Tax issue exporting to Spain

berbastrike wrote: »

Can you get an EORI number if you aren't VAT registered though? And isn't EORI number for non EU transactions? (goes on my custom invoice when sending items outside EU)

I only needed and got an EORI number when a partner and I split a partnership into two separate businesses non-registered businesses below the VAT threshold. I was prompted to get an EORI by a company handling our customs clearance of a shipment we were receiving from China. They insisted on this when they heard I was not VAT registered.

With the VAT registered partnership we used our UK VAT number when importing or exporting outside the EU.

I thought EORI was only needed if you didn't have a VAT number.

It will be interesting to see if the OP comes back with the result of his problem and if someone can give a definitive explanation of what an EORI is for.

I am not registered for VAT because most of my work comes from individuals and I have very little VAT to claim back as I provide a service, but I have found that being not VAT registered definitely sends out the message of "small".

Carer wrote: »

Still ongoing. Client said they would be happy with EORI number and insist it's needed for Spanish treasury.
However HMRC have now declined to issue us one saying we only need it if we import/export outside the EU.

Getting totally fed up with all this now and considering going VAT registered but the wait for a vat number is several weeks/months and it will mean 20% price increases in our main online business which sells to individuals.

Hard to explain without giving away too much info but this order from Spain will be a huge boost to our standing in our industry as we will be named as their supplier so we can't just turn it down.

It does indeed sound as though your customer still does not understand that you are not currently vat registered.

In Spain, vat is known as iva (Impuesto sobre el Valor Anadidio)

Try explaining it to them again