Amazon stored my inventory in the Czech Republic — do I need Czech VAT?
You checked an inventory report — or got a letter — and there it is: your stock sits in a Czech warehouse. Here is what that means for VAT, how to confirm it in five minutes, and what to do next, whether you are one week in or one year late.
The short answer: yes
If Amazon stores your goods in a Czech warehouse, you need a Czech VAT registration. Not once you cross a sales threshold — there is no threshold for a business without a seat or establishment in the Czech Republic. The obligation starts from the first taxable activity, which in practice means the moment your stock moved into a Czech fulfilment centre for sale.
It does not matter that your company is in the UK, Hong Kong or Turkey. It does not matter that you have never sold a single unit to a Czech customer. The trigger is where the goods physically sit — not where your buyers are, and not where your business is registered.
That is exactly why this catches so many sellers off guard: nothing about your sales changed. Only the location of your inventory did.
Stock in a Czech warehouse = Czech VAT registration, with zero threshold for non-established businesses. The clock starts when the goods arrive — not when you notice them.
Why Amazon put your stock there
The Czech Republic is not in Amazon's Pan-EU base storage list. That list is Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Poland, and sellers pick at least two of them. Czech storage gets switched on separately, through the Central-East Europe (CEE) programme — Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic together.
Why would anyone switch it on? Because CEE comes with a per-unit discount on fulfilment fees. In a settings screen it looks like free money: same product, lower fee per unit. What the screen does not spell out is that storage in each new country creates a local VAT obligation there.
Say a UK seller — hypothetically — asks their virtual assistant to "reduce our FBA fees" one afternoon. The VA finds the CEE toggle, enables it, and Amazon starts distributing stock to Prague. The seller has just acquired a Czech VAT obligation without reading a single tax document. Versions of this story are easy to imagine precisely because the discount is real and the warning is quiet.
For how the two programmes differ and what each one means for your VAT, see Pan-EU vs CEE storage.
How to check in five minutes
You do not need to guess, and you do not need to ask Amazon support. Amazon's own reports show exactly where your stock sits:
- 1. In Seller Central, open your FBA inventory reports — the FBA Inventory or Inventory Event Detail report both work.
- 2. Look at the fulfilment-centre codes listed next to your units.
- 3. PRG means Prague, Czech Republic. WRO is Wrocław, Poland. LEJ is Leipzig, Germany.
If PRG shows up anywhere in your report, your goods are — or were — in a Czech warehouse, and the obligation above applies. We wrote a separate walkthrough on reading these codes: what the PRG warehouse code means.
What the obligation actually involves
A Czech VAT registration is not a one-off formality. Once registered, a business files monthly:
| Filing | What it is | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Přiznání k DPH | The Czech VAT return — your output and input VAT for the month. | 25th of the following month |
| Kontrolní hlášení | The control statement — a transaction-level report filed alongside the VAT return. | 25th of the following month |
| Souhrnné hlášení | The EC sales list — filed where relevant, for example when your own stock moves between EU countries. | 25th of the following month |
Everything is due by the 25th of the following month. Missed or late filings can bring penalties and late-payment interest — and they do not go away on their own.
If you are thinking "but I have OSS" — OSS does not help here. The One-Stop-Shop covers cross-border B2C distance sales within the EU. It does not cover anything triggered by storing goods in a country: local supplies and movements of your own stock still need a local Czech registration. Full explanation: why OSS does not cover storage.
One genuinely good piece of news: the Czech Republic allows direct registration for non-EU businesses. Unlike Italy or Spain, you do not need a fiscal representative carrying joint liability, often with bank guarantees on top. A UK, Hong Kong or Turkish company can register directly — it is paperwork, not a legal maze.
"But Amazon never told me"
Amazon's rule is that a VAT number is required for every country where your goods are stored. Here is the catch: Amazon verifies that a number exists. It does not check whether you ever file a return against it. A seller can pass every Amazon check and still be months behind with the Czech tax office.
Meanwhile, the tax office does not depend on Amazon's checks — or on you. Under DAC7, platforms like Amazon report seller identity and turnover to EU tax authorities, and that data is exchanged automatically between member states every quarter. The Czech tax office can see the turnover of sellers holding stock in the country. "Nobody will notice" is not a strategy; it is a countdown.
Already months late? It's fixable
If your stock has been sitting in PRG since last year and you have filed nothing, take a breath. This is a known, fixable situation, and the sequence is straightforward:
- + Register. A Czech VAT registration handled end-to-end costs €300–400 as a one-off.
- + Back-file the missed months. Back-filing runs €800–1,500 depending on scope — and the earlier you start, the smaller the scope and the cheaper the fix.
- + Stay compliant going forward. Monthly compliance from €150/mo all-in: all three filings, correspondence with the tax office, deadline on the 25th guaranteed.
Every filing Veritax prepares goes out with a licensed Czech tax advisor in the loop, fees are fixed, and everything happens in writing — no calls needed.
Not sure yet whether you even have a problem? Start with the free 10-minute VAT check: send your Amazon inventory report and we tell you which countries actually create obligations for you. If you want it in writing, the PRG Audit (€99) gives you a full report within 2 business days — every warehouse holding your stock, each obligation with its start date, and a prioritised action plan. The €99 is credited in full toward registration.
Frequently asked questions
Does OSS cover my stock stored in the Czech Republic? +
No. OSS covers cross-border B2C distance sales within the EU. It does not cover the obligations triggered by storing goods in a country — local supplies and movements of your own stock. Even with a valid OSS registration, storage in the Czech Republic requires a local Czech VAT registration and monthly Czech filings.
How do I find out whether Amazon holds my stock in the Czech Republic? +
Open your FBA inventory reports in Seller Central — the FBA Inventory or Inventory Event Detail report — and look at the fulfilment-centre codes. PRG means Prague, Czech Republic; WRO is Wrocław, Poland; LEJ is Leipzig, Germany. If PRG appears next to your units, your goods are in Czechia.
My stock has been in a Czech warehouse for months and I never registered. How bad is it? +
It is fixable, and it gets cheaper the earlier you act. The route is a Czech VAT registration plus back-filing of the missed months; late filings can bring penalties and late-payment interest, which is why waiting rarely helps. Veritax handles registration (€300–400 one-off) and back-filing (€800–1,500 depending on scope), prepared with a licensed Czech tax advisor in the loop.
Is your stock in Czechia?
Send us your Amazon inventory report through the form and we will tell you — free, in a 10-minute check — exactly which countries create VAT obligations for you. Plain English, no strings, no calls needed.
Free VAT check →