Brand Authorisation
Brand Authorisation is TikTok Shop’s check that a seller owns a brand’s trademark or has permission to use it, approved before that brand can be listed.
What it means
TikTok Shop describes it as “the process through which sellers request permission to list products from a specific, authorised brand”. The seller shows they own the trademark or have official permission to use it, and the brand’s products “can only be listed once the seller has received TikTok’s formal approval”.1
There are four types, each with its own proof. A Trademark Owner sends a copy of the trademark registration certificate. A 1st Level Authorised Seller, authorised by the owner directly, sends the owner’s signed Letter of Authorisation (LOA) or distribution letter. A 2nd Level Authorised Seller, authorised by a 1st level seller such as a distributor, sends two signed letters: the owner’s to that seller, and that seller’s to you. The fourth type, Proof of Purchase, rests on an invoice or receipt and photos of the actual stock, and is open only to sellers TikTok Shop selects.1
Applications are checked against official trademark databases, and the details must match the certificate exactly, down to the spacing and symbols in the trademark’s name. TikTok wants “the registration number, not the application number”.1
Think of it like this
It works like collecting a child from school. A parent is known to the office; anyone else needs the parent’s written permission on file before the child is handed over. TikTok Shop treats a brand the same way: the owner shows the trademark certificate, and everyone else shows a letter that leads back to the owner.
For example
A gift shop buys Calder & Hope tea towels from Calder & Hope’s UK distributor rather than from Calder & Hope. To list them on TikTok Shop it applies as a 2nd Level Authorised Seller, with Calder & Hope’s letter to the distributor and the distributor’s letter to the shop. Both letters must show an expiry date and the trademark’s name and registration number.1
Why it matters
If a brand needs it and the listing goes up without it, TikTok Shop says the listing “may not be approved or may be removed”, and the brand field must show the real brand, never left blank or set to No Brand.2 Once approved, the brand name “is final and cannot be changed”, so it has to be right first time.1
Not to be confused with
Brand Registry is a different programme: Amazon’s free scheme for brand owners to protect their intellectual property.3 Brand Authorisation belongs to TikTok Shop, covers resellers as well as owners, and must be approved before a brand that needs it can be listed.1
Sources
- TikTok Shop Academy UK. Guide to Brand Authorisation.
- TikTok Shop Academy UK. Seller Policy Pulse (August 2026).
- Amazon (sell.amazon.co.uk). Amazon Brand Registry: Protect and Build Your Brand in the UK.