EPR Registration
Germany

The German Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG) transposes the EU WEEE Directive into national law. Under ElektroG, any manufacturer or importer placing electrical equipment on the German market must register with Stiftung EAR (Stiftung Elektro-Altgeraete Register), the national competent register. Registration must be completed before the first product is placed on the market.

Registration requires specifying your brand names, equipment categories, and providing an insolvency-proof guarantee covering the estimated cost of future take-back and recycling. For sellers outside the EU, ElektroG §37 requires appointment of an authorised representative — a legal entity established in Germany or the EU that acts on your behalf for all compliance obligations.

Eldris handles your Stiftung EAR registration, authorised representative appointment, insolvency guarantee arrangement, and initial category declarations. Your WEEE-Reg.-Nr. is delivered to your Eldris dashboard, formatted for Amazon Seller Central upload.

Separately from WEEE, Germany's Verpackungsgesetz (VerpackG) requires anyone placing packaged goods on the German market to register with the LUCID packaging register and participate in a dual system. This applies to all packaging that reaches the end consumer — including shipping boxes, poly bags, and product packaging.

LUCID registration requires declaring your packaging types, materials, and estimated annual volumes. You must then contract with an approved dual system operator (such as Der Gruene Punkt, Interseroh, or Noventiz) to finance the collection and recycling of your packaging waste. Eldris handles your LUCID registration, system contract, and initial volume declarations.

If you sell battery-powered or battery-containing products in Germany, separate battery producer registration is required under the Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, which replaced the previous Battery Directive. Registration is with Stiftung EAR (which also maintains the battery register) and requires specifying battery types, chemistry, and estimated volumes.

Amazon Germany is the strictest EU marketplace for WEEE enforcement. Amazon validates WEEE-Reg.-Nr. entries against the Stiftung EAR database. Listings with invalid, unconfirmed, or missing WEEE numbers are suspended. Sellers using WEEE numbers from non-admitted authorised representatives have had their entire product catalogues deactivated.

Amazon's Pay on Behalf programme does not replace Stiftung EAR registration. Pay on Behalf handles eco-contribution fees but does not register you as a producer, does not provide a WEEE number, and does not satisfy the legal obligation under ElektroG. Sellers who rely solely on Amazon Pay on Behalf remain non-compliant and risk enforcement action.

Under ElektroG §7, WEEE producers must provide an insolvency-proof guarantee before Stiftung EAR approves their registration. The guarantee covers the estimated future cost of collecting and recycling the producer's products at end of life. The amount is calculated based on product category, estimated annual volume, and the current collection and recycling cost rates published by Stiftung EAR.

Guarantee options include a bank guarantee, a blocked account, an insurance policy, or participation in an approved guarantee system. For most Amazon sellers, the guarantee system operated by Stiftung EAR is the most cost-effective option. Eldris arranges the appropriate guarantee as part of the registration process.

Germany follows the EU six-category system. Category 1 covers temperature exchange equipment. Category 2 covers screens and monitors. Category 3 covers lamps. Category 4 covers large equipment (any external dimension exceeding 50cm). Category 5 covers small equipment (no external dimension exceeding 50cm) — this is the category most Amazon sellers register under, covering small consumer electronics, personal care devices, power tools, toys with electronic components, and small household appliances. Category 6 covers small IT and telecommunications equipment.

Eldris identifies the correct categories during onboarding based on your product descriptions. Registering under the wrong category can result in Stiftung EAR rejecting the application or Amazon refusing to validate the WEEE number against your product listings.

Stiftung EAR requires annual reporting of the quantity (units and weight) of electrical equipment placed on the German market during the preceding calendar year, broken down by equipment category. Reports are due by 30 April each year. Failure to submit on time can result in your registration being suspended, which immediately invalidates your WEEE-Reg.-Nr. and triggers Amazon listing suspensions.

For packaging, annual volume declarations to your dual system are typically due in the first quarter. LUCID requires an annual completeness declaration confirming your reported volumes match your actual market data. Discrepancies between LUCID declarations and dual system reports can trigger audits by the Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister.

Eldris prepares and submits all German reports on your behalf. Learn more about how it works or check our pricing.

Stiftung EAR producer registration and WEEE-Reg.-Nr. delivery. Authorised representative appointment under ElektroG §37. Insolvency guarantee arrangement. LUCID packaging registration and dual system contract. Battery producer registration (if applicable). Ongoing annual reporting to Stiftung EAR. Deadline tracking and automated reminders. All correspondence with German authorities in German.

Sellers expanding from Germany to France or Spain can reuse their onboarding data for faster multi-country compliance via our EPR service.