. The VAT ID comes often together with the tax number, otherwise usually a few weeks later.
What the notice says
Amazon's wording varies by account and date. These lines come from Amazon notices that sellers have posted in Amazon's own Seller Forums:
online marketplaces must collect a German VAT identification number
Amazon names the legal reason: German VAT law, not an Amazon policy choice.Amazon notice, as posted in Amazon Seller Forumsyour German VAT identification number was not uploaded and verified by the deadline
Both halves count: the number has to be in Seller Central, and Amazon has to be able to verify it.Amazon notice, as posted in Amazon Seller Forumsyou can alternatively meet your German tax obligations by opting into OSS
Amazon offers this only to sellers who do not store inventory in Germany.Amazon notice, as posted in Amazon Seller ForumsYour account has been suspended from selling on Amazon.de marketplace
The same notice also names FBA services in Germany.Amazon notice, as posted in Amazon Seller Forums
What it means
Two rules in the German VAT Act (Umsatzsteuergesetz, UStG) sit behind this email. Under § 22f UStG, a marketplace has to record, for sales that are shipped from or to Germany, the seller's German VAT ID issued by the Federal Central Tax Office (Bundeszentralamt für Steuern, BZSt). Under § 25e UStG, the marketplace is liable for VAT its sellers leave unpaid, and it escapes that liability only if the seller held a valid German VAT ID at the time of the sale. Amazon's own liability depends on your number, which is why it enforces it.
A tax number is not a VAT ID. The German tax office (Finanzamt) first gives you a tax number (Steuernummer); the BZSt then issues the VAT ID, which starts with DE followed by nine digits. The law asks the marketplace for the VAT ID. The tax number is recorded only where it is known.
"Confirmed" is not the same as "verified". An Amazon staff reply in the Seller Forums says a confirmed status only means the number exists in the EU database. The business name and address in Seller Central also have to match what the German tax office holds for your company.
The tax office can also contact Amazon directly. If a seller does not meet its tax obligations, § 25e(4) UStG allows the responsible tax office to notify the marketplace. From then on the marketplace is liable for that seller's new sales unless it shows the seller can no longer offer goods. A valid VAT ID therefore protects the account only while the returns behind it are filed.
What to do, and by when
The deadline is the one in your notice. Amazon's notices do not use one standard period, so read the date in Seller Central or in the email itself. Then find your situation:
- You store stock in Germany (FBA, Pan-European FBA or a German 3PL warehouse) and have no German VAT registration. You need one. It typically takes 4-8 weeks for the tax number; the VAT ID comes often together with the tax number, otherwise usually a few weeks later. If Amazon's deadline is shorter, start anyway: the order of the steps does not change.
- You are registered, but the number shows as rejected or not verified. Either the number itself or your company details do not match the tax office's record. Amazon staff point sellers to Tax Settings in Seller Central to update the number once the record is right.
- You do not store stock in Germany. Amazon's own notice offers proof of the EU One-Stop-Shop (OSS) as the alternative. Whether that route is open to your company depends on where it is established and where your stock sits.
What happens if you ignore it
- On Amazon: the notice itself states the consequence: suspension from selling on Amazon.de and from using FBA in Germany.
- On the tax side: the duty to register and file in Germany comes from the law, not from Amazon. A suspended account does not end it, and sales already made from German stock stay taxable.
- On stock in transit: German import VAT you pay before your registration is in place cannot be deducted later. From registration onward it is recoverable through your returns.
Need a German VAT registration?
Start your German VAT registration in English. You answer the questions and upload the documents; a licensed German tax advisor files the application with the tax office.
Start German VAT registration
Frequently asked questions
Is my German tax number (Steuernummer) enough for Amazon?
No. § 22f UStG has the marketplace record the German VAT ID (USt-IdNr) issued by the Federal Central Tax Office. The tax number is recorded only where it is known. Amazon's notice asks for the German VAT identification number.
Amazon shows my VAT number as confirmed, but my account is still suspended. Why?
An Amazon staff reply in the Seller Forums says a confirmed status only means the number exists in the EU database. The business name and address in Seller Central must also match the German tax office's record for your company.
Does OSS replace a German VAT registration?
Not if you store stock in Germany. Amazon's own notice offers OSS as the alternative only to sellers who do not store inventory in Germany.
Should I send stock to Germany before my VAT number arrives?
No. German import VAT paid while your company is not yet registered cannot be deducted later. From registration onward, import VAT on each shipment is recoverable through your returns.
How long does German VAT registration take?
Typically 4-8 weeks for the tax number. The VAT ID comes often together with the tax number, otherwise usually a few weeks later. Current times per tax office are on our processing times page.
Related guides:
General information on German law and on the platforms' and carriers' own published terms, as of October 2026. It is not advice on your case: your own notice and the deadline printed in it are what count.