Country-specific onboarding requirements

Ensure compliance and seamless go-live by reviewing the mandatory and country-specific requirements.

Updated December 15, 2025


Onboarding requirements (applies to all countries)

These are mandatory requirements for all partners, regardless of the country you’re selling in. Completing them ensures the foundation of your partnership and keeps you compliant. For the country specific requirements, please see below.

  • Platform Rules: You’re required to comply with our Platform Rules.

  • Know Your Customer (KYC): You must complete KYC reviews before onboarding and during the business relationship. ​​This includes periodic and event-driven reviews as required. Required information and documents may vary depending on your legal entity and other factors.

  • Tax ID submission:

    • Sole proprietor: Please submit your personal tax identification number, issued by your EU country of residence.

    • Other legal entities: Please submit the local tax number issued to the EU headquarters of your company or partnership by means of a tax assessment notice. You must also provide corresponding local tax numbers if you hold tax registration in any other EU Member State.

  • VAT compliance (general): You must either provide your company’s VAT registered for One Stop Shop (OSS) in your company profile, or if you don’t use OSS (or sell outside the EU), you must provide the local VAT ID and certificate for every country where you sell or intend to sell.

Product compliance

Service and logistics standards

  • Own fulfilment:

    • Return policy: A minimum 30-day return policy is required for all countries. See more information here.

    • Labelling: All labelled information must be affixed in the official languages of the agreed countries.

  • Zalando Fulfilment Solutions (ZFS): 

    • Customs clearance: If you're a ZFS partner shipping stock from non-EU countries to ZFS warehouses, you must comply with all applicable customs clearance requirements.

    • VAT: If you use ZFS or ZRSplus, you need a German VAT number and must use an EU-based return warehouse. If you want to ship orders to customers from the local (i.e. non-German) warehouses in our network, you need an intra-community trade (ICT) VAT number.

    • Inbound deliveries: ZFS partners must deliver inbound goods only to designated ZFS warehouse locations and in accordance with the published receiving hours.

    • Outbound deliveries: If you want to ship orders to the customers from the local (i.e. non-German) warehouses in our network, you need an intra-community trade (ICT) VAT number.

Country-specific requirements (by sales country)

Compliance requirements:

  • EPR for batteries: If you intend to sell articles containing batteries, you need to register for EPR in Belgium.

  • EPR for Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE): If you sell EEE in Belgium, you must be EPR-registered for EEE.

Read more about EPR in Belgium and how to submit the details in zDirect.

Logistics requirements:

  • Own fulfilment: See approved carriers and mandatory and optional delivery methods in Belgium. 

  • Dual delivery: The Mandatory delivery options are Home and Pick-up Point (PuP). Contact your representative at bPost to enable PuP. Delivery documents must be in two languages. For non-bPost users, consider integrating bPost or exploring ZFS/ZSS.

  • CXM targets: See logistics targets in Belgium.

  • Test order: You have to complete two test orders. These must be successful and conducted in the consistent official language of the country. 

  • ZFS: Issuing digital e-invoices is mandatory for ZFS partners. Please use our e-invoicing service to send invoices to customers in real time.

Additional available product categories:

  • Beauty: You can sell beauty products in this country.

  • Toys and cosmetic care: Available to partners using Lounge, own fulfilment or ZFS.

Compliance requirements: 

  • EU legal entity required for own fulfilment/Beauty products.

Logistics requirements: 

Additional available product categories:

  • Beauty: You can sell beauty products in this country.

Logistics requirements:

Additional available product categories:

  • Beauty: Unavailable.

  • Product restriction: Jewellery containing precious metals and gemstones is prohibited. See the Quality Assurance Manual for more details.

Compliance requirements: 

  • EPR for batteries: If you intend to sell articles containing batteries, you need to register for EPR in Finland.

Read more about EPR in Finland.

  • EU legal entity required for own fulfilment/Beauty products.

Logistics requirements: 

Additional available product categories:

  • Beauty: You can sell beauty products in this country.

Compliance requirements

  • EPR: 

    • Batteries: If you intend to sell articles containing batteries, you need to register for EPR in France.

    • Packaging: If you use primary (product) packaging and/or secondary (shipping) packaging, registering with an EPR for packaging is required.

    • Electronics (EEE), Textiles, Toys, and Sports: If you sell electronics or articles classified as textiles, toys, or sports equipment, you must provide your EPR details. 

Read more about EPR in France and how to submit the details in zDirect.

  • Unique identification number (UIN): Ensure your Producer Responsibility Organization (PROs) apply for and issue you with a new unique ID number (“Identifiant Unique” or UIN)  at ADEME (French Agency for Ecological Transition). To receive this, ensure you are comply with the EPR rules and pay the relevant EPR fees.

  • Anti-waste (AGEC) law: If you sell men's, women's, and kids' wear products in France via Zalando, you’re classified as a producer or importer. This requires you to provide a detailed product sheet for the following products: Textile, Sports textile, Underwear, Beachwear, Shoes, Sports shoes, and Primary packaging.

  • Triman logo on packaging: Triman logo and associated sorting information must be at least 1 cm x 1 cm, accompanied by language indication, packaging pictograms, and disposal instructions in French.

