EU Packaging Regulation · applicable since 12 Aug 2026
Sell across Europe. We tell you what you must comply with.
Tell us what you sell, how you sell and which countries you want to sell to. EU Market Guide turns that into your concrete action plan – obligations, to-dos, authorities, registers and suitable providers. With sources and verification dates.
Amazon wants your EPR number. France wants an authorised representative. And you just want to sell.
The situation since 12 Aug 2026, no sugar-coating – the four things sellers in forums and communities are actually worried about:
Marketplaces must check your EPR numbers
Since 12 Aug 2026, platforms are legally required to verify their sellers' EPR registration (Art. 45 PPWR) – Amazon announces deactivation of listings where numbers are missing.
What to do now →
A representative per country, no de-minimis
Direct shipping into a country without your own establishment means: authorised representative required – public provider prices are mostly €250–500 per country and year, from the very first parcel.
What to do now →
Germany reversed its rules
The new VerpackDG makes the authorised representative mandatory for foreign direct sellers – and existing dual-system contracts are valid until 31 Dec 2026 at the latest.
What to do now →
Even suppliers contradict each other
Who licenses the shipping box – seller or box supplier? The industry openly gives contradictory answers. We answer with a source and a verification date.
What to do now →
What sellers are asking right now
Real questions from seller forums and communities – answered in plain language, with sources and verification dates.
Amazon is asking for my EPR registration number – what do I do now?
Since 12 Aug 2026, marketplaces like Amazon have been required to check whether you are EPR-registered in the buyer's EU country (Art. 45 PPWR) – and according to industry services and seller reports, Amazon now enforces this for every EU country where you sell or store goods. Amazon can deactivate non-compliant listings; Amazon confirms this on its own EPR pages. You need to register in the respective destination country (or join a scheme there), obtain the number and store it in Seller Central in the EPR compliance portal. Beware: in countries with a take-over regime (e.g. France, Spain), Amazon otherwise pays the EPR fees 'on your behalf' and bills you for them plus a service fee – usually more expensive than registering yourself.
Do I really need an authorised representative in every EU country?
If you sell at a distance directly to end customers in an EU country where your business has no establishment: under Art. 45 of the EU Packaging Regulation, in principle yes – since 12 Aug 2026, with no de-minimis threshold. Public provider prices are mostly around €250–500 per country per year (volume-dependent also above that, e.g. up to about €880) – and the full base fee applies even for tiny volumes. There is no obligation for countries you do not ship to directly, and in some constellations another party (e.g. your local importer) already fulfils the producer obligations.
I am registered in LUCID and have a dual system contract – isn't that enough?
For Germany: almost – but since 12 Aug 2026 your registration may need an update (keywords: authorised representative, new legal basis VerpackDG), and existing system participation contracts remain valid until 31 Dec 2026 at the latest. For every other EU country: no. LUCID only works for Germany – France requires an IDU via SYDEREP, Austria requires Entpflichtung (discharge of obligations via an approved scheme) through a scheme there, and so on. 'I've got LUCID, that'll do' is this year's most expensive mistake.
My box supplier says I am responsible – who has to license the shipping carton?
In Germany the rule is: whoever fills the shipping packaging with goods and sends it to end customers counts as the producer of that packaging – so as a rule that is you as the seller, not your box supplier. Legally safe pre-licensed packaging exists above all for service packaging; for standard shipping cartons, do not rely on verbal assurances from your supplier. The industry is currently giving openly contradictory answers on this – get your supplier's role in writing.
My dual system contract runs out at the end of 2026 – do I have to sign a new one?
Under the German transitional rules, system participation contracts concluded before 12 Aug 2026 remain valid until 31 Dec 2026 at the latest (Section 68(1) VerpackDG). From 1 Jan 2027, contracts and volume reports must reflect the new allocation of responsibility – in many cases that means: conclude a new contract or have yours actively confirmed. What this means for your specific contract is communicated differently by the systems; get written confirmation from your system.
I only ship a few parcels to other EU countries – is there a de-minimis threshold?
EU-wide: no – the Packaging Regulation has no de-minimis threshold; even a single delivery triggers the obligations in the destination country. Nationally, though, there is real relief: Austria has a flat-rate fee below 1,500 kg/year, in the Netherlands the 50,000 kg threshold for the Verpact contribution remains in place (SUP reporting still applies from the first kilo), Czechia even exempts the smallest volumes under 300 kg/year (combined with a turnover cap of max. 25 million CZK, Section 15a of the Packaging Act) from the packaging obligations including registration entirely, and Denmark allows a simplified declaration below 8 t/year (not an exemption). Don't rely on blanket statements – the rules differ per country.
One guide instead of 27 government portals
You don't need to know that Germany calls it LUCID and France SYDEREP. For you, Europe always looks the same:
Check your business
Describe your business once – country of establishment, product range, channels. In a dialogue with the assistant or via the quick check.
