WEEE registration by EU country: Austria, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Croatia

The countries at a glance

Austria

In Austria, registration happens in the EDM portal (edm.gv.at) before equipment is placed on the market. The Elektroaltgeräte Koordinierungsstelle (EAK) coordinates collection but is not the register. Foreign distance sellers must appoint an authorized representative. The legal basis is § 12a AWG and §§ 21a to 21c of the Elektroaltgeräteverordnung (EAG-VO). The representative needs a seat in Austria and an Austrian address for service, and the power of attorney must be certified, in German or English.

The EAG-VO requires producers of household equipment to join a collection and recovery system. The approved systems are ERA Elektro Recycling Austria, ERP Austria, Interzero Circular Solutions Europe and UFH. The official pages do not publish a separate WEEE number as Germany does. The full process is in our German guide to WEEE-Registrierung in Österreich.

Italy

Italy keeps the Registro nazionale dei produttori di AEE. Registration is online only, through registroaee.it at the competent chamber of commerce. A company established in another EU state or in a third country that sells by distance directly to households is a producer and must register before it starts. Art. 30 of Decreto Legislativo 49/2014 lets producers from other EU states appoint an authorized representative with a written mandate. For producers outside the EU the sources disagree, so confirm with the chamber of commerce in writing.

The registration number (*numero di iscrizione*) must appear on transport documents and commercial invoices within thirty days of being issued. At registration the producer declares whether it meets its duties through an individual or a collective system. The chambers of commerce list a tassa di concessione governativa of EUR 168, diritti di segreteria of EUR 30 and an imposta di bollo of EUR 16. The annual report has recently followed the MUD environmental declaration: 28 June 2025 for 2024 data (Florence chamber) and 3 July 2026 for 2025 data (Prato-Pistoia chamber), so check the current date on registroaee.it. Details are in our German guide to WEEE-Registrierung in Italien.

France

In France, the environment agency ADEME issues the Identifiant Unique (IDU) through the SYDEREP portal, one per EPR stream. A producer that joins a collective scheme is registered by that scheme and gets its IDU through it. For household equipment the schemes are ecosystem and Ecologic. The Code de l'environnement expressly covers companies from other member states and from third countries that sell directly into France by distance selling.

Two points set France apart. First, the IDU must appear in the terms and conditions and on the website. A missing IDU can cost up to EUR 30,000. Second, since law no. 2026-602 of 8 July 2026, the new article L. 541-10-9-1 applies: a producer subject to EPR that is not established in France appoints a mandataire established in France, by written mandate. That includes sellers from Germany or Austria. Some ADEME pages still describe the mandataire as voluntary. The text of the law is what counts.

Spain

Spain lists producers in a dedicated section of the Registro Integrado Industrial (RII-AEE) at the Ministry of Industry. Art. 8 of Real Decreto 110/2015 requires producers and their authorized representatives to register, expressly including distance sales into Spain. A distance seller established in another member state appoints an authorized representative in Spain in writing, under Art. 3.

For distance sales, Art. 9 requires the register number on the sales page and on the invoice. Duties are met through an individual or a collective system (SCRAP), chosen at registration.

The Netherlands and Belgium

In the Netherlands the designated body is the Nationaal (W)EEE Register. A seller that sells by distance from another country directly to Dutch users is also a producer. In practice registration runs through joining Stichting OPEN, whose contribution agreement was declared generally binding on all producers from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2030. An authorized representative established in the Netherlands can be appointed but is not required. The annual report is due before 1 May (Regeling AEEA art. 19(3)).

In Belgium, membership of Recupel is the registration. The alternative is an individual waste management plan filed with all three regions. Recupel names foreign online sellers explicitly: a seller that delivers to customers in Belgium must become a member or file its own plan, and must appoint an authorized representative in Belgium. Recupel offers to take that role free of charge.

Croatia

In Croatia, the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund (*Fond za zaštitu okoliša i energetsku učinkovitost*) keeps the register. The ordinance on special waste categories in the fund's system (NN 124/2023) requires producers to register and report electronically. A company from another EU state or a third country that sells only by distance to consumers in Croatia must appoint, in writing, an authorized representative registered in Croatia. The system is state-run: instead of joining a private scheme, producers pay a management fee to the fund. The fund decides on exemptions using criteria it publishes on its website.

Switzerland is different

Switzerland is not an EU member, and the WEEE Directive does not apply there. The ordinance on the return, take-back and disposal of electrical and electronic equipment (VREG) has no register, no number and no authorized representative. It covers take-back, disposal, labelling and information. Funding runs through a voluntary advance recycling fee paid to SENS eRecycling or Swico Recycling. A seller that pays no industry organization must handle disposal at its own cost and keep records of it. The revised Environmental Protection Act allows the Federal Council to require foreign online mail-order sellers to pay. Check the current position before you ship to Switzerland.

What this means for a store with several delivery countries

• For each delivery country, check whether you sell electrical equipment directly to end users there
• Plan a registration in each of those countries' national registers, before the first delivery
• Settle the authorized representative per country: mandatory in Germany, Austria, France, Spain, Belgium and Croatia
• Show the number where the country requires it: Germany in the offer and on invoices, France in the terms and on the website, Spain on the sales page and invoice, Italy on transport documents and invoices
• Record the reporting deadlines per country, they differ
• Check batteries and packaging separately: a WEEE registration covers neither

For Germany, our guide to WEEE registration for foreign Shopify sellers covers the process in detail, WEEE registration cost in Germany lists the fees, and the WEEE authorized representative explains what the mandate must contain.

How Assuro helps

Assuro connects to your Shopify store and shows, per product and delivery country, which obligations are triggered. For WEEE and batteries Assuro covers Germany and France today; for packaging it covers Germany, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Italy and Spain. Assuro organizes and flags. It does not register you in any country and does not act as your authorized representative.