KDP is available to authors in most countries worldwide, but there are age requirements, supported-country limitations, territory-based royalty rate differences, and rights considerations that are worth understanding clearly before you publish. This article covers all of them. For the full account setup guide, see our article on how to set up your KDP account step by step.
Age Requirements for KDP
You must be at least 18 years old to create a KDP account and publish independently. This is because the account involves entering into a legally binding publishing agreement with Amazon and completing tax documentation.
Authors under 18 can publish on KDP through a parent or legal guardian who creates the account in their own name and manages the publishing arrangement on the minor’s behalf. The account, the tax documentation, and the royalty payments would all be in the adult’s name.
Which Countries Can Use KDP
Amazon KDP is available to authors in the vast majority of countries worldwide. Amazon maintains a list of supported countries for bank transfers on its KDP help pages. As of 2025, authors in over 100 countries can publish on KDP and receive royalty payments by electronic transfer.
Notable exceptions — countries from which KDP accounts cannot currently be created or payments cannot be received — include those subject to comprehensive US trade sanctions. Amazon updates this list periodically. If your country is not currently supported for direct bank transfer, cheque payment may be available as an alternative, though this varies.
For country-specific guidance on taxes, payment setup, and withholding, read our full guide to KDP for non-US authors.
Setting Your Distribution Territories
When you publish a book on KDP, you are asked to specify your distribution territories — the countries and regions where your book is available for sale. You have two options: Worldwide Rights or Individual Territories.
Most authors who own full rights to their book should select Worldwide Rights. This makes your book available on every Amazon marketplace globally — Amazon.com (US), Amazon.co.uk (UK), Amazon.de (Germany), Amazon.fr (France), Amazon.co.jp (Japan), and so on. There is no reason to restrict your territory selection unless you have a specific contractual reason to do so.
Individual territory selection is relevant when: you have sold specific territorial rights to a publisher (for example, a US publisher has your North American rights, meaning you cannot sell the book there yourself); or you have an existing distribution arrangement in certain countries that conflicts with Amazon’s terms. If you have sold any rights to a publisher, check your contract carefully before selecting Worldwide Rights — distributing in a territory where someone else holds rights is a contract violation.
Worldwide vs Individual Territory Selection in Practice
Selecting Worldwide Rights does not mean Amazon sells equally in all territories. Amazon has active marketplaces in approximately 20 countries. In territories where Amazon has no dedicated marketplace, sales may still occur through Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk depending on where the customer is based, but volume will naturally be lower than in markets with dedicated local storefronts.
The major Amazon marketplaces for book sales are: US (.com), UK (.co.uk), Germany (.de), France (.fr), Spain (.es), Italy (.it), Japan (.co.jp), Canada (.ca), Australia (.com.au), Brazil (.com.br), Mexico (.com.mx), and India (.in). Each has its own bestseller lists, its own category structure, and its own royalty currency.
Rights and Territory Restrictions
Publishing rights are territorial. When you write a book, you own the rights in all territories by default — you have not signed them away to anyone. You are free to publish globally.
Rights become complicated when you have existing publishing contracts. A traditional publishing deal for your novel in the UK and Commonwealth does not preclude you from publishing independently in the US — but it does prevent you from selling the UK and Commonwealth rights yourself. If you are in any doubt about your rights situation, review your contracts carefully or seek legal advice before selecting your KDP distribution territories.
For authors publishing original work with no existing publishing agreements, the practical answer is simple: select Worldwide Rights and move on.
How Territory Affects Your Royalty Rate
The 70% eBook royalty tier is not available in all territories. It applies in the major English-language and European Amazon marketplaces. In some smaller markets — including Amazon.com.br (Brazil), Amazon.com.mx (Mexico), and Amazon.in (India) — only the 35% royalty tier applies regardless of your book’s price.
This means that if a significant portion of your readership is in markets where only 35% applies, your effective average royalty rate across all sales will be lower than 70%. For most English-language authors, the volume of sales in 35%-only territories is a small fraction of total sales, so the impact is limited.
Paperback royalties also vary by territory because printing costs differ between Amazon’s US, UK, and European printing facilities. KDP’s royalty calculator adjusts automatically when you set prices for each marketplace.
What to Do If Your Country Is Restricted
If you are based in a country that is not currently supported for KDP bank transfers, you have a few options. First, check whether cheque payment is available to your country — some authors in less-supported countries use this as a workaround despite the higher threshold and slower payment. Second, if you have a bank account in a supported country (for example, a family member’s account or a business account in a different jurisdiction), you may be able to use that for payment — though you should consult a tax professional about the implications.
Amazon periodically expands its list of supported payment countries as it grows its international operations. Checking the current list on the KDP help pages is worth doing if your country was previously unsupported.
Wherever you are publishing from, the right Amazon self-publishing software makes the metadata work easier regardless of your territory setup. KDP Rank Fuel by Vappingo generates optimised keywords, descriptions, and category recommendations that work across all Amazon marketplaces.
And before your book reaches readers in any territory, it should be in its best possible condition. Vappingo offers the best manuscript proofreading service for self-published authors — professional editors who understand the standards readers in every market expect.
