Heavy! Amazon UK site strictly checks IEN code! How does a seller obtain an IEN code?

Recently, Amazon UK sent an email notification to sellers about the IEN code:For sellers who open accounts outside the UK and send inventory to Amazon's UK fulfillment center, Amazon has made it clear that they must provide the IEN for the goods going to the UK fulfillment center.

In the shipment location of Amazon's backend, you can see that a large number of shipments display "Incomplete Import Details", including those in transit, being received, completed, and even ready for shipment.

Amazon stated in the notice: Based on the seller's shipment processing progress information, it determined that the seller did not provide IEN information for some (or all) applicable shipments within 30 days after the UK fulfillment center first received each shipment. Sellers need to provide additional information in a timely manner. If they do not have an IEN and have legitimate reasons, they can select relevant options from the drop-down menu.

What is IEN?

IEN (import entry number) actually refers to the number assigned by HM Revenue and Customs to goods imported into the UK. There are several different types of IE (Import Entry Number), the most common being the Customs Identification Number (MRN).

Since April 1, 2019, affected by the British Customs FHDDS, Amazon has begun to require non-EU sellers to keep specific records for products stored in the British fulfillment center and fill in the corresponding IEN. Previously, Amazon did not enforce this requirement, resulting in many sellers not submitting IENs. As a result, the account was suspended this time.

Some sellers reported, "The British website has been sending double clearance tax-guaranteed channels, but IEN has not been paying attention to it. As a result, the account was suspended today."

"Our company also received it today. We have been using the tax-packaging channel. If we click Confirm, what are the risks?"

Currently, many Amazon managers have sorted out several issues that everyone is more concerned about regarding FHDDS, as follows:

1.All non-UK sellers who ship goods from countries and regions outside the UK to the UK must provide IEN.

2. Shipments created after October 1, 2023 require an IEN.

3. Failure to provide IEN will not affect the account status, but it will affect the UK position.

4. If the IEN is not provided within 60 days, the background cannot be edited. The European department is processing it and needs to wait further.

5. Sellers who are unable to provide IEN through the dual-clearance tax package channel must choose the option that cannot provide IEN and describe the reasons.

At present, there are sellers who have received this type of email for the first time and have clicked in and read it directly. After checking the check box, the account will be restored. The IEN of the goods that Amazon has received in the past 60 days needs to be replenished, and the IEN of the goods before 60 days can be ignored.




Judging from the account manager's reply, as long as the corresponding information is provided as required, there will be no adverse impact on the account for the time being.
How should sellers respond?

1. Be a self-taxed seller with an IEN number
Upload the IEN truthfully to ensure that subsequent shipments must fill in the IEN truthfully.
2. Sellers who pay taxes and do not have an IEN number
Ask your logistics service provider: If you clear customs through self-tax (own VAT), the MRN number on the tax payment form is the IEN. You only need to fill in this number in the corresponding position.

If there is no IEN, the seller also needs to click the "Cannot mention IEN" option. According to actual testing by the seller, IEN cannot be provided after clicking, and the red warning will disappear.

一直Some sellers have always paid tax, and for previous and future shipments, they have truthfully filled in the shipment and there is no export record. Will this affect the account?

If the seller does not have an IEN and has a legitimate reason not to provide one, you can select the relevant option from the drop-down menu. Please note, however, that the reasons you provide may be reviewed to ensure that the answers provided are valid. If Amazon knows or has reasonable grounds to suspect that a seller has not complied with UK value-added tax (VAT) and customs regulations on imported goods, it will need to notify the UK customs authority (Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC)). If Amazon has reasonable grounds to suspect that you are non-compliant and continues such behavior after 60 days, it will be required to stop providing delivery services for its products.

Oriental Global Cross-Border Logistics recommends sellers shipping to the UK: In response to the current requirements issued by Amazon, it is best to use your own VAT for customs clearance, generate a separate IEN code, and not mix it with other sellers.