How to register your webshop with Verpact: a step-by-step guide

Who must register: scope and role of your webshop

Any webshop or business in the Netherlands that first places packaged products on the Dutch consumer or commercial market falls under the packaging producer responsibility that Verpact administers. Whether you actually have to register and declare depends on your annual weight, which the deadlines section below sets out. The Dutch government states that producers and importers who bring packaging material onto the Dutch market, or who remove packaging after importing goods, pay the packaging waste management fee to Verpact and must first register with it^[1]. In practice that covers Dutch direct-to-consumer brands, online retailers, and importers alike.

The scope test determines whether your webshop qualifies as a producer or importer under Dutch packaging rules. Verpact explains the fee in terms of three flows: goods you make available in the Netherlands for the first time because you produce or import them, packaging released after you import products, and packaging you add yourself during repackaging or production^[2]. Three practical operational checks clarify your exact status:

• Buying location: You are responsible for the packaging of all goods you make available in the Netherlands for the first time because you produce or import them, so importing goods yourself puts that packaging in your declaration.
• Selling location: The packaging waste management fee applies when a packaged product is released on the Dutch market; if your customer exports the goods in the same packaging, that customer can claim a refund for indirect export.
• Packaging responsibility: If you add packaging during repackaging or production and it is intended for a Dutch consumer, those kilograms belong in your own declaration.

While Verpact manages packaging waste responsibility in the Netherlands, cross-border sales require separate compliance under each destination country's rules. For example, selling packaged goods into Germany requires a separate registration in the LUCID register with the Central Agency Packaging Register (ZSVR) and licensing with a dual system. Similarly, electrical products or batteries carry distinct waste management requirements under separate national frameworks. To explore broader environmental obligations across Dutch product categories, consult our Dutch EPR overview.

If your webshop's packaging supply chain sits on the boundary between domestic sourcing and direct import, assessing your exact obligation profile prevents unexpected registration gaps. You can evaluate your specific role and multi-country exposure through our needs analysis before completing your portal submission.

Step by step: completing your Verpact registration

Registering your webshop with Verpact takes place through the official online portal: if you are filing a declaration for the first time you register there and receive your login details by email^[3]. Verpact works with a single declaration entity that corresponds to the VAT grouping, so if your webshop is part of a tax entity for VAT, one company of that entity files the declaration for all of them^[3].

• Portal account creation: Register in the Verpact portal with your company and contact details; you then receive your login details by email so you can file a declaration^[3].
• Declaration entity: Check which legal entity files. Verpact's declaration entity corresponds to the VAT grouping, so if your webshop belongs to a tax entity for VAT, one company of that entity declares for all^[3].
• Packaging classification: For each packaging you register the materials consumed and the weight of each of these materials, and you do this also when the materials are inseparably connected, as with a beverage carton^[4].
• Initial volume estimation: Start with an estimate of the packaging you expect to place on the market; in the following year you file your definitive declaration by 1 April, when that estimate is converted into the kilograms actually released on the market^[5].

During account setup, accuracy in packaging classification is essential. Since 2024 Verpact distinguishes rigid and flexible plastic in both reporting and fees^[6], and for some packaging types filling in a material type is mandatory: for packaging covered by the Single-Use Plastic legislation, plastic (rigid, flexible, or both) must always be entered^[4]. The materials and their weights per packaging, multiplied by the quantity of packaging placed on the market in a calendar year, form the basis for your declaration^[4].

Key deadlines and current rates

Managing Verpact compliance means meeting the annual reporting deadline and understanding how the per-material fees are built up. Verpact states that you file your definitive declaration in the year following your notification by 1 April, when your estimate is converted into the kilograms actually released on the market^[5]. The Dutch government likewise confirms that producers and importers register with Verpact and declare the quantity and weight of their packaging every year^[1].

The 50,000 kg threshold decides whether you have to declare at all. It is a total across all your packaging materials, not a limit per material. Place less than 50,000 kg on the Dutch market in a calendar year and you have no declaration duty and owe no waste management contribution^[4]. Reach or pass it and you file an annual declaration^[4].

Above the threshold, the first 50,000 kg is still deducted. Verpact reduces the basis for the invoice by 50,000 kg pro rata to the weight of the declared packaging and materials, and applies that reduction in the declaration summary where the contribution to be paid or received is calculated^[4].

Two categories ignore the threshold entirely. Packaging under the Single-Use Plastic (SUP) legislation and deposit-bearing packaging carry no threshold at all: register with Verpact as soon as you place them on the market, even below 50,000 kg^[4]. Plastic beverage bottles and beverage cans up to 3 litres with a deposit must be reported by both weight and quantity^[4]. If you exceeded the threshold in an earlier year and have since dropped below it, you keep filing a declaration even though no contribution follows^[4].

