Amazon.fr asks every third-party seller for a French EPR registration number (IDU) per product category, because French law makes the marketplace liable for sellers who have none. Pay on Behalf only pays eco-contributions; it does not give you an IDU or make you compliant. If your company is not established in France, you get your IDUs through a French EPR representative such as EPR France Rep, who joins the eco-organismes in your name; ADEME then issues one IDU per stream, usually within one to three weeks.Sources (2)
ADEMEADEME — French EPR schemes, PROs and IDU register
LégifranceLégifrance — Code de l'environnement
What Amazon is actually asking for
Since 2022 French law (article L. 541-10-9 of the Environmental Code) obliges marketplaces to check that each seller holds a valid IDU for every EPR stream its products fall under, and to pay the eco-contributions themselves if the seller has none. Amazon enforces this through Account Health: one IDU per category (household packaging at minimum, plus electronics, textiles, furniture, toys and so on where they apply), checked against ADEME's public register. Listings without a valid number are deactivated in enforcement waves; Amazon decides when they come back once a valid IDU is entered.
Why Pay on Behalf no longer protects you
Pay on Behalf was a stopgap: Amazon paid the eco-contributions for sellers without a number and charged them back. Since 12 August 2026 the EU packaging regulation requires every producer to be registered in each country of sale, and since 10 July 2026 French law requires producers not established in France to act through a French representative. Amazon has told sellers that Pay on Behalf does not replace their own registration, and is asking for the numbers. Paying through Amazon also never gave you an IDU for Cdiscount, ManoMano, Fnac or your own store.
How a foreign seller gets the IDU
- Confirm the streams: household packaging always applies; add product streams for what you sell.
- Appoint a French EPR representative by written mandate (mandatory if you have no French establishment).
- The representative joins the eco-organisme for each stream in your name and prepays the estimated eco-contributions.
- The eco-organisme registers you in SYDEREP; ADEME issues one IDU per stream, typically in one to three weeks.
- Enter each IDU in Account Health and in your terms of sale; declarations follow yearly or quarterly.
IDU rejected or listing still blocked: what to check
Start with the category named in Account Health. Each IDU covers one stream, so the number has to match the category Amazon asks about.
| What you see | Usual cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No IDU for the category Amazon names | You hold none for that stream | Join the eco-organisme for that stream: a packaging IDU does not answer a textiles request (one IDU per stream) |
| IDU rejected or not found | A typo, the number entered under the wrong category, or a registration not yet in ADEME's register | Look your company up in ADEME's register and correct the entry |
| Company name does not match | The IDU is held under the legal name and VAT number given to the eco-organisme; the seller account shows a shop name or another entity | Make the legal entity in your seller account match the IDU holder, or have the eco-organisme correct its record |
| IDU entered, still under review | Amazon validates it against ADEME's register | Wait for the review; its outcome and timing are Amazon's |
| Amazon still charges eco-contributions | Pay on Behalf stays on for any category without a validated IDU | Check that each category has its own validated IDU (what Pay on Behalf covers) |
Our clients send us the exact notice: we tell them which IDU goes where and what to correct. No representative can promise when Amazon reactivates a listing.
FBA shipment refused or not eligible for inbound
Amazon's published EPR rules say it may deactivate, restrict or remove non-compliant listings, and Amazon calls the French IDU your UIN (unique identification number). The rules do not describe blocking FBA shipments as such. So when Amazon will not take a shipment for Amazon.fr, read the exact message in Seller Central first.
- The listing is inactive because the French IDU (UIN) is missing or invalid: fix the IDU with the checks above, one per category. The listing is what Amazon's EPR rule acts on.
- The message names VAT, product safety, dangerous goods, dimensions or weight: that is a different check, and an IDU does not change it.
- Pan-European FBA: where the stock is stored does not decide which number France asks for. See stock in Germany, sold in France.
Timing
If listings are already deactivated, the order matters: representative mandate first (same day), eco-organisme membership (days), IDU (weeks). Amazon reactivates once the number validates. If you are still live, start now: the eco-organismes are processing a backlog of foreign producers since July.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep using Amazon Pay on Behalf instead of registering?
No. Amazon itself asks for your own registration numbers. Pay on Behalf paid fees but never gave you an IDU, and since July 2026 a producer not established in France must act through a French representative.
Do I need one IDU or several?
One per EPR stream. A seller of packaged electronics needs at least two: household packaging and electrical equipment; batteries would be a third.
How long until Amazon reactivates my listings?
Amazon decides, once it has validated the IDU against ADEME's register; no representative can promise a date. Getting the IDU takes one to three weeks from membership.
Is the IDU the same as my German LUCID number?
No. Each country has its own register. LUCID covers Germany; the IDU covers France.
Sources
Founder of EPR France Rep, the France-based EPR authorised representative for companies selling into France.
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