VAT on Events in Europe – for US Companies

If you are organizing conferences/tradeshows in Europe, there are several VAT refund opportunities that will ultimately lower your costs. The U.S. company can:

A. Register for VAT in the European country where the event takes place.
B. Charge VAT to the attendees (and sometimes to exhibitors).
C. Reclaim the VAT paid on invoices from most European vendors.

OR

If you are NOT charging attendee fees to participants then VAT incurred from your vendors in some of the European countries can be reclaimed without VAT registration. A lot EU countries (not all however) refund VAT to North American companies. Please email vat@eurovat.com to ask if you qualify for a "13 directive claim".

If a U.S. company does not comply with EU VAT rules:
- None of the VAT paid to European vendors will be refundable: event will cost significantly more.
- Risk of potential tax-penalties for violation.

VAT registration should be completed by the planner and/or corporation producing the event at the planning stage, prior to event registration.

Euro VAT Refund assist companies in the pre-planning phase and then as needed all throughout the event; with VAT registration, processes to efficiently gather the original invoices; and all tax reports are prepared and filed from our Los Angeles office. You can always reach us by phone 310-204-0805 or vat@eurovat.com when needed.

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