Incentive discounts encourage sustainable packaging design. In 2025 and 2026, Verpact grants a tariff discount of €0.20 per kilogram for plastic packaging incorporating post-consumer recyclate (PCR)^[6]. To learn how these threshold rules and tariffs interact with future EU legislation, read our PPWR small webshop guide.

After registration: your annual Verpact cycle

Registration with Verpact is not a one-time administrative event, but the start of an ongoing compliance cycle^[7]. Webshop operators must maintain continuous packaging records to support annual filings and statutory audits^[4].

• Weight and material tracking: Maintain a continuous log of packaging weights, unit counts, and material compositions across all product SKUs and shipping boxes placed on the market throughout the calendar year^[4].
• Annual declaration filing: Submit your actual packaging quantities in the Verpact portal prior to the 1 April deadline following the end of the reporting year^[7].
• Fee and rate monitoring: Review annual rate announcements published by Verpact every autumn to adjust financial forecasts and check eligibility for fee modulation discounts^[6].

Accurate record-keeping protects businesses during regulatory checks. Verpact conducts periodic audits to verify that reported weights match actual commercial dispatches and import documentation^[3]. Retaining supplier invoices and packaging specification sheets ensures that your annual data remains fully verifiable^[4].

Outlook: how the rules develop from here

Extended Producer Responsibility regulations continue to evolve at both European and national levels^[8]. Under Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, PPWR), which entered into force on 11 February 2025 and applies from 12 August 2026, harmonization across EU member states will gradually reshape national reporting standards^[8].

At present, several operational details remain open and subject to future national legislative acts^[8]. For instance, while the 50,000 kg threshold remains fully effective today, Verpact expects the threshold to lapse when the PPWR EU producer register takes effect, which Verpact expects from 12 August 2027 at the earliest^[8]. This timeline represents Verpact's expectation and is not yet enacted in any published Dutch legislative instrument^[8]. Furthermore, while broader reporting obligations will extend to smaller volumes under the PPWR framework, future contribution levels and exact calculation methods remain undetermined^[8].

• Own manufacturing: Producing goods in the Netherlands creates direct producer responsibility for both primary product packaging and secondary shipping materials^[4].
• Direct import: Importing packaged products from outside the EU or purchasing from foreign suppliers establishes your webshop as the primary importer responsible for reporting^[4].
• EU supplier sourcing: Sourcing standard packaged items from a Dutch or EU-based wholesaler means the initial supplier may have already cleared the primary packaging fee, leaving only your added shipping packaging to report^[4].
• Private-label packaging: Commissioning custom-branded packaging under your own specifications places primary packaging reporting duties on your webshop^[4].

Which packaging obligations apply to your webshop depends on your exact role in the packaging chain. A webshop using standard packaging sourced from an EU supplier faces different duties from a business importing packaging or having it manufactured under its own specifications^[4]. These distinctions cannot reliably be resolved through a general checklist alone. To understand your compliance position today and be on the safe side, start the Digital needs analysis now. After that, our experts support you in implementing the requirements and keep you covered as the rules evolve. To learn more about our process, see how ClearoSystems works.

Frequently asked questions

Does my webshop need to register with Verpact?

You act as the producer or importer if your webshop first places packaged products on the Dutch market. The duty to register and declare starts once you exceed 50,000 kg of packaging in a calendar year, or immediately for single-use plastic and deposit packaging, which carry no threshold.

What is the 50,000 kg threshold for Verpact?

Companies placing less than 50,000 kg of packaging per calendar year on the Dutch market currently owe no waste management fee and have no declaration duty, apart from single-use plastic and deposit packaging. Verpact expects this to change when the PPWR producer register launches, from 12 August 2027 at the earliest.

What exactly do I have to register or report?

Once you are in scope, you create an account in the Verpact portal, submit your company details, provide an initial estimate of your packaging volumes by material, and file a detailed declaration annually before 1 April.

What happens if my webshop also sells to Germany?

Verpact only covers the Netherlands. If you sell packaged goods from the Netherlands to consumers in Germany, you face separate obligations under German law, requiring a LUCID registration and dual system licensing.

How much does the packaging waste management fee cost?

The fee depends on the material type and volume. In 2025 and 2026 there is a EUR 0.20 per kilogram discount for plastic packaging containing post-consumer recyclate. The exact cost is calculated from your annual declaration.

What happens if I am late with my Verpact declaration?

Failing to file your annual declaration before the 1 April deadline can lead to enforcement actions. It is critical to maintain accurate weight records per material throughout the year to report on time.