FTR in AWS Marketplace: What It Is & How To Get It for Your Listing

Most ISVs (independent software vendors) hit the AWS Foundational Technical Review or FTR later than they should. They focus on listing setup, pricing, and private offers, then discover that co-sell access and AWS funding are gated behind a review they have not started.

This guide covers what the AWS FTR checks, which submission path to take, the prerequisites you must clear first, and how to ensure your FTR process is smooth.

TL;DR

You don’t need AWS FTR to get listed on AWS Marketplace. You do need it to unlock everything that makes the listing worth having: co-sell with AWS account managers, ISV Accelerate enrollment, funding eligibility, and the Qualified Software badge. The FTR validates that your software solution meets AWS Well-Architected best practices, and it is a prerequisite for the partner programs that turn a static listing into a revenue channel. AWS made the FTR process a whole lot easier and faster in 2026.

What is the AWS Foundational Technical Review?

The Foundational Technical Review or FTR is AWS's validation that your software meets baseline security, reliability, and operational standards. You submit either a SOC 2 Type II audit report or an AWS Well-Architected Framework Review (WAFR) through Partner Central, and the system returns results in minutes. There is no manual review queue, no fee, and no limit on resubmissions.

Earlier, FTR required partners to complete a roughly 100-question self-assessment checklist, submit it for manual AWS review, and iterate through two to three review rounds over two or more months.

AWS simplified the process in June 2026, replacing the checklist with an AI-powered upload that uses Amazon Bedrock to validate reports and return per-control feedback in minutes. The old self-assessment is discontinued.

FTR approval is valid for three years. AWS extended the renewal period from the original two years as part of the broader FTR simplification.

How is FTR useful to an ISV listing on AWS Marketplace?

FTR is the gate between having a Marketplace listing and being able to scale on AWS Marketplace. Without it, your listing exists but the GTM infrastructure around it stays locked.

Here is what you gain once FTR is approved:

• Qualified Software badge. This badge appears on your Marketplace listing and Partner Central profile. It tells AWS sellers and customers that your solution has been validated against Well-Architected standards. AWS sellers use it as a shorthand when deciding which partner solutions to recommend into customer accounts — badged solutions carry less risk for the seller to put forward
• Partner Solutions Finder listing. Your solution becomes discoverable in AWS's public partner directory, where both customers evaluating software and AWS sellers sourcing solutions for their accounts can find you. Leads generated through the Solutions Finder appear in your ACE pipeline. Clazar also brings them into your own CRM. Without FTR, your solution can’t appear in this directory
• ISV Accelerate eligibility. When you are enrolled in ISV Accelerate, your co-sell deals carry quota credit for AWS account managers. This means they are incentivized to prioritize your co-sell opportunities. ISV Accelerate also makes you eligible for marketing funding from AWS
• AWS Competency Program eligibility. FTR is a prerequisite for Competency designations, which validate your expertise in specific technology areas like security, data analytics, or machine learning. Competency badges carry weight with enterprise buyers and AWS sellers, and each new competency earned can make you eligible for additional MDF (Marketing Development Funds) from AWS
• Funding program access. Beyond the ISV Accelerate MDF, FTR completion (along with PRM compliance) is a prerequisite for broader AWS partner funding. Through a partner integrator, ISVs can access funding opportunities for additional milestones that AWS decides to incentivize from time to time
• A structured architecture audit. Completing an FTR (whether through SOC 2 or WAFR) forces a review of your security, reliability, and operational posture against AWS Well-Architected standards. For ISVs that have not run a formal architecture review, FTR often surfaces gaps that would otherwise go unnoticed until they cause a customer-facing incident.

Pro Tip: ISVs that complete FTR early in their listing timeline reach co-sell readiness weeks faster than those that treat it as a back-of-the-list task.

Who needs an FTR, and when?

If you only want to create a Marketplace listing and process private offers on AWS, you may not have FTR on your immediate horizon. You can also submit co-sell referrals without FTR. AWS Partner Central does not require solutions to be validated before attaching them to opportunities. But you will need to cross the FTR step if you wish to become ACE eligible.

In practice, most ISVs do want the programs that FTR gates. If you are planning to scale through co-selling with AWS, earn the Qualified Software badge, claim MDF or other AWS funding, or get nominated for a partner development manager (PDM), FTR is on your critical path.

One nuance: FTR is necessary but not sufficient in itself for ISV Accelerate. You will still have to meet the separate requirement of 15 approved ACE (APN Customer Engagements) opportunities in the trailing 12 months.

Also, the sequencing matters. FTR requires a Marketplace listing as a prerequisite. You must have a published product before you can request FTR validation.

The FTR step itself is fast. Automated validation returns results in minutes. What takes time are the prerequisites and, if your report fails validation, the remediation cycle.

