If you exhibit in Germany from abroad, one question comes up before you book any local service: will the invoice include German VAT? This guide explains how it usually works for EU and non-EU companies, what we need from you and how payment runs.
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Photo and video coverage for a company counts as a service for VAT purposes. For services between businesses, the EU applies a basic rule: VAT is due where the customer is established, not where the work takes place. The fact that the show is in Germany does not change this, as long as a company based abroad places the order and receives the invoice.
That gives three cases:
| Your company is based in | What the invoice shows |
|---|---|
| Germany | Net price plus German VAT |
| Another EU country, with a valid VAT ID | Net price, reverse charge note, no German VAT |
| A country outside the EU | Net price, no German VAT, note that the service is not taxable in Germany |
Outside the EU includes Switzerland, Norway and, since Brexit, the United Kingdom, as well as Turkey, China, India, Pakistan, the United States and the Gulf states. The rule assumes you book as a business, which is the normal case for exhibitors ordering coverage of their stand.
Why it is worth getting right: German VAT that a foreign company has already paid can generally only be recovered through the separate VAT refund procedure, which takes time and paperwork. A correct net invoice from the start saves your accounts team that detour.
If your company is based in another EU country, for example Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands or Poland, the invoice is issued net. You account for the VAT in your own country under the reverse charge mechanism. If you are entitled to deduct input VAT, you deduct it in the same return, so there is no net cost.
The condition is a valid VAT identification number, which is checked before invoicing. Without a valid number, the invoice generally has to include German VAT. You can check your own number in advance in the EU's VIES database.
For the invoice we need:
The invoice then shows both VAT numbers and the reverse charge note.
For exhibitors from Switzerland, the UK, Turkey, China, India, Pakistan, the US or the Gulf, it is simpler still: the service is not taxable in Germany and the invoice carries no German VAT. Whether any tax is due in your own country depends on your local rules, so check with your finance team.
What matters is who the customer is. The invoice goes to the company that places the order. That is usually the company that rented the stand (booth) from the organiser, but not always. If your German subsidiary or a German agency books in its own name, the customer is a German company and German VAT applies. If the cost should sit with head office abroad, head office should book.
Have your full company name, address and, where available, a registration or tax number from your country ready when you book. That documents that a business placed the order.
With Pixer you pay by invoice or online by credit card; the details are in the quote. Full delivery of photos and video follows once payment is complete. The package prices of €990, €1,490 and €1,990 are net prices in euros, listed on trade fair photographer Germany. For companies outside the EU, and for EU companies with a valid VAT ID, that is usually also the invoice amount; for shows outside NRW, travel is added as one line.
Settle these points internally before you ask for a quote. The invoice is then right the first time, and your accounts team does not have to send it back.
More on packages, travel and working with a local crew as a foreign exhibitor is on our page for international exhibitors in Germany and in the guide exhibiting in Germany. This guide gives a general overview and is not tax advice.
Between businesses, VAT follows where the customer is established, not where the show is.
With a valid VAT ID the invoice carries no German VAT; you account for it at home.
Switzerland, the UK, Turkey, China, India, the US and the Gulf: a net invoice.
If a German subsidiary or a German agency books, German VAT applies.
Payment by invoice or online by credit card; details in the quote, invoice in euros at fixed package prices.
International transfers take time. Choose OUR for charges and quote the invoice number.
No, if your UK company places the order. Since Brexit the UK is outside the EU, so the invoice carries no German VAT.
Your full company name, address and a valid VAT ID. The invoice is then issued net with a reverse charge note.
Then the invoice generally cannot be issued net and will include German VAT. Check your number in advance in the EU's VIES database.
Yes. The subsidiary is then the customer, and the invoice includes German VAT, which it can deduct as input tax if it is entitled to.
Travel is part of the same service and is treated on the invoice in the same way as the package price.
Euros, like all our package prices. Paying in euros avoids conversion differences and deductions.
Tell us the show, your stand number, the date and the country where your company is based. You get a fixed-price quote that shows how the invoice will look.
We reply within 24 hours. During a show week, WhatsApp is fastest.
