You might have noticed today, an unfortunate addition to WPML’s cost. Due to new regulations in the EU, we are required to collect VAT for WPML, when selling to individuals (without a VAT number) in the EU.
We realize that this increases the cost of WPML for some of you and we are not happy about this. The additional money isn’t going to us, but to the EU. We tried to avoid this, but the new regulations, which started a few days ago, are strict.
No matter if we are in the EU or not, we have to add VAT when selling to EU customers without a VAT number. Besides the added cost, you can imagine that this is also complicating us, adding more engineering and bureaucracy (to report and pay VAT to the EU).
The only thing left for us to do is to hope that EU countries will put this money to good use.
If you are a business, registered in the EU and have a VAT number, be sure to enter it to our checkout page, so that we don’t have to charge you VAT.
Questions? Ideas? Suggestions? Leave your comments and we’ll reply.
Hi, We are a business living in Quebec, Canada in North America. Can you explain me in detail, all charges from the 195 $US to the 250.38 $CAD (VAT & Exchange rate).
Détail was not show anywhere in billing invoice.
Why are we charged VAT in North America if we aren’t an EU customers?
Since you are in Canada and not in the EU, you don’t need to pay VAT when you buy from us. According to Google, right now, $195 USD is $241 CAD. The extra $9CAD is not VAT, but PayPal giving a poor USD/CAD exchange rate. No worries, PayPal does that to us too when we withdraw the money.
You are not seeing VAT in your invoice because we are not charging VAT to clients from Canada.
Hello there, this is maybe slightly off topic but as an EU resident I’m deeply concerned that we are making not only our EU businesses burdened with unnecessary bureaucracy but now even non-EU business. How complicated / expensive was it to you to get an EU company set up and running plus how much papers each year would this mean? Are you aware of that? I’m really sad that EU now steals from its citizens even using offshore services / goods,… and you have to pay all that in additional papers.
Thanks! Jakub
Fortunately, we didn’t have to register a company in the EU. We only need to give the EU a bank account to work with. This is a bit of a hassle by itself, but having to maintain a EU company for VAT purposes would have been much worse.
Which – maintaining a company or representation in the EU – was the case before Europe unified market Jakub. Was even worse, because you had to do it for each country in Europe you did business with, and also consider exchange rates for a dozen currencies at least.
People who complain about the “unneccessary” bureaucracy are often people who did not work before 1992 and do not remember how complex it was. The VAT change is due to a few countries in Europe dumping taxes with very low rates on VAT, which make big companies like Google or Amazon establish their European presence in Europe in Ireland or similar countries and escape the VAT of other countries. Of course, if everyone had played the game fairly, that would not have been necessary.
Doing business in the States is not “easy” in that respect neiither, with two level VAT (state and federal), and some other niceties. Neither in many other perts of the world…
End of “off topic” for my side.
Hi there,
I bought WPML a few days ago and live within the EU. Do I have to pay the VAT afterwards?
And second, i have a small business and a VAT Number. Do you still need it and how is the best way to contact you in this matter?
Since you have a business with a VAT number, you don’t need to pay us VAT. You only need to enter your VAT number into the invoice that you get from us (which you can customize).
I’m not sure how VAT works for you and if you need to pay it. Best to check with your accountant.
Hi!
Does this change include Switzerland? As we are located in Europe but not part of the EU…
Kind Regards.
I see that our checkout page doesn’t add VAT to Switzerland. You’re off the hook 🙂
Okey!
Thank you 🙂