Trading within an EU Member state

[manxfella]

Totally new here so please forgive any etiquette omissions or mistakes. I am looking for links rather than specific advice if possible. My company trades with a lot of countries both EU and non EU. Almost all of these trades consists of buying from one country and selling to another country.

My question is this, is there a link [or links] to any information site(s) for "foreign" companies trading internally within an EU member state. For example a UK company buying and selling within Germany, or a Netherlands company buying & selling within France. I suspect for example that in some, perhaps all EU member states, there is a limit [value] to the level of trade a "foreign" company can do within that member state before it may have to register, possibly as a foreign company trading with its borders, or perhaps having to register as a company within that country itself.

A supplementary question to this is does it make a difference if the goods are delivered to another EU member state, i.e. [using the examples above] a UK company buying and selling with Germany but delivering the goods from Germany to Italy, or a Netherlands company buying and selling within France but delivering the goods to Belgium.

Any suggested links would be very welcome, this event hasn't actually happened yet but I suspect it is only a matter of time!

 

[elaine@cheapaccounting]

read here:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/vat/managing/international/index.htm

 

[elaine@cheapaccounting]

And I did a blog on this today:

Selling Goods to Europe - Five things you need to know about VAT



http://www.cheapaccounting.co.uk/blog/?p=297

 

[manxfella]

Thanks Elaine, I'll check out the links and the blog properly when I get home, I've done a fair amount of trolling through the HM Revenue site already, but things get a little more complicated than that, or at least I think they do

For example, using a UK company as a starter, if I buy the goods in Germany and sell them in France my VAT entry would be triangulation trade i.e. the UK company is in the middle of a trade between two other EU member state countries. But does the same apply if the purchase and sale of goods remains within Germany? My concern is whether this is not triangulation trade, but becomes some form of internal trade within the relevant country by what is a foreign company i.e. a UK one. Leading on from that is my main question, i.e. if it isn't triangular trade but internal trade within an EU country, does the UK company need to a) register within that EU country as a foreign trader or even b) have to incorporate a company within that EU country in order to trade internally.

Then my head breaks and the open window becomes more enticing! Thanks again for the replies,

 

[elaine@cheapaccounting]

It is a very complicated area and I would suggest that you need to get expert advice on this. I do on such matter, from our Associate Steve Kettle who quotes chapter & verse for me!

 

[manxfella]

Thanks again, I concede the complicated, the bad news is this is my least complicated question, or I think it is! If I can get links to information I can generally work this stuff out, but at the moment I am having trouble just establishing where to go for info. I'll continue looking at HM Revenue, and I haven't finished trolling through Europa site yet, but I may well end up checking it out with Steve Kettle as you suggest. Meanwhile have a great weekend, and thanks for the gentle introduction to help forums, much appreciated.