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How to invoice my clients outside of Germany?

Written by: Sophia Merzbach

Updated on: August 24, 2026

Reading time: 3 minutes

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Do you sell your services and goods outside of Germany? Are your clients companies or self-employed registered in a country of the European Union?

We explain how to invoice your international clients (self-employed or companies).

Should I charge VAT to my clients based in the European Union?

Sales and purchases between self-employed or companies within the European Union are subject to the intra-European reverse-charge regime. This means that:

  • As a supplier, you do not charge VAT of your country to your clients within the EU

  • As a client, you do not owe VAT to the administration of the country where your supplier is based.

Specifically, when you create an invoice under the reverse-charge regime for your client, you will specify their VAT number, and you will charge them goods and/or services excluding VAT. You can check the validity of your client’s VAT number on the VIES tool of the European Union.

Pre-requisites

If your Steuernummer is used on your sales invoices for your German clients, you need a dedicated European VAT number in order to charge your European clients.

You can request a VAT-ID through an online form directly on the Finanzamt website. See this page to know more.

How to report VAT for intra-European sales?

1- VAT return

There is nothing specific to do: the app will compute automatically the amounts of VAT, and your intra-EU sales will be reported into your VAT return.

You don't have to pay VAT to the Finanzamt in Germany either, because it was not collected.

2- Client listing

All your clients with an intra-Community VAT number can be found in your Intracom listing (Zusammenfassende Meldung, or ZM) that you submit with your monthly or quarterly VAT submission.

How does it work in the Accountable app?

1)Add your client

(Menu>Client list)

When you add a customer to your customer list, you add the country of that customer.

2)Create an invoice

(Revenue>Create an invoice)

When you want to create an invoice for this customer from a country of the European Union, the application will automatically add "0%" in VAT. In "Why is there no VAT on this item?", the app will automatically put "Intra-EU reverse charge regime" (you can also select that manually).

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via chat or by email to the following address: [email protected]

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Sophia Author

Author - Sophia Merzbach

Sophia has been a key member of the Accountable team for many years, bringing a unique blend of journalistic precision and in-depth tax expertise to her work.

Who is Sophia ?

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