What is the updated process for the AWS FTR?

There are two ways to clear the AWS FTR now: use your SOC 2 Type II report, or take the WAFR route. Either works; choose based on what you already have. Before we cover both paths in detail, here’s a quick summary so you know which is best for you.

SOC 2 Type II path

For FTR, your SOC 2 report must meet five criteria:

• The audit period must be current, with the report issued within the last 12 months
• The auditor opinion must be unqualified (clean)
• AWS infrastructure must be explicitly listed as in scope
• Your specific solution must be identified in the report
• Both Security and Availability Trust Service Criteria must be included

Only Type II qualifies, because Type II evaluates operating effectiveness over a period rather than control design at a point in time. If you already maintain SOC 2 Type II for your customers, this is the fastest path.

WAFR path

Your AWS Well-Architected Framework Review must meet six criteria:

• Completed within the last 12 months
• Zero active high-risk issues (HRIs) in the Security pillar
• Zero active HRIs in the Operational Excellence pillar
• Zero active HRIs in the Reliability pillar
• The workload name or description must match your solution name
• The reviewer's full name and email must be included in the report

You can complete a WAFR yourself using the AWS Well-Architected Tool in the AWS Management Console at no cost.

What are the prerequisites for FTR validation?

AWS Partner Central requires you to clear these five checks before you can request validation:

1. Your solution must be linked to exactly one AWS Marketplace product
2. The solution must not include any non-Marketplace products
3. The product type must be SaaS, AMI, ML, or Container
4. The Deployed on AWS badge must be active on your product listing
5. Partner Revenue Measurement (PRM) must be enabled for the product

Note: Legacy Partner Central users must migrate to Partner Central in the Console or complete account linking before FTR becomes available.

Common reasons that prevent FTR validation

Based on what we see, these are the most frequent reasons that can act as blockers in your FTR validation:

• Missing Trust Service Criteria in SOC 2 reports. Your report must include both Security and Availability. Reports covering only Security fail the check
• Expired reports. SOC 2 must have been issued within one year. WAFR review must have been completed within 12 months
• Solution not referenced. Your SOC 2 report must explicitly name the solution you are requesting validation for. The workload name and description in WAFR must mention the specific solution you are validating
• Qualified auditor opinion. The auditor opinion in your SOC 2 report must be unqualified. If it isn’t, work with the auditor to remediate and get a revised opinion
• Unresolved HRIs in WAFR. Any active high-risk issue in Security, Operational Excellence, or Reliability blocks approval
• Multi-product solutions. If your solution is linked to more than one Marketplace product, the prerequisite check will fail
• PRM data not available. Once you enable PRM, measurement data can take up to 7 days to appear in your Attributed revenue dashboard. If this hasn’t happened yet, validation won’t go ahead
• Documentation errors. Ensure that your validation document is a PDF, with a maximum file size of 3MB

There is no limit on resubmissions. Review the feedback, address the issue, and resubmit. Each submission is reviewed automatically, and you’ll get a result within minutes.

FTR is one step in a longer sequence

Listing, pricing, FTR, co-sell setup, ISV Accelerate enrollment — each step unlocks the next, and delays at any point push back the whole timeline. ISVs that treat these as a coordinated sequence rather than a checklist reach co-sell readiness weeks faster.

If you're building your AWS Marketplace go-to-market and want to make sure nothing gates your launch, talk to an expert at Clazar. Reach out today.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an FTR to list on AWS Marketplace?

No. FTR is not required for listing on AWS Marketplace, and you can also link solutions to co-sell opportunities without it. In fact, you must have a Marketplace listing before you can submit for FTR.

Does an ISV need to be an APN member to attempt FTR?

Yes. They need an AWS Partner Central account and must be on the Software Path if they wish to undertake the Foundational Technical Review.

Does FTR cost anything?

The FTR review process itself is free. There may be indirect costs, for example, the cost of completing a SOC 2 audit.

Can I switch between SOC 2 and WAFR?

Yes. You can use SOC 2 Type II for your initial FTR and switch to WAFR at renewal, or the other way around.

How long does the FTR take?

The validation itself returns results in minutes. The total time depends on your prerequisites and whether your report passes on the first submission. If all prerequisites are met and your report is clean, you can be approved the same day you submit.

Can Clazar conduct the WAFR on my behalf?

The WAFR must be carried out in your own AWS account using the official AWS Well-Architected Tool. You can do it self-serve, or with an AWS employee’s help. Clazar can guide you, but the workload definition and answers for the WAFR are yours.

Is the old self-assessment still available?

No. The spreadsheet-based self-assessment has been replaced by this more streamlined FTR process that takes either a SOC 2 Type II report or a WAFR. Existing solutions that were validated using the older process will continue to be valid till their 3-year renewal date.