{"id":60421,"date":"2018-10-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-10-19T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.hellotax.com\/blog\/amazon\/fba\/europe\/central\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T13:14:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T11:14:53","slug":"amazon-fba-central-europe-programme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hellotax.com\/blog\/amazon-fba-central-europe-programme\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon FBA Central Europe Programme: When Is CEE Right for Sellers?"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Choosing the right Amazon FBA service in Europe can be difficult, especially when you want lower fulfilment costs without immediately using Pan-European FBA. If you already sell through Amazon Germany and want Amazon to store your products closer to customers in Central Europe, the Amazon FBA Central Europe Programme may be a practical option.<\/p>\r\n

The Central Europe Programme, also known as CEE, allows Amazon to store your German FBA inventory in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. This can reduce fulfilment fees and improve delivery efficiency, but it also creates VAT obligations in each country where your goods are stored.<\/p>\r\n

In this guide, we explain how the Amazon FBA Central Europe Programme works, how it compares with EFN and Pan-European FBA, when it makes sense for sellers, and which VAT registrations are usually required.<\/p>\r\n

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Need help checking whether CEE is the right setup for your Amazon business? Book a free consultation<\/a> and get practical guidance on your EU VAT obligations.<\/p>\r\n

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Our VAT experts are happy to help you. Book a free consultation today!<\/p>\n

Free consultation<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\r\n

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What Is the Amazon FBA Central Europe Programme (CEE)?<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

The Amazon FBA Central Europe Programme<\/strong> is a fulfilment option for sellers using Amazon Germany. When you join the programme, Amazon can store your FBA inventory not only in Germany<\/strong>, but also in Poland<\/strong> and the Czech Republic<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n

This gives Amazon more flexibility to place stock within its Central European fulfilment network. Orders can then be fulfilled from warehouses closer to customers, which may reduce fulfilment costs and support faster delivery.<\/p>\r\n

Amazon currently states that sellers can save at least \u20ac0.26 in FBA fulfilment fees per unit delivered from German inventory when using the Central Europe Programme.<\/p>\r\n

However, the VAT impact is important. If Amazon stores your goods in Poland or the Czech Republic, local VAT registration and regular VAT filings are usually required there. This applies even if you mainly sell on Amazon.de.<\/p>\r\n

CEE vs EFN, MCI and Pan-European FBA<\/h2>\r\n

Amazon sellers in Europe can choose between several fulfilment models. The right option depends on where you sell, where stock is stored, your fulfilment costs and your VAT registration capacity.<\/p>\r\n

European Fulfilment Network<\/h3>\r\n

With the European Fulfilment Network, or EFN, your stock is stored in one country and used to fulfil orders in other European marketplaces. This can be simpler from a VAT perspective because stock is not automatically distributed to several countries. However, cross-border fulfilment fees may be higher.<\/p>\r\n

Amazon FBA Central Europe Programme<\/h3>\r\n

With the Amazon FBA Central Europe Programme, your German FBA inventory can be stored in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. This can reduce fulfilment costs compared with storing only in Germany, but it usually requires VAT registration in all three countries where stock may be held.<\/p>\r\n

Multi-Country Inventory<\/h3>\r\n

With Multi-Country Inventory, or MCI, you manually choose the countries where Amazon stores your inventory. This gives more control, but each storage country can create a local VAT registration and filing obligation.<\/p>\r\n

Pan-European FBA<\/h3>\r\n

With Pan-European FBA, Amazon can distribute your stock across a wider European fulfilment network. This can improve delivery speed and reduce local fulfilment costs, but it usually creates VAT obligations in every country where Amazon stores your inventory.<\/p>\r\n

The Amazon FBA Central Europe Programme sits between EFN and Pan-European FBA. It can be a good next step for sellers already active in Germany who want lower fulfilment costs without opening up the full complexity of Pan-European FBA<\/p>\r\n

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How Does the CEE Programme Work in 2026?<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

When you join the Amazon FBA Central Europe Programme, you allow Amazon to store your German FBA inventory in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic.<\/p>\r\n

In practice, this means:<\/p>\r\n

You enable storage in Poland and the Czech Republic in your Amazon cross-border fulfilment settings<\/p>\r\n

Your inventory can be stored in German, Polish and Czech fulfilment centres<\/p>\r\n

Amazon decides how to distribute the stock within the Central European network<\/p>\r\n

Customer orders are fulfilled from the most suitable fulfilment centre<\/p>\r\n

You may benefit from lower fulfilment fees compared with storing only in Germany<\/p>\r\n

Amazon handles the operational redistribution of inventory across the Central Europe network. However, sellers remain responsible for their tax obligations. Amazon states that VAT registration in Poland and the Czech Republic is required for participation in the Central Europe Programme.<\/p>\r\n

For official programme details, Amazon\u2019s page on the Central Europe Programme<\/a> explains the current fulfilment setup, savings example and storage countries.<\/p>\r\n

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When Is CEE the Right Choice for Me?<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

The Amazon FBA Central Europe Programme may be suitable if you already sell successfully through Amazon Germany and want to reduce fulfilment costs without immediately moving to Pan-European FBA.<\/p>\r\n

CEE<\/strong> may be a good fit<\/strong> for sellers who:<\/p>\r\n