How to Register on Amazon

So, you or your company want to sell on Amazon? Of course, the first step is to register on Amazon, but unfortunately, many face significant issues right from the start.

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Some encounter problems even before the registration is complete, often with either the identification that needs to be submitted or the Bank Statement that is also required. However, most problems arise when registration is complete, and almost immediately, you receive an email from Amazon stating that your account has been suspended and you need to submit additional documents to continue selling. The documents Amazon usually requests are Utility Bill and Business License, and there are many requirements for these that most people do not follow when submitting their documents. This can create many problems and, in the end, Amazon may completely suspend the account. Sometimes other documents may also be requested, but this depends a lot on the company form, which of Amazon's marketplaces you are selling on, and a few other parameters.

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It's much easier to do it right from the start instead of taking a chance and sending in incorrect documents. Once Amazon has made a decision, it can be extremely difficult to get them to change their mind… Honestly, it can be almost impossible to even get in touch with someone at Amazon. So, we will now try to explain everything to make it as simple and smooth as possible for you. The text will begin by first explaining the general problems with the documents to be submitted and then individually go into the requirements and rules for each document. This can be a tedious text to get through, but it is important, so hang in there!

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If you or your company would like to complete the registration process as quickly and smoothly as possible, SellWave offers a 3-step solution, contact us here.

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General Document Requirements for Registering on Amazon

The Most Common Mistake

The most common mistake is that the documents submitted to Amazon are in Swedish. Business License, Utility Bill, and Bank Statement must all be in English, and if they cannot be obtained in English, an authorized translation is required. This is a requirement from Amazon. Such a translation can only be done by an approved translator and it costs a little money to get it translated. But it is really money well invested to avoid potential problems with Amazon.

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There are some agencies that specialize in document translation, and we recommend that you use a company that can get the translation authorized in Sweden. Diction.se is a fast-growing agency with relatively low prices. We have been in contact with them before, and we asked if we could get a discount for our readers. So, if you mention "SellWave" when you email them, you get a 5% discount.

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Ps. If you have done a translation, send in both the original in Swedish and the translated version.

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Another Common Mistake

Another common mistake companies make when registering on Amazon is submitting documents with different information. When Amazon asks you to submit documents, it is to verify that the information you provided during registration is correct. For example, address and company name. If these differ on the different documents, there will be problems right away. A common example is when the Business License submitted is registered at a previous address while the Utility Bill submitted is for a new address. Different addresses => problem.

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(More on what Business License and Utility Bill are below)

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The Third Common Mistake

The third common mistake I have seen companies make is submitting images with too poor resolution or in the wrong format. This usually applies to identification. This can be submitted by taking a picture of, for example, a valid passport. It is important that all text is readable and that the format is one of the formats approved by Amazon.

• Approved formats are: .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .pdf, .tiff, and .tif.
• The file size must not exceed 10MB.
• No screenshots are allowed. The images must either be scanned or taken with a camera.

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One Last General Tip

This is not a requirement from Amazon and nothing that can be said that companies do wrong… but it can't hurt, and when dealing with Amazon, it is important to make everything as clear and simple as possible. Name the files according to their content. For example, when you are going to submit a Utility Bill that you have translated and therefore also need to submit a Swedish version, send in the files with names that describe these. For example:
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• Utility_Bill_English.jpg
• Utility_Bill_Swedish.jpg.

No special characters are allowed in the file names (e.g., $, &, and @).

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Now to the separate documents and the requirements Amazon has for these.

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Wait! Before you proceed, you must check out our 12-step guide to how to register on Amazon. It goes through each step in detail so you can go through the registration without any problems.

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Identification – What is Required?

The document you submit to verify your identity must be an ID approved by Sweden (or the country you are operating your business from). Examples of approved documents are passports and national IDs. In addition to the requirements mentioned under "General Requirements" above, the following requirements are also set:

• The name on the ID document must be exactly the same as the name registered on Amazon.
• The document must be in color (black and white is not accepted).
• If you choose to submit an ID card with front and back sides (instead of a passport, for example), both sides of the ID card must be included, and the images of these must be in the same file.
• The date of birth must match the date of birth provided on Amazon.
• There must be a signature.

