Here is an example. Say you make leather wallets and belts in Kanpur and sell them on Amazon.in. You have read that the UK dropped its duty on Indian leather goods in July, and you wonder about Germany next. One Amazon account can reach the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and several other European stores. So why not all of them?
Europe is open to you today. But it works differently from the UK in two ways. The trade deal between the EU and India is not in force yet, so EU customs duty still applies to your goods. And the EU asks for more paperwork per product, starting with a person inside the EU who is responsible for it. Here is what that means, and how we would start.
The trade deal: coming, not here
The EU and India finished negotiating their free trade agreement on 27 January 2026. You may read that it was signed then. It was not. On 11 September, the European Commission sent it to the EU’s member governments for signature, and the European Parliament must approve it after that. The Commission expects it to come into force in the first half of 2027.
When it does, India’s Commerce Ministry says tariffs of up to 10% on textiles, clothing, leather, footwear, gems and jewellery, handicrafts and other labour-intensive goods fall to zero straight away. Until then, normal EU duties apply, although some Indian goods already pay lower rates under the EU’s general scheme of preferences. The deal will not change any of the EU’s product or tax rules, so everything below stays the same after it arrives.
One account, many stores
Amazon’s European account covers its stores in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Ireland and Belgium. India is on the list of countries allowed to register. Amazon’s Global Selling page for Europe explains the steps for Indian sellers.
The Professional plan costs €39 a month on Amazon’s German fee page, or £25 on its UK page, plus VAT. One plan covers all the European stores. EU law requires Amazon to check every seller’s identity before they sell to EU shoppers, so expect a video call with your original ID, a bank statement less than 180 days old and your business licence. Amazon can pay you in rupees in your Indian bank account, with a currency conversion fee of between 0.75% and 1.5%.
VAT: Amazon collects it, but you still register
When a seller based outside the EU sells to shoppers in the EU, Amazon charges the VAT at checkout and pays it to the tax authorities. The EU’s VAT guide for marketplaces explains this rule. You do not receive that VAT in your payouts.
But you still need a VAT number in every EU country where your stock is stored. That choice is yours. With the European Fulfilment Network, you keep all your stock in one country, such as Germany, and Amazon ships it to shoppers in the other stores for a higher fee. A VAT number is generally not needed in the shopper’s country. With Pan-European FBA, Amazon spreads your stock across several countries and charges lower local fees, but you need a VAT number in each country where your stock sits. Amazon says you can start with two.
VAT rates differ by country: 19% in Germany, 20% in France, 21% in Spain and 22% in Italy. Amazon strongly recommends appointing a tax agent, and we agree.
The EU safety law: a person in Europe for every product
Since 13 December 2024, the EU’s General Product Safety Regulation has covered most consumer products. Its central rule is simple to state. A product cannot be sold in the EU unless a business based in the EU is responsible for it. That can be your importer, an authorised representative you appoint in writing, or, only if there is no one else, a fulfilment company. For an Indian brand, it usually means paying a responsible person service.
The product or its packaging must show that responsible person’s name, postal address and email or website. It must also show your own name and address as the manufacturer, and a type, batch or serial number. Amazon says an EAN or part number is easier for shoppers to recognise than its own labels. Warnings and safety information must be in the local language. In Germany, that means German.
Your Amazon listing must show the same details: the manufacturer, the EU responsible person, the product identifier and the warnings. Amazon deactivates listings that do not comply, and it checks with responsible person services that your contract covers every product and has not expired. In Germany, missing responsible person details or listing information can mean a fine of up to €10,000.
Germany’s packaging rules changed in August
Germany has asked every business that sells packaged goods to German consumers to register in its packaging register, called LUCID, since 2022. You also pay a recycling scheme for your packaging. Amazon asks for your LUCID number, which starts with DE, and it deactivates listings without a valid one. This applies to FBA sellers too.
On 12 August 2026, a new EU packaging regulation and a new German law replaced the old rules. The German register now says that a company based abroad, with no German branch, that sells directly to consumers in Germany must appoint an authorised representative there. The representative takes over most of your packaging duties, but you still register in LUCID yourself. The register’s guide for online sellers explains the change in English. Exactly how it applies to stock sold from Amazon’s German warehouses is not spelled out, so check with a packaging compliance adviser before you ship.
Other product groups have their own registrations. Electronics need registration with Germany’s WEEE register, through an authorised representative in Germany. Batteries need an authorised representative in each EU country where you sell them. In France, many categories, including packaging, clothing, shoes, furniture and toys, have their own recycling schemes. If you do not give Amazon your French registration numbers, it enrols you in its paid “Pay on Behalf” service.
Languages
Each European store expects listings in its own language, and Amazon says that includes text inside your images and videos. Amazon’s translation tools can copy and translate your listings from one store to another, usually within 12 hours and at most two days. But its Build International Listings tool does not check whether your product is legal in the new store. That is still your job.
Labels follow the same rule. In Germany, instructions and safety information must be in German. In France, the product name, instructions and warranty must be in French. One label can carry several languages.
Cosmetics need extra care. The EU requires a responsible person in the EU, a safety report, and a free notification on the EU’s cosmetics portal before sale. A UK notification is not enough for the EU.
Getting your stock in
Amazon will not act as your importer of record for the EU. You, or a customs broker you appoint, must bring the goods in. You need an EU customs number called an EORI, which is free and comes from the first EU country you import into. In Germany, applications go through the customs portal from 1 October 2026.
Amazon’s shipping service for Indian sellers, SEND, carries stock to Germany by sea from Mumbai and Chennai. Amazon does not publish a transit time for this route, but its own shipping guide for India estimates 22 to 36 days by sea to Germany. If you ship each order from India yourself instead, the EU now adds a customs duty of €3 per item on parcels worth €150 or less. This started on 1 July 2026 and runs until July 2028.
Europe’s next big sale is Prime Big Deal Days on 6 and 7 October. Amazon has not announced its Black Friday dates yet.
Where we come in
We make listings, images, A+ Content and brand stores for brands selling on Amazon’s European stores, including Indian brands that sell through Global Selling. We design packs with the details the EU asks for: manufacturer and responsible person addresses, product identifiers and space for warnings in each language, using text that you and your responsible person approve. We set up your listings in each store with Amazon’s translation tools and your translators, and add the safety images Amazon asks for. See our packaging design and listing work, and our guide to the UK, where the trade deal is already in force.
We are not a responsible person service, a tax agent or a customs broker. Europe needs all three. Our advice is to start with one country and one warehouse, get your responsible person, VAT and packaging registration right there, and add the other stores when that works. By the time the trade deal comes into force, you will be ready.
