VAT refund
Recover your EU (foreign) VAT simply
Want to know everything about foreign VAT recovery? Understand how to reclaim it or use a third party declarant to do it for you? You’ve come to the right place! On this page, we explain in a clear manner how to file a foreign VAT refund application and which service provider to call if you wish to outsource this process. Understand everything about foreign VAT recovery in 5 minutes!
- Consultation: Free and without obligation
Outsource the management of your VAT refund claims in Europe
Have you paid VAT abroad? Do you want to reclaim it? Nothing could be easier, use our VAT refund service and be accompanied by an expert firm in intra-community VAT
- The stakes are high and you need support
- What expenses are deductible?
- You are not sure of the accuracy of your declarations
- A team of experts processes your declarations
- You secure your compliance and the filing of the declaration
- You remove a time-consuming task from your team
Make an appointment with a VAT Expert and get your intra-community VAT refund
How to reclaim your foreign VAT
A VAT-registered business that incurs expenses in an EU Member State can reclaim the VAT paid in that country. It is important to note that VAT is not an expense for the company, even if it is paid in another member state.
Have you incurred VAT in an EU country without being established there and would like to recover it? You can apply for a refund provided you meet certain conditions: right to deduct, amount, deadline, period, directly in your impots.gouv.fr space or through a specialised tax firm.
However, it is important to know that not all expenses are subject to reimbursement. These categories of expenses vary according to the state concerned. In order to be eligible for a VAT refund, the expenditure must be :
- Necessary for the realisation of the economic activity,
- VAT deducted as deductible in the State in which the VAT was paid,
- Supported by invoices.
To find out which expenses are not eligible for reimbursement, you should visit the website of the relevant administration or contact your tax office. This step must be carried out before submitting your application for reimbursement, in order not to be rejected.
Example: With regard to VAT on business hotel expenses, VAT is excluded from the right to deduct in Portugal (§ 54 page 19 of the Vademecum) but is allowed as a deduction in Germany (§ 54 page 20 of the Vademecum).
When to submit the application for VAT refund?
VAT refund applications must be filed electronically on the portal of the country of origin before 30 September N+1 for companies established within the European Union, and before 30 June N+1 for third party companies (located outside the European Union).
The repayment period must not be longer than one calendar year or shorter than three calendar months. However, it may be less than three months when it constitutes the balance of a calendar year.
The refund request must be for a minimum VAT amount of :
- 400 € or the equivalent in national currency for a claim covering a period of three months to less than one year;
- 50 € or the equivalent in national currency for a claim covering a period of one calendar year.
The claim cannot cover a period that straddles two calendar years. Some Member States may also require that the refund periods correspond to calendar quarters (e.g. Italy).
Foreign VAT reclaim service: how does it work?
By using the services of a tax firm specialising in intra-community VAT recovery, you can ensure that the procedure for filing a VAT refund application is in order. Here are the steps we follow to assist our clients in this process:
- 1. Gathering of information and analysis of your situation
- 2. Checking and entering purchase invoices
- 3. Submitting the VAT refund application
- 4. Follow-up and reminder to the local administration
Each client is followed up by a VAT compliance expert who will first analyse your situation to ensure that you are entitled to a refund. We then carry out a thorough check of your purchase invoices and/or tax/customs documents to establish which expenses are eligible for refund in the relevant state. Finally, once the application has been submitted, we answer any additional information requested by the administration and follow up on your file.
If you have any questions about our services or would like a quote, please contact us via the contact form. An expert will contact you shortly for a free consultation.
- Ian Smith | Directeur Administratif et Financier
- Collabore avec Eurofiscalis : Depuis 2021
- Services : Déclarations TVA, Audit TVA
- Chiffre d'affaires : +70 000 000 €
- Web : ping.com
“The service Eurofiscalis provide us, give me the confidence and trust that we have a compliance process to Europe for our VAT and customs…”
Why use our Service to be your tax representative / tax agent?
Eurofiscalis is an international tax company specialising in tax representation. Our experts (statutory auditors, accountants, lawyers) speak 3 languages and will take care of all tax obligations on behalf of your company. European tax law and related aspects are a critical issue in a company’s development on the international arena, which is why we establish long-term relations based on trust.
Analysis of your flows and compliance with VAT, intrastat, invoices, customs
Processing and submission of your VAT registration
Getting your local and EORI numbers
Simplified customer/supplier bookkeeping
Filing of your periodic VAT and Intrastat returns
Single point of contact with local authorities
FAQ : Your questions about our Intra-Community VAT Consultation service
Many of you ask us questions about the functioning of our Intra-Community VAT consulting service. We do our best to answer them. You will find below the most frequently asked questions.
Simply fill in the contact form. A VAT expert will contact you to study your request and propose a suitable package.
Time is counted in 30 minute increments. Any half hour started will be deducted. After each consultation, your TVA consultant will inform you by email of the number of hours remaining on your package.
No. The VAT assistance package is not tacitly renewed. 1 hour before the end of your package, our VAT expert will propose you to renew it.
The response time depends on the complexity of your question. European legislation is vast and some questions may require extensive research before they can be answered. However, we are committed to providing you with an answer within 15 working days.
Countries where we offer the service of fiscal representative
- Germany
- Austria
- Belgium
- Spain
- France
- Ireland
- Italy
- Luxembourg
- The Netherlands
- Portugal
- United Kingdom
- Switzerland
- Bulgaria
- Estonia
- Hungary
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Poland
- Czech Republic
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
Use our firm to recover your VAT in Europe
Use our service and outsource the management of your foreign VAT refund returns. A simple, efficient service with no hidden costs.
- Consultation: Free and without obligation