Event organization and participation

If you organize congresses, fairs, festivals, seminars, boat shows, or similar events, you will likely need to register for VAT, file monthly VAT returns, and issue invoices if you sell tickets to individuals. You can also deduct input VAT on supplier invoices related to the event.

If you only provide B2B services, this is reverse-charged to the buyer, and you don't need to register for VAT. Examples include selling the entire capacity to an intermediary agency or organizing business events charged to companies. In this case, you can reclaim eligible input VAT through the cross-border VAT refund system, which can be a lengthy process (several months to a year) and scrutinized by the tax administration, especially if you are a non-EU resident.

Organizers often choose to register for VAT regardless of the business model, making it easier to provide services directly to individuals and reclaim VAT by offsetting it with VAT liability in the same month.

If you participate in fairs and similar events and sell goods to individuals, you also need to register for VAT and file monthly returns.