Many sellers have been asking questions around the Brand Registry Business Verification process. This is the reason why we hosted a Business Verification Ask Amazon event on October 16th! Sellers can visit the event post to check responses from the Business Verification team.

Based on the seller questions raised, most Business Verification failures were tied to these 2 reasons.

1. The Business Registration number or Tax ID number provided is inaccurate and does not match.
2. The business information provided in the application does not match what is reflected in the trademark. For example, I list the trademark entity type as an LLC and the owner as Sandy Amazon. However, in the Brand Registry application I mention that the business name is Sandy LLC.

For reason 1, please see below for definitions and where to find each information.

Business registration number: A business registration number is a unique identifier assigned to a company or business entity upon registration with a government agency. This number is different from the tax ID number that is provided by the governing tax authority.

Where to find it: Look for the number on official correspondence between your business and the government agency. The number may also be on your certificate of incorporation or registration.

Tax ID: A tax ID is a unique number assigned by a country’s governing tax authorities, such as the IRS in the US. This number is used to identify businesses for tax purposes, much like an individual's social security number is used for personal identification.

Where to find it: Look for the tax ID on official tax documents and correspondence between your business and the governing tax authorities.

Legal business name: The legal business name is different from a trade style, and must be the name that was used when the business was registered. The name may be different from the name on your website or materials, and may include numbers.

Where to find it: Look for the legal business name on your certificate of incorporation or registration.

Registered business address: You must provide the city or county and postal code where your business is registered, not an operational address. We require these address details in order to verify the address associated in the business registry. Note that these address details may not necessarily be the address where your business operates.

Where to find it: Look for the registry address details on your certificate of incorporation or registration.

Jurisdiction of incorporation (Canada, Germany, and US only): The jurisdiction of incorporation (JOI) refers to the proper jurisdiction or state where the business was registered. The jurisdiction of incorporation is not necessarily a state or province, and must be provided separately. The jurisdiction of incorporation information is collected specifically for businesses in the United States, Canada, and Germany, where businesses are registered at the state, province, or city levels. In Canada, all provinces have jurisdictions of incorporation. Federal is also an acceptable jurisdiction in Canada. In Germany, jurisdictions of incorporation are associated with courthouse names.

Where to find it: Look for the jurisdiction of incorporation on your certificate of incorporation or registration.

Please visit the Brand Registry application business information to access this help page. (Sellers will need a Brand Registry account to view)

If you believe the issue could be reason 2, please work with the trademark office or your attorney to reflect accurate information regarding your business.

If sellers have reviewed both reason 1 and 2 and do not believe this is the reason for Business Verification failure, please create your own discussion post in the seller forums [Manage your Brand] category and provide details including any case IDs. The community managers are here to help!