To get an Amazon DSP license — more precisely, to be accepted into Amazon’s Delivery Service Partner program — you submit an online application showing at least $30,000 in liquid assets and relevant management experience, pass background, credit, and motor vehicle record checks, clear a multi-round interview process that includes a business plan, and accept an offer tied to a specific delivery station. The program is not a franchise or a government-issued license. It is a contractual partnership in which you own the delivery business and provide last-mile service exclusively through Amazon’s logistics network, branded vehicles, and technology.1Amazon DSP Program. Amazon DSP Program Financial Information
Who Amazon Will Consider
Amazon evaluates applicants on three fronts: money, background, and management ability. Prior logistics experience is not required.2Amazon DSP Program. FAQ – Amazon DSP Program
The $30,000 Liquid Assets Threshold
Your application must document at least $30,000 in liquid assets. Amazon estimates the actual startup cost at around $10,000; the higher liquid figure exists so you can cover personal expenses during training and the early weeks of operation before revenue stabilizes.1Amazon DSP Program. Amazon DSP Program Financial Information Credit is also weighed. Cleaning up outstanding debts and correcting any reporting errors before applying is worth doing.
Background, Credit, and Driving Record
Every applicant goes through a background check, a credit check, and a motor vehicle record review. Amazon also runs a recorded screening interview built around its Leadership Principles, which emphasize customer focus, ownership mentality, and bias toward action.2Amazon DSP Program. FAQ – Amazon DSP Program Serious moving violations, poor credit, or criminal history flags can end an application before the interview stage.
Management Experience and Exclusivity
Amazon wants applicants who can show they have managed a budget or profit-and-loss statement, hired and led a team, and made operational decisions under pressure.2Amazon DSP Program. FAQ – Amazon DSP Program Only one person may apply per application, and the program is designed for a single owner-operator per delivery station. If you already hold a stake in another DSP, you are not eligible. Plan on a full-time commitment that regularly exceeds forty hours a week, more during peak.
The Five-Stage Application
The path from applicant to offer runs through five stages: the online application, a financial assessment, interviews, a holding phase called Future DSP if your preferred location has no opening, and finally an offer.3Amazon. Amazon DSP Program – Application Process Amazon calls the program highly competitive and warns openly that you may wait months for a response.
Filling Out the Online Application
The application takes roughly two to three hours to complete through Amazon’s DSP portal. It gathers your work history, education, financial information, community involvement, geographic preferences, and the personal data needed to run the background, credit, and motor vehicle record checks.3Amazon. Amazon DSP Program – Application Process You must be able to speak English, and you must disclose any relationships that could pose a conflict of interest with a current DSP owner.
Interviews and the Business Plan
Applicants who clear the initial review move into a multi-step interview process: a screening interview, a live webinar where you can put questions to a current DSP owner, and a final round of interviews.2Amazon DSP Program. FAQ – Amazon DSP Program Strong candidates may also visit an Amazon delivery station to meet staff and see operations firsthand. During this phase you also submit a business plan. Amazon does not publish a rigid template for it.4Amazon Business. Amazon Delivery Service Partner Program
Future DSP and Timing
Amazon does not commit to a specific timeline and states it “might take months” before you hear back.3Amazon. Amazon DSP Program – Application Process If you are accepted but your preferred delivery station has no opening, you go into the Future DSP holding pool until a slot opens. Check the portal often. Status updates and requests for additional documentation come through it.
What You’ll Spend to Open the Doors
The $10,000 estimated startup figure and the $30,000 liquid requirement are only the entry math.1Amazon DSP Program. Amazon DSP Program Financial Information Once operating, your two largest predictable costs are vehicles and insurance.
Amazon supplies branded delivery vehicles through partnerships with fleet leasing companies such as Element Fleet Management, with fleet management services included in the program and DOT compliance support through J.J. Keller. Monthly lease payments for Amazon-branded vans generally run between $1,800 and $2,200 per vehicle, with little to no upfront deposit. Over a five-year term that comes to roughly $108,000 to $132,000 per van, with no residual value at the end because the vehicle returns to the lessor. Maintenance coverage varies by agreement.
Insurance is your responsibility, not Amazon’s. Every DSP must carry commercial auto insurance, general liability, and workers’ compensation. Your commercial auto policy must cover at least $15,000 per person for bodily injury, $30,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $5,000 per accident for property damage. Workers’ compensation must cover on-the-job injuries and illnesses.
Training After You Are Accepted
New owners begin with hands-on training that introduces Amazon operations and includes time at a delivery station alongside experienced DSP owners.5Amazon DSP Program. Your Opportunity – Amazon DSP Program The curriculum covers business management, safety, and the technology platforms you will use for dispatch and performance tracking. Amazon does not publish a fixed duration for owner onboarding, but plan on several weeks before you run independently.
Your drivers train separately through Amazon’s Integrated Last Mile Driver Academy, a three-day program that combines classroom instruction at a delivery station with on-road experience. Drivers cover vehicle inspection, safe loading and unloading, package handling, and how to handle pet encounters and weather hazards before they take a route.6About Amazon. How Amazon Prepares Delivery Drivers for Safety and Success on the Road
If You Already Work at a DSP
Amazon runs a separate Road to Ownership program for high-performing employees inside an existing DSP. It is a 15-week accelerated track that pairs classroom instruction with mentorship under a current DSP owner and ends with a final business plan presentation.7Amazon Logistics. Road to Ownership If you are already a delivery associate or dispatcher planning to own a DSP eventually, this is the intended path.
What Amazon Will Expect Once You Are Running
Acceptance is the start, not the finish, and the standards that follow are worth knowing before you commit.
The Scorecard
Amazon tracks every DSP through a scorecard measuring on-time delivery rate, delivery completion rate, scan accuracy, driver safety metrics such as seatbelt use, speeding, and harsh braking, and customer feedback. Targets are aggressive: 95% or higher on-time delivery, 98% delivery completion, 99% scan accuracy, near-zero safety violations, and minimal complaints. Strong performance unlocks monthly bonus payments and can lead to additional routes. Poor scores reduce route volume, cut bonus eligibility, and can lead to contract non-renewal.
Workplace and Employment Compliance
As an employer, you are subject to federal workplace safety standards under OSHA. The General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act requires you to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm.8Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Warehousing Your drivers are employees of your company, not independent contractors, which means the Fair Labor Standards Act applies, including overtime for hours worked beyond 40 in a week. Misclassification carries serious legal exposure and has drawn enforcement action across the delivery industry.