Amazon Verification is a Mess. This Is How You Actually Get Through It.

No Amazon seller ever says, “Wow, that verification process was smooth.”

And yet, account verification is one of the most critical steps in the life of your business. It happens when you register. When you expand into new regions. When you change your entity. When your payment provider changes. Or when Amazon updates its policies – like the INFORM Act – and suddenly your account is under review.

In theory, this process protects the marketplace. In practice? It breaks businesses.

We’ve worked with thousands of sellers – and we’ve seen it all. Sellers frozen mid-transfer. Disbursements blocked for 40+ days. Org charts rejected because the stamp was too light. Account Health agents who say “just wait,” while Compliance teams are counting your silence as a missed deadline.

This article is your map. No jargon, no templated support copy. Just the real issues sellers face – and how to actually get through them.

What Amazon Verification Actually Covers

First, some clarity. Amazon’s verification system isn’t a single process. It’s a layered, fragmented set of checks that vary by region, account history, and trigger event. Here’s what might trigger a verification:

New seller account registration
Expanding into a new marketplace (e.g., entering UK or EU)
Legal entity change (ownership or structure)
INFORM Act compliance updates (U.S.-specific)
Changing bank accounts or payment provider (triggering KYC review)

Depending on the situation, Amazon may ask you to re-submit business registration docs, proof of identity, UBO declarations, or ownership structures. And that’s where it starts to break down.

What Is Amazon's Section 18? Why Does It Matter?

Section 18 of the Amazon Business Solutions Agreement governs account transfers – particularly legal entity changes. It states:

“You may not assign this Agreement… without our prior written consent. However, upon notice to Amazon, you may assign or transfer this Agreement to any of your Affiliates, as long as you remain liable for any prior obligations.”

In plain terms: if you want to change your entity (say, move from a UK Ltd to a US Inc), you need explicit approval under Section 18. Once approved, Amazon expects you to initiate the transfer via Seller Central – but as you’ll see below, even that often doesn’t work.

The Timeline Trap

Amazon gives you 60 days to complete verification. Sounds fair – until you realize Amazon doesn’t stop the clock when they’re reviewing your documents.

You submit a file on day 3. They review it by day 17 and reject it for being unsigned. You resubmit on day 19. They reply on day 33 saying the chart wasn’t on letterhead. Now you’re over halfway through, and you’ve done nothing wrong except assume they’d communicate clearly.

If you don’t resolve everything within that 60-day window – even if their delays caused it – your disbursements are frozen and your listings go down.

1. The Org Chart That Keeps Getting Rejected

Amazon loves to request organizational charts – and then reject them without explanation.

The most common issues:

Not signed by the legal representative
Not dated within the last 180 days
Not printed on company letterhead or missing a company stamp
Doesn’t list all UBOs (ultimate beneficial owners)
Doesn’t clearly show share percentages, registration numbers, or ownership paths

In the EU and UK, anyone with 10% or more must be listed – not just those above 25%. Miss that, and your case gets auto-rejected.

Even when everything’s correct, a chart can get rejected because a system bot doesn’t like the formatting. We’ve seen flawless documents returned with nothing but: “Does not meet requirements.”

2. The Grayed-Out Field from Hell

You go to update your company registration number. Or your legal business name. Or the country. And… the field is grayed out. Unclickable.

You try a different browser. You clear cache. You switch laptops. Nothing works.

Support tells you to try again later. But this isn’t a UI bug – it’s a backend lock caused by Amazon’s own systems. Often, this happens when a previous verification is stuck in partial status or when you’re mid-way through an entity transfer.

And the kicker? You’re expected to complete your verification using those fields. If they stay locked, your case times out.

3. INFORM Act Limbo

The INFORM Act is a U.S. regulation requiring marketplaces like Amazon to collect and verify business information for high-volume sellers.

Here’s how it plays out:

You submit a legal entity change and get it approved.
You update your U.S. account – all good.
You go to update the EU or UK side… and suddenly, Amazon flags your account for incomplete INFORM verification.

But the data you need to verify is locked. You can’t edit your business name. Or your company number. Or your country.

So now you’re in a regulatory catch-22: Amazon requires verification using fields that Amazon itself has blocked. And they’ll suspend your account for failing to complete the very task they prevented you from doing.

4. The 10% Myth

Many sellers (and even accountants) believe Amazon only wants UBOs with 25% or more. That’s true in some markets – but not the EU.

In the EU, any person or company with 10% or more ownership must be declared. This includes indirect ownership (e.g., through a parent company).

We’ve seen cases rejected because someone owned 12% via a holding company – and Amazon detected it through tax or registry cross-checks. If it’s not on your org chart, it’s a red flag.

Declare everyone. Even if they’re at 10.01%.

5. When Support Is Just... Supportless

The standard Amazon support cycle goes like this:

You explain your issue.
You get a templated response asking for a screenshot.
You send it.
They ask for it again.
You escalate. They say it’s with the internal team.
Nothing happens for 9 days.
And when they do respond, it’s often from a different department with no access to the prior messages. You’re starting over every time.

The only way to survive this loop is to document everything. Every case ID. Every date. Every response. Then refer back to those references in every follow-up.

6. The Transfer That Doesn’t Transfer

Let’s say you’ve done it all right:

Section 18 approval? Done.
Organizational chart? Perfect.
EU VAT registered? Registered.

You go to “Transfer Account” in Seller Central… and it throws an error.

“Something went wrong. Please try again later.”

That error isn’t about your data. It’s a system-level block on the backend, usually because Amazon hasn’t fully cleared a previous verification or the entity change was only partially processed.

You wait. Try again in 48 hours. Still blocked.

Eventually, the only way forward is to open a case, attach screenshots, timestamp the error, and politely (but repeatedly) request escalation to the technical team.

So What Can You Actually Do?

If you’re stuck in verification limbo, here’s what we advise:

Front-load everything. Don’t wait to be asked – provide all supporting docs clearly labeled from the start.
Create a full ownership package. Org chart, registry extract, UBO breakdown, signature, date, letterhead, translations (if needed).
Document your timeline. Note every upload date, rejection date, and reply. Reference them when following up.
Escalate smartly. Don’t just say “please help” – explain what’s been submitted, what failed, and what you need.
Understand thresholds. Use 10% for EU, 25% for U.S., unless told otherwise.

Final Word: Amazon's System Isn't Built for You - But You Can Beat It

This system wasn’t designed to be friendly. It was designed to reduce risk. And in that design, they’ve created chaos for sellers who are just trying to do things right.

You won’t win by following the minimum. You win by over-preparing, over-documenting, and staying calm when Amazon isn’t.

If you’re stuck, don’t waste another week resubmitting the same file. Get clarity. Get strategy. Get someone who knows how this really works.

We’ve helped 3,800+ sellers get verified, reinstated, and back to growth – and we can help you too.

Book a Free Compliance Review

Amazon Verification is a Maze – Here’s the Map You’ve Been Missing

Amazon Verification is a Mess. This Is How You Actually Get Through It.