Blog

Tamaño de fuente: + –

VAT on imports for 2024. November is the time to plan, do not miss the dead-line

General

Miércoles, 15 Noviembre 2023

3570 Hits

When doing imports into Spain, the corresponding VAT is liquidated by Customs and is to be paid before the goods are cleared to free circulation except for the case that the import qualifies for any exemption (i.e. the so called regime 42 where the import is followed by an intracommunity supply or the goods are affected to an special Customs regime).

Since the recovery of import VAT is to be obtained by way of compensation at the corresponding periodical VAT return, this procedure involves a financial cost when, as is normally the case for non-established companies eligible to the reverse charge rule on their local sales, there is not VAT chargeable and the return results in a receivable amount. For such a scenario and for companies obliged to file quarterly VAT returns (in principle, those with a turnover under 6 million Euros, unless they have applied for registration at the, so called REDEME or Register on Monthly Refunds), the refund must be applied for in the VAT return for the fourth calendar quarter of the year.

Since this return is to be filed in January the following year and the tax regulations allow the tax authorities 6 months to complete the refund, the financial cost corresponding to the time lapsed between the payment of VAT when the import takes place and the moment when the VAT refund is obtained can be significative.

So to eliminate this cost, companies are given the possibility to opt for a especial deferral regime for the payment of import VAT which allows to liquidate the VAT of imports made during a calendar month by its inclusion as VAT charged in the corresponding monthly VAT return, with the possibility to also include as input VAT the same amount in said return.

The option is to be made during the month of November by filing the corresponding census application at the web site of the Spanish Tax Agency (AEAT). The effects of the option will commence the 1^st January of the following year and will continue to apply until a renounce application is filed at the census during the month of November previous to the year when the renounce it to have effect.

Given the proximity of the 30^th of November, those companies in a VAT receivable situation which incur in significant input VAT as a result of the imports they carry out in Spain, should consider exercising the option to the mentioned special regime of the deferral of VAT of imports before such a dead-line, for the case that they have been obliged to file monthly VAT returns in 2023 and maintain this obligation during 2024.

It is to be noticed that the option could not be exercised with effect in 2024, regardless of the fact that the company, having filed quarterly VAT returns during 2023, is to change its status since 1^st January 2024 and will have to start filing monthly VAT returns (i.e. due to the fact that they become “big companies” for having exceed the 6 million Euros turnover during 2023 or because it applies for registration at the REDEME) as, for this case, the application for the special deferral regime will have to wait until November 2024 and will have effect since 2025.

Until then, there would still be the possibility to reduce the financial cost resulting from the delay of the recovery of the import VAT by applying for the mentioned registration at the REDEME, which would result in the obligation to file monthly VAT returns with the possibility of applying for the VAT refund in a monthly basis. Those companies wanting to benefit from this special monthly refund regime since 1^st January 2024 would need to file a census application before the 30^th of November or before the dead-line for the filing of the fourth quarterly VAT return of 2024 (January 2024).

Sobre el autor

Manuel Pérez de Algaba

Entradas recientes del autor

Mostrar mas post del autor

Viernes, 09 Enero 2026 Spain. Adaptation to the Verifactu Ordinance postponed until 2027. Exceptional SII renunciation period until 31st January 2026

Martes, 18 Noviembre 2025 Adapting Multinational Billing Systems to Spain’s VeriFactu Regulation: Practical Considerations

Lunes, 22 Septiembre 2025 Recovering Spanish VAT under the 13th Directive: The challenge of reciprocity

Comentarios

No hay comentarios por el momento. Se el primero en enviar un comentario.

Categorías

Noticias

Suscribirse vía RSS

General

Suscribirse vía RSS

IVA en el mundo

Suscribirse vía RSS

Economía digital

Suscribirse vía RSS

IVA en Europa

Suscribirse vía RSS

Automatización de IVA

Suscribirse vía RSS

IVA en España

Suscribirse vía RSS

E-commerce

Suscribirse vía RSS

Aduanas

Suscribirse vía RSS

Cuestiones varias tributarias

Suscribirse vía RSS

Suscríbete a nuestro boletín

Etiquetas

Estudiamos las necesidades
en materia fiscal a nivel europeo
de empresas globales.

IVA CONSULTA
Glorieta de Quevedo, nº 9, 5º
28015 Madrid (España)

CENTRO DE SERVICIOS
C/ Arena, 1, Planta 4ª
35002 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (España)

+ Información

Siguenos en:

Para una más eficiente prestación de nuestros servicios hemos desarrollado PlatformVAT, nuestra propia herramienta de trabajo colaborativo en línea.

+ Información

Blog

VAT on imports for 2024. November is the time to plan, do not miss the dead-line

Sobre el autor

Manuel Pérez de Algaba

Entradas recientes del autor

Comentarios

Categorías

Suscríbete a nuestro boletín

Etiquetas

+ Información

Siguenos en:

Buscar