Foreign companies operating across the European Union may have requirements to obtain an EU VAT number. The requirements are not only listed in the EU VAT Directive, but also in the local VAT laws of each member state. In general, the requirements for registration for EU VAT are:

A foreign company is moving goods across EU borders;
A foreign company stores goods in warehouses in the EU;
A foreign company provides works and services such as conferences, exhibitions, installation of equipment, etc. in the EU;
A foreign company is involved in distance selling, i. H. in the online sale of goods to consumers in the EU.
The processing of the application for the VAT number can take between 5-10 days and several weeks depending on the procedure of the respective Member State. Required documents and information for the VAT application also differ from country to country. VAT authorities have the right to ask additional questions and request documents to prove the company's intention to trade in a specific EU country (agreements, invoices, etc.).