Skip to content
placedon

Guide · Germany

Do I need LUCID?

If you ship packaged goods to customers in Germany, the answer is almost always yes, even for very small shops. Use the checker below, then read the short version of the rules.

Facts checked:

Where do you ship to?You can choose several.
What do you sell?
Who are your customers?

Your result appears here

Answer the four questions. Nothing is stored or sent anywhere.

The short answer

You need to register in LUCID if you are the producer: the company that first makes packaged goods available on the German market. For a shop abroad that ships directly to German customers, that's you, not your supplier, the carrier or the marketplace.

  • No minimum quantity. The duty starts with the first packaged item.
  • Shipping packaging counts. The box, mailer, filler and tape are packaging too.
  • Registration is free, but packaging that reaches consumers must also be licensed with a dual system, which costs money.
  • Based abroad? Since 12 August 2026, if you sell directly to end users in Germany and have no German branch, you also need an authorised representative.

When the answer may be no

  • You only sell digital products and ship nothing physical.
  • Someone else is legally the producer, for example a German importer who buys your goods and resells them. This depends on the exact setup, so check it.

A fulfilment or print-on-demand partner's LUCID number doesn't automatically cover you. Registration is the producer's personal duty.

What to do next

  1. Confirm you are the producer for the goods you ship to Germany.
  2. If you're based abroad, find an authorised representative first. You need them to finish the registration.
  3. Register in LUCID with exactly the same company data as in your marketplace account.
  4. License your packaging with a dual system (via your representative, if you have one).
  5. Report the same quantities in LUCID.

Questions

Is there a minimum quantity before I must register in LUCID?

No. In Germany the duty applies from the first packaged item you make available to customers.

Does LUCID registration cost money?

No, registration is free. Licensing your packaging with a dual system costs money, and so does an authorised representative if you need one.

I'm based outside Germany. What changes?

If you sell directly to end users in Germany without a German branch, you must appoint an authorised representative and enter them in LUCID before your first sale (since 12 August 2026).

Sources

Not sure where you stand?

Tell us what you sell and where you ship. We'll tell you what applies, even when the answer is "nothing".

Ask us to check