Frequently Asked Questions

What is VAT?

VAT (Value Added Tax), is also known as MWST, IVA, TVA, Moms, USt., BTW is a consumer tax imposed on goods and services by all the Member States of the European Union. All companies, regardless of where they are located, must pay VAT for goods or services they purchase and consume in a Member State of the European Union. However, this tax is usually refundable.

Please consult our chart of Refundable Expenses for VAT names used in other countries.

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Which expenses are refundable?

Each of the refunding countries varies in the range of reclaimable expenses, please contact us for specific information. Typical refundable expenses include:

Conferences, Trade Fairs and Exhibitions
Accommodation
Transportation costs including car rental and fuel costs
Meals and business entertainment
Training of Personnel - workshops, skills building
Rental of equipment e.g. Medical scanners
Yacht (ship) repair and modification

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Is my company eligible for a VAT refund?

A company is eligible for a VAT refund from a European Union country if:

The VAT was charged on business expenses
If the company is based in the European Union, it must be VAT registered in its home country
If the company is based outside the European Union, it must be registered for business in its home country
The company is not registered for VAT purposes in the country where it is claiming a refund

If you would like to find out more about whether your company is eligible for a VAT refund, please contact us.

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How long do I have to wait for a refund?

A typical claim will be refunded within four to six months from the date of submission; however, each of the refunding countries can vary in the length of time they require to issue a refund. In our experience, six months is the longest that one would have to wait. On rare occasions, we have had claims approved within two months.

Our staff will update you on the progress of your claim, and you will be notified as soon as it is approved.

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What is the procedure and what documents are required?

In order to proceed with a VAT, claim EuroVAT will require the following documents:

VAT/Business Registration Certificate
- For countries in the European Union claiming from Norway, Iceland, Canada or Switzerland: an original VAT Certificate, which gives the name of your company and a VAT registration number - You can obtain this from your local tax office. The certificate must not be more than one year old.
- For countries outside the European Union: an original certificate, document, or letter which gives the name of your company and a Tax registration number. You can obtain this document from your local tax office. The document must not be more than one year old.
Original Letter of Authority. We will provide you with a standard text which you will have to print on your company letterhead and sign.
Original Invoices, Bills, and/or Receipts. Your invoices will be returned to you together with your refund after the tax authorities approve your claim. PHOTOCOPIES, FAXES, CREDIT CARD SLIPS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE. If needed, EuroVAT will provide you with a letter to certify that the original invoices have been submitted to the respective tax authority.

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What if I do not have the original invoices, can I give you copies of invoices?

Only original invoices are accepted by the tax authorities. Copies, photocopies, credit card slips, and faxes are not acceptable. Where invoices are either invalid or not available, replacement invoices will be requested from the supplier at an additional charge of 10% of the invoice VAT value.

Your original invoices will be returned to you once the claim is approved and your documents are received back from the tax authority.

EuroVAT can provide you with a letter confirming that your original invoices have been submitted to the respective tax authority; which may be of use to your Accounts Department.

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What are the deadlines?

If your company is located within the European Union: the deadline for submitting invoices dated from January 1st to December 31st is June 30th of the following calendar year. For example: for the deadline of June 30th, 2007 it is possible to submit all invoices dated onwards from January 1st, 2006.

If your company is located outside the European Union, and the deadline for submitting applications to UK refund claims is December 31st (you can claim on all UK invoices dated from July 1st of the previous year) and the deadline for claims to all other tax offices in the European Union is June 30th. You can claim on all invoices dated during the previous year.

Please note: if you are submitting a refund application to the Netherlands for the first time, you can get a tax refund on invoices dated as far back as five years. If you are submitting a refund application to Belgium for the first time, you can get a tax refund on invoices dated as far back as three years.

For further information, please contact us.

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From which countries can I re-claim VAT?

Please select the country in which you are based, from the list below to find the countries from which you may re-claim VAT.

Andorra, Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Faroe Islands, Fiji, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Korea, South, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Pitcairn Island, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Serbia, Montenegro, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, Wallis and Futuna Islands, Yemen, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Companies registered in Andorra can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Austria
Belgium
Canada
Denmark
Germany
Ireland
Jersey
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Norway
Sweden
United Kingdom

EuroVAT Ltd.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is VAT?

Which expenses are refundable?

Is my company eligible for a VAT refund?

How long do I have to wait for a refund?

What is the procedure and what documents are required?

What if I do not have the original invoices, can I give you copies of invoices?

What are the deadlines?

From which countries can I re-claim VAT?

Companies registered in Andorra can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Afghanistan can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Anguilla can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Albania can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Antigua and Barbuda can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Armenia can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Angola can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Argentina can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Austria can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Australia can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Aruba can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Azerbaijan can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Bosnia and Herzegovina can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Barbados can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Bangladesh can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Belgium can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Bahrain can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Benin can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Bermuda can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Bahamas can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Bhutan can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Bolivia can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Brazil can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Belarus can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Botswana can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Belize can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in British Virgin Islands can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Algeria can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Brunei can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Bulgaria can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Burkina Faso can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Burundi can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Cambodia can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Cameroon can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Canada can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Cape Verde can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Cayman Islands can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Central African Republic can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Chad can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Chile can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in China can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Christmas Island can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Cocos Islands can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Colombia can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Comoros can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Congo can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Cook Islands can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Costa Rica can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Croatia can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Cuba can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Cyprus can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Czech Republic can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Denmark can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Djibouti can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Dominica can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Dominican Republic can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Ecuador can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Egypt can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in El Salvador can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Equatorial Guinea can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Eritrea can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Estonia can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Ethiopia can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Faroe Islands can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Fiji can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Finland can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in France can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in French Guiana can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in French Polynesia can reclaim VAT from the following countries:

Companies registered in Gabon can reclaim VAT from the following countries: