How to Change Kindle Account Country? A Quick Guide!

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If you have recently moved to another country or perhaps have found a book that is not available in the Kindle store of your country, you may want to change the country associated with your Kindle store. But, you may be wondering how to change the country of your Kindle account?

To change your Kindle store country, login to your account and open the “Content & Device” section. Then, click on the “Preferences” option, and click on the “Country/Region Settings”. Next, click on “Change”, enter the details of the destination country and click “Update”.

Knowing how to change the country of your Kindle store is just half the battle. It is also important to know how this will affect your existing books present in your library!

So, in this article, I’ll not only walk you through the steps of changing the country of your Kindle account. But, I’ll also share with you how to view the books available on the Kindle store of another country without changing your store location, the benefits of changing the store to another country, and how to switch back in case something goes wrong!

So, let’s get started, shall we?

Did You Know? You can read Unlimited Kindle books on Amazon with Kindle Unlimited! Check out this special offer to try Kindle Unlimited for FREE. Also, read my other article to learn more about Kindle Unlimited!

Why Change the Kindle Store Country? 3 Key Benefits!

So, you may be wondering, why do you need to change the country of your Kindle store? How would it really matter! 

Well, there are some benefits to changing the location of your Amazon account and accessing books from another country! Let’s take a look at the benefits – 

1. More Book Options

It may surprise you that the eBooks sold on Amazon have a surprising level of complexity when it comes to distribution rights and licensing!

You would think that the technology would make it easier to sell books worldwide as compared to traditional publishing. But, that is not the case. More often than not, authors from one country find it difficult to sell books in another territory due to territory rights, copyright protections, and other limitations.

As a result, certain books are available on the Kindle store of a particular country, while they may not be available for purchase in another store territory (as annoying as it is). 

Thus, changing the Kindle account country can provide you with access to books that might not be otherwise available!

2. Price Benefit

Another benefit that you get by changing the Kindle store country to another region is the difference in the price for the same book. 

As crazy as this may sound, a book that you intend to buy might actually be cheaper in the Amazon store of another country. This may not always be the case, but you can definitely save some money in at least a good number of instances. 

3. Convenience

If you are moving to another country for an extended period of time, it is perhaps best that you change the location of your Kindle account to the country that you’ve moved to.

Although you can buy books from the store of your original country, sometimes this can cause an issue especially when you are not located in the country registered in your account.

How to Change the Country of Your Kindle Store?

Let’s address the elephant in the room. How do you change the Kindle store country of your account? I’ve already given you the short answer earlier in the article. But, let me share with you the exact steps involved –

Changing the Kindle Store Country Using a Computer

Changing the Kindle store country requires you to log in to your Amazon account of your original country.

For the sake of this example, I’m going to show you how I changed the country of my Kindle account from India to the USA. The same steps apply when changing the store to any other country or region combinations as well.

Here’s what you need to do –

Step 1 – Open the “Content and Devices” Settings

First, log in to your Amazon account. Then, hover over your name next to the search bar on the top of the page (as shown in the image above).

A dropdown menu will appear with several options. Click on the “Content & Devices” link.

Step 2 – Open the “Preferences” Tab

On the next screen, Amazon will show you your Kindle book library by default. Head over to the “Preferences” tab on the top.

Next, click on the “Country/Region Settings” option and it will reveal the country region that your Kindle account is currently associated with.

Simply click on the “Change” button.

Step 3 – Enter the Address of Your Destination Country

Now, enter the address of residence of the country you wish to change the Kindle account to. Make sure to enter the ZIP code.

Also, make sure that you choose the country name of the destination store from the dropdown.

Once you’ve added all the information, simply click on “Update“.

Step 4 – Verify the Store Country has been Changed

The last step is to simply verify whether the change has taken place. To do that, simply go back to the “Preferences” section and click on the “Country/Region Settings“.

Your Kindle account should now reflect the revised store location.

Once this is done, you will be able to purchase books from the updated Kindle store!

Can You Change the Kindle Store Country on Kindle?

You can only change the location of your Kindle store using the web browser on a computer. Amazon does not allow you to change the Kindle store country on Kindle, or by using the Kindle App on Android or iPhone.

So, in case you don’t have access to a computer, your best bet would be to use the chrome browser on your phone and open the browser tab in the desktop version.

Can You Buy Kindle Books Outside US When Traveling?

When I was traveling to another country recently, one question that troubled me as a book nerd was will my Kindle work in another country? Will I be able to buy books when I’m in another country or do I need to stock up on my reading material?

