VAT FOR NON-RESIDENT COMPANIES OR BUSINESSES IN IRELAND

Non-resident VAT trading:

Foreign traders (sole traders, partnerships or companies) supplying goods and services may register for VAT Ireland even though they are not registered as an entity in Ireland. This arrangement is known as non-resident VAT trading.

Ireland is part of EU hence follows the EU VAT rules, and is part of the EU single market economy. VAT Directives are issued by the EU which lay out the principles of the VAT regime to be adopted by the member states, including Ireland. These Directives take precedence over the local legislation.

Following are the common situations/scenarios where registration is required

• importing goods into the EU via Ireland
• buying and selling goods within Ireland
• holding goods in a warehouse in Ireland as stock
• selling goods from Ireland to other EU countries
• acquiring goods from other EU countries into Ireland
• distance selling to private individuals in Ireland from another EU country, e.g. internet retailing.

Usually, there is a threshold to register a company for VAT in Ireland but if it is a foreign company such as LLC from the USA and wants to operate in Ireland without setting up a legal entity in Ireland, they can do it but there will be no threshold applicable and VAT is obligatory to register in Ireland.

Your Tax advisor based in Ireland can apply for VAT for Non-Irish business. TAS Consulting has helped foreign companies to get an Irish VAT and has facilitated with tax authorities.