Select your markets
Pick the countries you sell to or want to sell to. Whether from DE, PL or NL – the same engine evaluates every combination.
Get your action plan
Per country: which obligation applies, why it affects you, what to do concretely – and who can handle it for you.
Country guides: packaging obligations 2026
For every country we bundle authority, register, obligations and providers – continuously verified, with dates.
Austria
Source-verified1 documented obligation · As of 2026-09-01
Belgium
Draft2 documented obligations · As of 2026-09-01
Bulgaria
Draft1 documented obligation · As of 2026-09-01
Croatia
Draft1 documented obligation · As of 2026-09-01
Cyprus
Draft1 documented obligation · As of 2026-09-01
Czechia
Draft1 documented obligation · As of 2026-09-01
Denmark
Draft1 documented obligation · As of 2026-09-01
Estonia
Draft2 documented obligations · As of 2026-09-01
Finland
Draft1 documented obligation · As of 2026-09-01
France
Source-verified2 documented obligations · As of 2026-09-01
Germany
Source-verified1 documented obligation · As of 2026-09-01
Greece
Draft1 documented obligation · As of 2026-09-01
Hungary
Draft1 documented obligation · As of 2026-09-01
Ireland
Draft1 documented obligation · As of 2026-09-01
Italy
Draft2 documented obligations · As of 2026-09-01
Latvia
Draft1 documented obligation · As of 2026-09-01
Lithuania
Draft1 documented obligation · As of 2026-09-01
Luxembourg
Draft2 documented obligations · As of 2026-09-01
Malta
Draft1 documented obligation · As of 2026-09-01
Netherlands
Draft2 documented obligations · As of 2026-09-01
Poland
Draft2 documented obligations · As of 2026-09-01
Portugal
Draft1 documented obligation · As of 2026-09-01
Romania
Draft1 documented obligation · As of 2026-09-01
Slovakia
Draft1 documented obligation · As of 2026-09-01
Slovenia
Draft1 documented obligation · As of 2026-09-01
Spain
Draft3 documented obligations · As of 2026-09-01
Sweden
Draft1 documented obligation · As of 2026-09-01
No AI guesses. Verified facts.
Our assistant is only the interface. Every regulatory statement comes from a structured data base: official source, validity date, last verification date, approval status. Where something isn't sourced, we tell you honestly – instead of guessing.
# Example: one rule in our data base
country: France
domain: Packaging EPR
source: official (ADEME)
applies_since: 12.08.2026 (PPWR)
last_verified: 01.09.2026
status: Draft → Review → Approved
Frequently asked questions
Amazon is asking for my EPR registration number – what do I do now?+
Since 12 Aug 2026, marketplaces like Amazon have been required to check whether you are EPR-registered in the buyer's EU country (Art. 45 PPWR) – and according to industry services and seller reports, Amazon now enforces this for every EU country where you sell or store goods. Amazon can deactivate non-compliant listings; Amazon confirms this on its own EPR pages. You need to register in the respective destination country (or join a scheme there), obtain the number and store it in Seller Central in the EPR compliance portal. Beware: in countries with a take-over regime (e.g. France, Spain), Amazon otherwise pays the EPR fees 'on your behalf' and bills you for them plus a service fee – usually more expensive than registering yourself.
Full answer with steps →Do I really need an authorised representative in every EU country?+
If you sell at a distance directly to end customers in an EU country where your business has no establishment: under Art. 45 of the EU Packaging Regulation, in principle yes – since 12 Aug 2026, with no de-minimis threshold. Public provider prices are mostly around €250–500 per country per year (volume-dependent also above that, e.g. up to about €880) – and the full base fee applies even for tiny volumes. There is no obligation for countries you do not ship to directly, and in some constellations another party (e.g. your local importer) already fulfils the producer obligations.
Full answer with steps →I am registered in LUCID and have a dual system contract – isn't that enough?+
For Germany: almost – but since 12 Aug 2026 your registration may need an update (keywords: authorised representative, new legal basis VerpackDG), and existing system participation contracts remain valid until 31 Dec 2026 at the latest. For every other EU country: no. LUCID only works for Germany – France requires an IDU via SYDEREP, Austria requires Entpflichtung (discharge of obligations via an approved scheme) through a scheme there, and so on. 'I've got LUCID, that'll do' is this year's most expensive mistake.
Full answer with steps →My box supplier says I am responsible – who has to license the shipping carton?+
In Germany the rule is: whoever fills the shipping packaging with goods and sends it to end customers counts as the producer of that packaging – so as a rule that is you as the seller, not your box supplier. Legally safe pre-licensed packaging exists above all for service packaging; for standard shipping cartons, do not rely on verbal assurances from your supplier. The industry is currently giving openly contradictory answers on this – get your supplier's role in writing.
Full answer with steps →Find out in minutes what applies in your target countries.
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