You can buy Kindle books on Amazon even when you are located in a different country than the one saved in the “Country/Region Settings” of your Kindle account. For best results, use a web browser on a computer to purchase the books and then sync the library on your Kindle account.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you may face issues when trying to purchase a book using the store on your Kindle device especially if your Kindle is internet enabled.

You may get an error that the “location of your account doesn’t match the location of the store”. If you face such a situation, it is best to simply change the store country of your account using the steps mentioned above, and try purchasing the book again using a computer instead of Kindle.

Do You Need a Real Address to Change Kindle Store Country?

One of the biggest factors that may prevent you from changing the country of your Kindle store is the lack of address in the destination store! But, do you even need a valid address to change your Amazon store country?

You do not need a valid address to change the country of your Amazon account for buying eBooks as long as you don’t intend to purchase products that need to be delivered physically. You can input the street name and a zip code of any city within a country to change the country of your Kindle store.

However, make sure to choose the correct address in case you intend to buy a physical book from an Amazon store in another country! You can request your friend to accept the delivery if you don’t have a physical address in a particular country.

If you are temporarily or permanently moving from one country to another, you may want to add in your real address as well.

How to View Kindle Books Available in Another Country? [Without Changing Store Location!]

If you simply want to view the eBooks available on Amazon or the Kindle store in another country, you don’t need to necessarily change your address or edit the country of residence!

To view kindle books available in another country, go to the Amazon website of that country. Then, click on the location icon labeled as “Deliver to” next to the Amazon logo on the top left corner of your screen. Enter the zip code of any city of the country, and click on “Apply”.

Doing so will unlock the books that are sold specifically in the other country. However, in order to purchase these books, you will need to change the country of residence as mentioned earlier in the article.

Here’s a visual explanation of the process that you need to follow –

Step 1 – Click on the Location Icon

First, open the Amazon website of the desired country. For instance, if you wish to view the Kindle books available on the Amazon US store, you need to visit Amazon.com. Likewise, if you wish to view books on the Amazon UK store, you need to open the Amazon.co.uk site.

It is important to note that not all countries have their independent Amazon store. Here’s a list of all the Amazon stores where you can view and purchase Kindle books Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States.

Once you’ve opened the store of the desired country, click on the location icon next to the Amazon logo on the top left part of the screen (as shown in the image above).

Step 2 – Enter the Zip Code

Next, simply enter the zip code of any city of the chosen country. Then, click on “Apply“. Finally, click on “Done“.

If you don’t know the zip code of cities within a country, simply search it on Google. Enter the name of any city of a country and add the “Zipcode” prefix to it!

Now, simply open the Kindle eBooks section and start browsing to see all the available books.

What Happens to Your Books if You Change Your Kindle Account Country?

One thing that you may be wondering is if eBooks have rights to be sold only in a particular country, then what happens to the books that you have already purchased?

According to Amazon, the Kindle books along with Audible audiobooks that you already own will also get transferred with your account when you change the country of residence in your account. However, Kindle Unlimited, Prime Reading, Kindle Kids books, and Family library will not be transferred.

So, even though the books will get transferred when you change the store location, it is best to check out what can and can not be transferred especially if your Amazon account is associated with multiple services within the Amazon ecosystem.

Check out this Amazon Support Page for complete details.

Can You Switch Back to the Original Country Store?

Amazon allows you to switch back and forth between multiple country stores by changing the address in the country and region settings. Simply follow the steps to change the location of your country of residence as mentioned earlier in the article.

So, at any point in time if you think using the store of another country was a bad idea, you can just as easily switch back.

However, as mentioned in the previous section, make sure that your Amazon account is not associated with or using any other services within the Amazon ecosystem as some of the services may get canceled.

Also, if you create a separate account on the Amazon store of a different country, you will not be able to transfer the books from one account to another (irrespective of which country either of the accounts is created!)

Unable to Change Kindle Account Store Country

If you are unable to change the Kindle account country, make sure that you aren’t trying to change the location from Japan or China as the original country. Currently, Amazon doesn’t allow users to transfer an Amazon.co.jp or Amazon.cn account to another country or region.

If you are not having Japan or China as the original country for your account, and yet you are facing issues when transferring your account, it is best to reach out to Amazon’s customer support team for help.

They will usually be able to help you out pretty easily as long as changing the country of residence to the store of another country is possible.

Credit to Lucas Benvenuto on Unsplash for the featured image of this article