See more details about labelling obligations in France.

  • Invoice creation: You must include invoices in the delivery documents because invoices are mandatory. (If your legal entity is non-EU, you don’t need to create invoices).

  • Ban on PFAS: Ban on the sale of articles that have been treated with or contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Logistics requirements: 

Additional available product categories:

  • Beauty: You can sell beauty products in this country.

  • Toys and cosmetic care: Available to partners using Lounge, own fulfilment or ZFS.

Compliance requirements: 

  • EPR:

    • Batteries: If you intend to sell articles containing batteries, you need to register for EPR in Germany.

    • Packaging: Registering with an EPR for packaging is required for all partners selling in Germany.

    • Electronics (EEE): If you sell items containing batteries or electronic components, you must provide your EPR IDs. Please register with the EAR Foundation to obtain an EPR registration number for your EEE. 

Read more about EPR in Germany and how to submit the details in zDirect.

Logistics requirements: 

Additional available product categories:

  • Beauty: You can sell beauty products in this country.

  • Toys and cosmetic care: Available to partners using Lounge, own fulfilment or ZFS.

Compliance requirements

  • EPR for batteries: If you intend to sell articles containing batteries, you need to register for EPR in Italy. See more information here.

  • Packaging and labelling: The packaging material must be indicated with an alphanumeric code.

  • B2C packaging: It must be clearly labelled with appropriate instructions for disposal. This includes the Möbius loop on packaging, accompanied by the material abbreviation and number, as well as disposal instructions “Raccolta [material]“ in Italian.

  • Labelling: You must provide product labelling in the Italian language.

See more details about packaging and labelling in Italy.

Additional available product categories:

  • Beauty: You can sell beauty products in this country.

  • Toys and cosmetic care: Available to partners using Lounge, own fulfilment or ZFS.

Logistics requirements: 

Additional available product categories:

  • Beauty: You can sell beauty products in this country.

  • Product restriction: Jewellery containing precious metals and gemstones is prohibited.

Compliance requirements: 

  • EU legal entity required for own fulfilment/Beauty products.

  • VAT: Local VAT registration or operation under Zalando's VOEC scheme (for articles under NOK 2,999).

Logistics requirements: 

  • Own fulfilment: You must use your own fulfilment as ZFS isn’t available in Norway. See approved carriers and mandatory and optional delivery methods. 

  • CXM targets: See logistics targets in Norway.

  • Customs: You handle all costs/risks for customs clearance. 

Additional available product categories:

  • Beauty: You can sell beauty products in this country.

  • Cosmetic care: Available to partners using Lounge, own fulfilment or ZFS.

Compliance requirements: 

  • Payment method: It’s mandatory to offer Cash on Delivery (CoD) payment method.

Logistics requirements: 

Additional available product categories:

  • Beauty: You can sell beauty products in this country.

Compliance requirements: 

  • EPR for batteries: If you intend to sell articles containing batteries, you need to register for EPR in Spain.

  • EPR for packaging: If you’re not headquartered in Spain but sell there, you need to register within the Spanish EPR system with a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO).

    • Authorised representative: You should appoint an authorised representative for your EPR duties (e.g. AuthoriseMe, Arca Consortium). They will be able to request the EPR registration number for you.

    • Public manufacturer register: Ensure your authorised representative registers you in the Register of product producers

Read more about EPR in Spain and how to submit the details in zDirect.

  • Packaging and labelling: You have to label packaging with the colour-coded container where the waste must be deposited (e.g. blue for paper, yellow for plastics). This is to help customers easily sort their waste. Labelled packaging must be collected in the corresponding separate waste streams.

See more details about packaging and labelling in Spain.

  • Labelling: Provide product labelling preferably in Spanish language.

Logistics requirements: 

Additional available product categories:

  • Beauty: You can sell beauty products in this country.

  • Toys and cosmetic care: permitted for WHS and own fulfilment.

  • Sizing: FR sizes apply in Spain.

Compliance requirements: 

  • EPR for batteries: If you intend to sell articles containing batteries, you need to register for EPR in Sweden. Read more about how to submit the details in zDirect.

  • EU legal entity required for own fulfilment/Beauty products.

Logistics requirements: 

Additional available product categories:

  • Beauty: You can sell beauty products in this country.

Compliance requirements: 

Logistics requirements: 

  • Own fulfilment: See approved carriers and mandatory and optional delivery methods. 

  • CXM targets: See logistics targets in Switzerland.

  • Test order: You have to complete two successful test orders in the consistent official language of the country.

  • ZFS: Completing a customs classification process is essential. For this, you need to provide a unique Config SKU level (13-characters) and Country of Origin (CoO) (CoO must be in ISO 3166 Alpha 2 Code format in order to be processed via the attached template). Depending on your contractual agreement, you might also provide:

    • Customs tariff number EU (CTN)

    • Customs tariff description EU - in German

    • Customs tariff number CH

    • Customs tariff description CH

  • Customs: You handle all costs/risks for customs clearance. You must register required references including EU address and EORI number. 

Read more about information required for ZFS partners selling articles in Switzerland.

Additional available product categories:

  • Beauty: You can sell beauty products in this country.

Good to know

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