ImportRules

Selling to the EU from the United States

Every claim on this page links to the full answer with the regulation and article on the main guide — nothing here is new or looser than the official text.

You sell from the US — through Amazon EU, your own Shopify store, or B2B — into the European Union. Most American sellers discovered the GPSR the hard way: a suspended listing in early 2025. Since 13 December 2024, almost every consumer product sold in the EU needs a Responsible Person inside the EU. This page answers the questions American sellers actually ask.

The questions, with answers

Is there an EU–US trade agreement? none

No free trade agreement. Goods from the United States pay the ordinary Common Customs Tariff rate, with no preferential origin to claim. Duty is decided entirely by the customs classification, so the code is where the money is.

Whether a preference actually applies is decided per product by the origin rule in the agreement, not by where the goods were shipped from. Rules of origin works that through, and the goods code decides which rule you are under. A claim without valid proof is recovered from the importer, three years back, with interest.

Source: European Commission, Common Customs Tariff; no EU–US free trade agreement in force. Checked: 4 September 2026.

I'm a US company selling on Amazon.de. Do I need an EU Responsible Person?

Yes. Amazon suspended thousands of US-based listings in 2025 for exactly this: selling to EU consumers from outside the EU means the Responsible Person must be established inside the Union — a US LLC cannot take the role. Most US sellers appoint a service for €200–800 per year.
Source: Regulation (EU) 2023/988, Article 16; Amazon seller enforcement since 2025. Checked: 4 September 2026.

Where in Seller Central do I upload this?

Seller Central → Account Health → Manage Your Compliance → Add compliance information. Upload the Responsible Person, manufacturer and technical documentation there. One upload syncs across all EU marketplaces.
Source: Amazon Seller Central guidance, 2025–2026. Checked: 4 September 2026.

My supplier quoted DDP. Is that the same as having a Responsible Person?

No — they are different layers. DDP is a shipping term saying the seller pays duties and taxes; the Responsible Person is a product-safety role required by GPSR. A DDP shipment can arrive perfectly cleared and still have a listing suspended for lacking the Responsible Person.
Source: ICC Incoterms 2020, DDP; Regulation (EU) 2023/988. See the main answer. Checked: 4 September 2026.

How much does all this cost a small US seller?

Responsible Person service €200–800 per year; technical file from a few hundred (simple product) to thousands (toys, electrical); labelling per product run; EPR registration per country from free to a few hundred. For many small sellers the total is under €1,500 per year — if done right the first time.
Source: Published provider pricing, checked 4 September 2026. See the cost answer.

Do I need to register for VAT in the EU?

For B2C distance sales: yes, via the One-Stop Shop (OSS) — one registration in one EU country covers all member states. For imports of goods to consumers under €150: IOSS. Your own US entity registers; no EU subsidiary needed.
Source: VAT e-commerce package (Dir. (EU) 2017/2455). Checked: 4 September 2026.

Who can do this for me?

The provider list covers EU Responsible Person services and sector specialists — editorial and unpaid. Or ask for three introductions.
Source: Editorial list, checked 4 September 2026.

Next steps

Appoint a Responsible Person before your listings are suspended, not after — restoring a suspended listing takes longer than setting one up. The full guide covers GPSR, REACH, EPR and CBAM, each with regulation, article and the date it was last verified.

Selling into several EU countries at once? Labelling and warnings must be right per country — that is in the labelling answer.