Supported marketEURChecked September 2026
Accountants for European trade

EU VAT, OSS and IOSS, and the right entity for European expansion.

For most UK, UAE and US businesses, Europe starts as a VAT question and becomes an entity question. We handle the cross-border VAT schemes that let you sell into 27 countries from one registration, and advise on where to form when a European subsidiary is the right move.

27
Member states, one VAT area
OSS
One-stop shop: one return for all EU consumer sales
€150
IOSS threshold for low-value imports
12.5%
Ireland's trading corporate tax rate
01The taxes
TaxRateHow it works
VAT17% to 27%Set by each member state. Distance sales to EU consumers are taxed in the customer's country above an EU-wide EUR 10,000 threshold, reported through OSS.
Import VATAt destination rateIOSS lets non-EU sellers collect VAT at checkout on consignments up to EUR 150 and file one monthly return.
Corporate tax9% to 30%+Hungary 9%, Ireland 12.5%, Netherlands 25.8%, Germany around 30% combined. Pillar Two imposes a 15% minimum on large groups.
02Entity types

What you can form, and what each one owes.

01

Irish limited company

English-speaking, common-law, 12.5 percent on trading income and the usual EU gateway for UK and US groups.

02

Dutch BV

Strong treaty network and holding regime. 19 percent on the first EUR 200,000 of profit, 25.8 percent above.

03

German GmbH

Required or expected by many German customers. Roughly 30 percent combined corporate and trade tax; EUR 25,000 minimum share capital.

04

Estonian OÜ

Corporate tax only on distributed profit, at 22 percent from 2025. Popular for digital businesses; e-Residency allows remote formation.

03Deadlines

The calendar we run for you.

Every filing, its due date and who it goes to. We track all of them twelve months ahead and remind at 90, 30 and 7 days.

FilingDueTo
OSS returnQuarterly, end of month after quarterMember state of identification
IOSS returnMonthly, end of following monthMember state of identification
Local VAT returnMonthly or quarterly by countryNational tax authority
Corporate tax returnVaries by country, typically 6 to 12 months after year endNational tax authority
04Selling into the EU without an EU company

Selling into the EU without an EU company.

A UK, UAE or US business selling goods to EU consumers can register for OSS through one member state and account for VAT across all 27 in one return. For low-value imports, IOSS collects VAT at the checkout and avoids the customer being charged on delivery. Non-EU businesses usually need an intermediary for IOSS, which we arrange.

05When an EU entity makes sense

When an EU entity makes sense.

Once you hold stock in the EU, employ people there, or need an EU establishment for customers, a subsidiary is usually right. Ireland for English-speaking simplicity and US groups, the Netherlands for holding structures, Germany when German customers require it, Estonia for remote-first digital businesses. We advise and coordinate formation with local partners.

07Questions
Can a UK company use OSS after Brexit?

Yes, as a non-Union OSS registration for services, and Union OSS for goods dispatched from within the EU. Goods shipped from the UK to EU consumers use IOSS for low-value consignments, or the customer pays import VAT on delivery.

Do you handle local filings in every EU country?

We handle OSS, IOSS and the UK side directly. Local corporate tax and statutory filings in individual member states are done with partner firms we coordinate, with fees agreed up front.

Talk to a Europe accountant. Free.

Thirty minutes, no pitch deck. Tell us the entities and the countries, and we will tell you honestly what applies and what it costs.