Is my company entitled to a VAT refund?
Your business can claim VAT refunds from most European countries provided it:
- Does not conduct any business activity (in the country you wish to reclaim from) that would render the company liable or eligible for VAT registration in that particular country.
- Does not have a business establishment in that country, for example a sales office (although having a subsidiary does not disqualify your company)
- Incurs all expenses for business purposes
- Holds valid original invoices covering the European expenditure.
Individuals travelling for pleasure are not able to recover the VAT paid on services such as hotel accommodation, car rentals, petrol and meals. They can however, recover the VAT paid on goods (i.e. souvenir purchases, clothing, leather goods) which are exported from the country of sale.
This form of refund however, is outside the scope of our business - for further information please, contact Global Refund at
www.globalrefund.com.
VAT Reclaim refers to the refunding of VAT by European VAT authorities under the 8th and 13th Directives of the European Union.
VAT Registration refers to the application for a VAT number in order to charge VAT in a particular country. This becomes a legal requirement when certain types of business activities take place in European countries. For example:
- Sales of goods or services through internet/E-commerce
- Drop-shipping
- Importing and warehousing
- Installation and service contracts
- Global billings
- Reselling exhibition space
How much management time will this take?
Very little. We have designed the process to be simple and straightforward for you, so that the information required can be prepared by any designated member of staff following our easy-to-follow checklist.
Are there deadlines for making a claim?
Most European governments impose the strict deadline of June 30th for any expenses incurred in a previous calendar year.
UK has separate submission deadlines for EU and non-EU based companies.
- EU based companies must submit their claim by June 30 for expenses incurred in the UK during the previous calendar year January to December.
- Non-EU based companies must submit refund applications by December 31 for invoices dated July 1 of the previous year through June 30 of the current year.
Belgium and the Netherlands allow retrospective submissions of up to 5 years back.
The refund from the tax authorities will differ in length of time depending on the country. The majority aim to return any reclaimable VAT within 6 to 12 months after the submission of the claim. If you require information about a specific country, please contact us. We guarantee to transfer refunded amounts received by us, within 7 days.
Is there a minimum amount of VAT we have to submit to make a claim?
We do not ask for a minimum amount of VAT in each claim. We only ask that you are aware of our minimum fee of £100 or 150 Euro (you are likely to incur this if the amount of VAT in a claim is about £700 or less).
Is there a minimum amount of VAT per any given invoice for it to be included in the claim?
We believe that every little bit adds up - we will include any invoice or receipt no matter how small the VAT content as long as it is a proper original invoice.
What does the service cost?
We will retain an agreed percentage of VAT successfully recovered on your behalf. We only get paid when you get your money back from the authorities. We do not charge any set-up/administration fees to become a client. Our basic service fee is 15% of the VAT successfully reclaimed on your behalf (subject to a minimum charge of £100 or €150).
What documentation is required to make a refund application?
- A completed VAT Pack - available from us
- The original invoices
- A form from your local taxing authority showing that you are a registered corporation, partnership or sole trader in that country (also known as a certificate of taxable status).
Do the VAT authorities return the original invoices?
The majority of VAT authorities will return the original invoices. Some however, may request that numerous sets of photocopies are submitted along with the originals as a requirement to have them returned. If you require information about a specific country, please contact us.
What items are eligible for a refund?
For a guide to reclaimable items please see the 'What can be reclaimed?' section.
What items are not eligible for a refund?
- Non-business supplies
- Supplies used to make a supply in the country of the claim
- Supply or importation of a vehicle
- Certain second-hand goods such as cars and antiques for which no tax invoice is issued
- Entertainment or hospitality expenses
- Goods and services bought for resale which are for the direct benefit of travellers (such as hotel accommodation bought by a tour operator, travel agent or anyone else, to make up part of a package)
- Transportation (air/boat/train)
VAT reclaim in the new EU member states
The following new members have joined the EU:
- Bulgaria
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Estonia
- Hungary
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Malta
- Poland
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
For recovering VAT in these territories, please contact us.