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Bank Statement – What is Required?

This is a bit special because most companies that start selling on Amazon use a company called Hyperwallet to handle transactions from Amazon to the business account. Amazon requires you to have a bank account in a country with a local currency that is also a currency supported by Amazon. The Swedish krona is not, but this can be circumvented with the help of Hyperwallet, which is also recommended by Amazon.

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If, instead of Hyperwallet, you want to use a "regular" bank, that is fine, but it requires that you have an account in a country that meets the above requirement. Finland is a common choice for Swedish companies.

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Bank Statement if You Use Hyperwallet

If you use Hyperwallet, it is very easy to submit this document. Since Amazon actively cooperates with Hyperwallet, there is a document ready to download that you can then submit to Amazon. This document is found by logging into Hyperwallet and clicking on "Home." Then click on "Deposit Account." At the bottom of this page, there is what they call "Account Verification," and next to this is a button with the text "Download." Click on this, and you have your Bank Statement ready to submit to Amazon.

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Note: Similar methods for obtaining a valid document are available with other online banks, such as Payoneer.

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Bank Statement if You Use Another Bank

If you do not use Hyperwallet (or similar), the following requirements apply to the Bank Statement that must be submitted:

• Must include the company's address and customer transactions.
• Must be retrieved within the last 180 days.
• Must be in color.
• Must show transaction activity (but amounts can be hidden).
• If the bank account is in your company name, it must be the same name as the one registered with Amazon. If it is a sole proprietorship, the bank account name must be the same as the name you registered on Amazon.
• The bank's logo, account number, company address, company name or contact person, and account holder's name must be clearly visible.

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Business License – What is Required?

This can be obtained by going to the Swedish Companies Registration Office's website and ordering a registration certificate. This must be in English and costs 250 SEK. If your company is registered abroad or for some reason, your certificate from the Swedish Companies Registration Office is not approved, it is good to double-check that you meet all of Amazon's requirements. Their requirements are:

• The company name and other information must be visible.
• The name of the representative or owner must match the name on the identification document you submitted.
• Must be valid for at least 45 days from registration.
• Must not have been revoked or shut down by the local government.

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Utility Bill – What is Required?

Finally, the Utility Bill, which Amazon sometimes calls "Proof of Address." This is submitted to verify that the company you registered is actually located at the address you provided. Since this is a common mistake companies make regarding this document, it doesn't hurt to repeat. This document (like all others) must be in English, and if you received the document in Swedish, you must have it translated by an authorized translator. For example, by Diction.se.

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The information Amazon requires on the document includes:

• Name and address must be visible.
• It can be a bill/invoice for water, electricity, gas, internet, telecom, or mobile.
• If the bill/invoice for your address is not under your/company's name, send an invoice associated with the address and evidence that you/your company operate at this address, even if the invoice is not under your/company's name.
• Must not be older than 180 days.

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Note – Other Documents

Since this blog post was first published, we at SellWave have helped several companies with registration where other documents than those mentioned above have been requested. These include share register, articles of association, and organizational chart. We have not encountered any problems getting these documents approved so far.

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We Still Have Problems, What Should We Do?

If you have submitted all the documents and you have gone through all the points here and checked that everything should be correct and still get rejected, here’s what you can do:

• Ask someone else to read through this article and your documents. Sometimes it takes another pair of eyes to see potential errors. Or, to complete the process as quickly as possible, get professional help. Contact us here for support with registration.
• Check your information on Amazon; perhaps you have made a mistake there? Typos, missed spaces, etc.
• Keep emailing Amazon and ask what is wrong. Do not only reply to the emails they sent you, but open a new "case" in Amazon's "Seller Central" and explain the situation.

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Thank you very much for taking the time to read, and I hope this can be helpful. Good luck!

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Disclaimer: All information is directly sourced from Amazon or via communication with Amazon. We cannot guarantee that Amazon will not change their rules/requirements. Therefore, we recommend double-checking these rules and requirements with Amazon.

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