Apply for German VAT number for Amazon DE

Have you started selling through Amazon in the Netherlands and want to expand your reach internationally? Selling worldwide on Amazon is a great opportunity to offer your products abroad.

However, you will need to comply with the local laws and regulations of the country you wish to sell in. For example, if you want to sell through Amazon DE, you will need to apply for a German VAT number.

Even if you want to sell your products through Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) via an Amazon fulfillment center in Germany, a German VAT number is required.

In brief:

• Have you shipped more than €10,000 worth of products to Germany? Then you are required to file tax returns in Germany.
• If you are going to deliver products from Germany (for example, through an FBA fulfillment center in Germany), then you are required to register with the German tax authorities.
• If you are going to sell through FBA from a fulfillment center in Germany, Amazon asks for a German VAT number and stub number.

When do you need a German VAT number to sell through Amazon?

If you want to start selling through Amazon, you are required to provide company information, such as a Chamber of Commerce number and VAT number. In fact, Amazon only allows professional sales on the platform. Selling privately on Amazon is therefore not possible.

Even though you can sell worldwide with a Dutch VAT number, other rules may apply in some situations. In this article, we will assume the situation that you sell from the Netherlands to Germany. In fact, there are two situations in which a Dutch VAT number is not sufficient.

Sales to consumers in Germany

If you sell more than €10,000 worth of products to German customers, you will be required to file tax returns for sales tax in Germany. You can easily arrange the declaration through the One Stop Shop (OSS) scheme or through the German tax authorities. In the latter case, you will need a German VAT number.

If you stay below the threshold amount of €10,000 in a year, then as a webshop you are allowed to charge the Dutch VAT rate to customers. From the moment you exceed the threshold amount of €10,000, you pass on the local VAT rate to the private customer.

Sales with FBA from Germany

Do you want to use FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) programme as a Dutch seller on Amazon? Then it is possible to house your inventory at an Amazon fulfillment center in Germany. But to sell through FBA from Germany, you need a number of documents.

Therefore, as a Dutch seller, you send your stock to the fulfillment center in Germany. From here, all orders are shipped to the respective countries, both Holland, Germany and possibly other European countries.

Selling products from a German fulfillment center requires a German VAT number and so-called steuer number from Amazon. Therefore, from that moment on, you are also required to declare sales to and from Germany.

How can I apply for a German VAT number?

Applying for a German VAT number sounds more difficult than it seems for many people. However, you only need to submit some documents and information to the German tax office in Kleve (Kleve), including:

• An extract of registration with the Chamber of Commerce;
• A Dutch VAT identification number;
• An organizational chart of the company showing a graphic representation of the company’s organizational form. For example, in the case of a holding structure with work BV.
• In geval van een Eenmanszaak: het ingevulde formulier “Vragenlijst voor de fiscale behandeling / oprichting van een handels-, zelfstandig- (vrij beroep) of land- en bosbouwbedrijf”
• In the case of a Company: the completed form “Questionnaire for the tax treatment of a company incorporated under foreign law” and the “Insert sheet accompanying the questions under rules 16 and 17”

Applying for a German VAT number via Staxxer

Do you need a German VAT number because you sell products to German consumers via Amazon? Or is your stock located in an Amazon fulfillment center in Germany? Then you can apply for it through Staxxer.

Our partner Staxxer helps you with the application procedure for a foreign VAT number, including a VAT number for Germany. You can obtain a German VAT number from € 229. Additionally, you will also receive VAT registration for Amazon throughout Europe.

Apply for your German VAT number directly through Staxxer and find out how they can help you further with applying for foreign VAT numbers for international sales.

What do you need to sell through FBA as a Dutch seller on Amazon?

Do you want to use FBA as a Dutch seller on Amazon? Then it is possible to house your inventory at an Amazon fulfillment center in Germany. But to sell through FBA from Germany, you need a number of documents:

Tax Certificate

The Tax Certificate (also called German VAT number, German VAT or Steuer number) is the domestic VAT number for Germany. Dutch citizens should always apply for the German VAT number in Kleef (Kleve). Because of this fact, the VAT number will always begin with the digits “116.

Tax Identification Number

The Tax Identification Number (VAT Identification Number, German Tax ID, Umsatzsteuer-Identifikationsnummer or USt-IdNr.) is the VAT number used for international sales from Germany. This German VAT identification number always starts with ‘DE’ as it starts with ‘NL’ in the Netherlands.

F22 Certificate

The F22-Certificate (or called F22-bescheinigung, F22-form/form, Bescheinigung nach §22f UStG or F22-declaration) is a form required since 2019 to shift the liability of paying sales tax from marketplaces to the selling party. This F22 certificate links a German VAT number to the sales account on Amazon.

Please note that thanks to the advent of the OSS (One Stop Shop) and Union scheme, the F22 certificate has been dropped. The certificate is no longer issued by the German tax authorities and is therefore no longer required to sell from Germany through Amazon.

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