Hello
What is the best procedure to change entity on Amazon without hiccups? I know Amazon advises to go through the account transfer process, however as we all know, nothing is ever as simple as that on Amazon.
I do not want the account to be stuck on verification for weeks or months with listings closed during this time. This would kill the business.
Anyone have experience with this and can advise?
Thank you
Hello @seller,
thank you for posting here. Actually, the legal entity transfer is the easiest way how to change the business entity of your account. Otherwise, if you attempt to just go ahead and make changes, Amazon will deactivate your account and there can be various reasons, including suspected unauthorised access.
From what I know, these days itâs quite quick and you may get verified on the same day when you initiate the transfer. Just have all of the documents ready and itâs the best to have the business documents apostilled / notarized ahead, as this will otherwise lead to delays on your side.
How does the legal entity change process work
As soon as you click on the legal entity transfer button and then sign the agreement, it will take you to a screen counting off 30 seconds before you are logged out.
You will receive the below e-mail:
Amazon Selling Account undergoing a legal entity change
Dear Seller,
Your account to sell on Amazon is undergoing a legal entity change, which you requested.
Note that many of the account functionalities are not available, since the required steps to complete the transfer have not been completed by the new legal entity.
The account functionalities will remain unavailable until steps are completed by the new legal entity, and we have verified their identity.
Please note that while the steps are incomplete, the account transfer cannot be completed, and you will not be able to use this account in the future.
Thanks,
Seller Accounts at Amazon
2.Then, you will sign in as a new entity. You will need to pick your business type and then fill the data about your business and also about yourself as the account owner.
3.If you are wondering what documents you will need to upload:
a) Itâs an extract from the business registry and notarized (apostilled) articles of association and a share allotment document. You will also need to upload proof of business address (a bank statement will suffice).
b) For yourself as the business owner, they will want a government issued photo ID containing your signature and place of birth. Also, they will want proof of address (this can be a bank or credit card statement, but it needs to be a bank statement from a regular bank and not a virual bank).
4.While your business is undergoing verification, your listings will be inactivem but the account wonât be suspended.
Your Amazon payments account may be suspended if you attemt to update your deposit method before your identity / business is verified with an e-mail like this (donât freak out):
[Action Required] Your Selling on Amazon payment account has been temporarily deactivated
Hello,
Thank you for contacting us. Kindly review the prior email. .
We are contacting you as we need some additional documentation to continue with your account verification.
What happens if I do not send the required documents?
You have a total of 60 days from the day we first contacted you to provide all documentation or information requested to complete the verification. The time that Amazon takes in reviewing and validating the information or documentation provided will not be counted against the 60 days threshold you are given. Failure to provide this on time will impact your ability to disburse your funds and the verification of your account.
If it has been more than 60 days since we first contacted you, your account will remain temporarily deactivated until the requested information or documentation has been provided and your account has been verified.
What type of document do I need to provide?
Seller Central is currently requesting documents. Please upload the documents highlighted in red in the âSettingsâ section of Seller Central:
https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/hz/sc/account-information
How do I resolve this situation?
Ensure that the document meets the following criteria:
â The document must be dated within 180 days.
â The document must be valid for the current tax year (for council tax bill only).
â The document must not be a screenshot.
The document must be in one of our supported languages. The supported languages are English, Chinese, Dutch, German, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, French, Turkish, Polish, Portuguese, Arabic, Hindi, Tamil, Vietnamese, Thai, and Japanese. If the original document is not in a supported language, provide a copy of both the original document and a certified translation.
How do I submit the required documents?
To continue with your account verification, complete the following steps to provide the requested document:
Go to the âIdentity informationâ section of Seller Central:
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Follow the prompts to upload the required document.
Click âSaveâ and âSubmit for verificationâ.
Once we have received the required documents, we will continue with your verification.
Weâre here to help
If you have any questions, you can contact us at any time:
https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/help/hub/support
The Amazon Payments team
5.As soon as you pass the identity verification, then go to the deposit method, click on âVerify deposit methodâ, upload a bank statement and then the Amazon payments deactivation will get lifted.
6.Also, keep in mind that there is an important field inside your account, where you will be expected to confirm the VAT number as well. If you fail to do so, then you may get hit with a deactivation over the Inform Act or DAC7 - depending on where the prior business entity was based.
Here you can update the field:
https://sellercentral.amazon.co.uk/tax/consolidatedRegistrations?ref_=macs_xxtaxpoe_cont_acinfohm
Feel free to ask me if you have any questions or need any help with this.
Thank you for much for your reply.
Can the same email address be used for the new account?
Will all EU and US accounts be deactivated as well?
This wonât be a new account. Your e-mail and account will remain the same, just the business entity will change.
Also, your other international Amazon accounts wonât be affected.
I changed from sole trader to limited company with 2 directors around 18 months ago using the account transfer process and it went very smoothly indeed.
I didnât have to supply anything at all.
It helps having everything above board and not trying to cheat the system. If all straightforward, it should be ok,
I only have a UK/EU account.
Wow, thanks for your reply!
I hope it goes smoothly for me too!
How long did the transfer take? How long were your listings deactivated for? Thanks
No deactivation at all. I was shocked.
The change was immediate as far as I recall.
I had a big problem with etsy as their website was not correctly programmed to allow this entity change. I waited several weeks until they fixed the issue. Once they fixed it, I was able to change without delay.
In my case, the account was placed on inactive status immediately after the transfer. It was only reactivated after some three weeks, once I received an e-mail about my Amazon payments account getting activated.
However, in my case I was updating my account from being registered under my motherâs name into my own name. So, it could be different in cases where the acvount owner remains identical and just the entity changes.
How long ago was this?
So your listing were inactive for 3 weeks?
This was in August 2024. My accountâs listings were inactive, but the account wasnât suspended - it was under verification.