TikTok Shop Affiliate Requirements in the UK, US and Germany

To become a TikTok Shop affiliate creator you must be at least 18, have an account in good standing, and reach a follower minimum that depends on your country. TikTok Shop's own policy pages set it at 500 followers in the UK and Germany and 1,000 followers in the US. In the US and Germany, new affiliates also start in a 30-day pilot with limits on how much shoppable content they can post. TikTok Shop says the criteria vary by country and are updated from time to time, so the application screen in your app is the final word.

TikTok Shop affiliate requirements at a glance

In every market your account must also follow the Community Guidelines and TikTok Shop policies, must not be a government, politician or political party account, and must never have had e-commerce permissions taken away before, including on an older account.

TikTok Shop affiliate requirements in the UK

TikTok Shop UK's eligibility policy asks you to maintain 500 followers and be at least 18. Its guide to checking your permissions adds a few more details:

• At least 500 genuine followers. TikTok's wording is "genuine", so inflated counts are not what it is looking for.
• Age 18 or over, confirmed through Creator Age Confirmation.
• A video posted in the last 28 days.
• You are in the country where the account is registered. A UK account can promote products for TikTok Shop UK.
• You follow the Community Guidelines and have never had e-commerce permissions revoked, including on an older account.

You do not lose access the moment you dip below 500. The UK policy says permissions are only removed if you fall more than 100 followers below the minimum. The UK pages we read do not describe a pilot programme like the US and Germany have, so it is unclear whether new UK affiliates face posting caps. Check your status in the app after you are approved.

TikTok Shop affiliate requirements in the US

TikTok Shop's US Creator Eligibility Policy has the highest entry bar of the three. Affiliate creators must self-apply and have at least 1,000 followers, be at least 18, be based in the United States, and pass Creator Identity Verification. You may be asked to confirm your age within two months of registering, and to verify your identity with a government ID after your first commission.

The US Affiliate Creator Pilot Program

If you have fewer than 5,000 followers, you are placed in the Affiliate Creator Pilot Program for at least 30 days. While you are in it, you can only promote products with a Shop Performance Score of 95% or higher, you cannot join campaigns, and there is a cap on shoppable posts. The eligibility policy sets it at 3 shoppable product videos per day and 3 shoppable LIVEs per week. Creators given an Extended Pilot tag can face tighter limits, so go by the limit shown in your app.

To graduate, you need 5,000 followers and 30 days in the programme. If you have not reached 5,000 followers after 30 days, TikTok Shop may still lift the limits at its discretion if you pass a probation quiz on its policies, reach at least 176 points on your Creator Health Rating, and do one of these: post 6 or more shoppable videos of at least 8 seconds, promote TikTok Shop products in a LIVE of at least 5 minutes, or generate 10 orders from shoppable content.

TikTok Shop affiliate requirements in Germany

Germany follows TikTok Shop's EU eligibility policy, which also covers markets such as France, Ireland, Italy and Spain. You need to maintain 500 followers, be at least 18, and use your account from the country where it was registered. As in the UK, you only lose access if you drop more than 100 followers below the minimum.

Germany also has a 30-day creator pilot, which the EU page applies to Germany, France, Ireland, Italy and Spain. Creators without an official or commercial tie to a seller are enrolled automatically after verification. During the pilot you can post up to 21 shoppable videos per week. To finish it, you need at least 176 Creator Health Rating points and, within the first 30 days, one of the same activity targets as the US: 6 shoppable videos of 8+ seconds, a product LIVE of 5+ minutes, or 10 orders. If you miss them, the pilot can be extended by another 30 days. Unlike the US, there is no 5,000-follower graduation rule on the EU page.

How to apply for TikTok Shop affiliate

You apply from the TikTok app. The US policy describes affiliate creators as self-applying, so you do not need an invitation from a seller. The menu names differ slightly by country and app version, but the route is similar:

1. 1Open your creator tools. Go to your profile and open Creator tools. In some app versions these tools may sit under a different menu name.
2. 2Find TikTok Shop. Select TikTok Shop. This is the route TikTok Shop UK's guide gives; in other markets the option may sit under a monetisation section.
3. 3Apply. Follow the on-screen steps to submit your application. TikTok Shop checks it against your market's requirements.
4. 4Confirm your age and identity. Complete age confirmation when asked. In the US you may also need to verify your identity with a government ID, often after your first commission.
5. 5Check your status. Once you have applied, you can check in the app whether you have e-commerce permissions.

If you are turned down or later restricted, you can appeal, which the UK guide says is done from the Account Standing page. TikTok Shop may ask you to verify your identity before it reviews an appeal. A permanent removal of e-commerce access cannot be reversed, so it is worth reading the TikTok Shop content rules before you post.

How does TikTok Shop affiliate commission work?

You earn commission when someone buys a product through your shoppable video, LIVE or affiliate link. The seller sets the rate, not TikTok. Sellers can choose anywhere from 1% to 80% of each product sold, and you can see the rate before you decide to promote a product.

• Open collaborations are visible to all eligible creators. You pick a product and start promoting it, unless the seller asks to approve creators first.
• Target collaborations are invitations a seller sends to specific creators. If the same product is in both, the target rate replaces the open rate, even if it is lower.
• You are only paid one commission rate per product.

TikTok does not publish average commission rates or affiliate earnings, so treat any figure you see online as a guess. To see what your audience might be worth across other income streams, try our free calculator.

Tips for your first months as a TikTok Shop affiliate

1. 1Pick products you would use. Viewers can tell when you believe in a product. Stick to items that fit what your account is already about.
2. 2Show the product working. Short demos, before and after clips and honest pros and cons tend to explain a product better than a list of features.
3. 3Use the pilot to learn. If you have a cap, make each shoppable video count. Treat the first 30 days as testing, not volume.
4. 4Protect your account health. Misleading claims and policy breaches cost Creator Health Rating points, which can block you from graduating. If your reach suddenly drops, read our guide to the TikTok shadowban.
5. 5Keep growing your audience. More real followers means more potential buyers. Our plan for getting your first 1,000 followers on TikTok works for this too.

Other ways to earn on TikTok

TikTok Shop is one income stream among several. See how many followers you need to get paid on TikTok for the Creator Rewards and LIVE rules, how much TikTokers make for a wider look at creator income, and how many followers you need for a link in your TikTok bio if you also want to send people to your own site.