Books, ISBN Requirements, and Exemptions

Effective June 1, 2017, you must provide an ISBN, EAN, or JAN to list a book in the Amazon catalogue, regardless of the book's publication date. If you remove book listings that you created before June 1, 2017, from your inventory, you will need an ISBN, EAN, or JAN to relist them in the future.

ISBNs, EANs and JANs improve product matching and help customers find the products they want to buy on Amazon. Most product packaging includes the product's ISBN, EAN or JAN.

We understand that ISBNs, EANs, and EANs do not exist for some books. Amazon may provide an exemption from the requirement for these books.

You can request an exemption by clicking the Request Approval link at the bottom of the page and filling out the form for Books.

Note: All ISBN, EAN and JAN exemptions for books will be reviewed periodically, and we reserve the right to remove exemptions. Sellers who do not follow the exemption rules will have their exemption revoked. If your request is approved, you may list the books included in the exemption. If your request is not approved, you must provide ISBNs or EANs to list books.

Next steps

Apply for an exemption by clicking the button below and filling in our approval request form. We will ask you to provide a list of the books you are requesting an exemption for. Only include books that do not have an ISBN, EAN, or JAN. Submissions containing books that have an ISBN, EAN, or JAN will not be reviewed.

Request approval