How Does Cargoboard Calculate VAT on Your Invoice?

In general: If you have a valid VAT ID, you should enter it during the booking process or save it in your Cargoboard account. Please make sure to use the correct format (see below for details).

Customers Based in Germany

With a valid VAT ID: 19% German VAT is charged.
Without a valid VAT ID: VAT is calculated via the OSS (One-Stop-Shop) scheme, using the VAT rate of the country of dispatch (sender country).

Customers Based in the EU (Excluding Germany)

With a valid VAT ID: The invoice will be issued without VAT under the reverse charge mechanism. The customer is responsible for VAT declaration.
Without a valid VAT ID: VAT is charged via the OSS scheme using the VAT rate of the country of dispatch (sender country).

Explanation: The One-Stop-Shop (OSS) scheme simplifies cross-border VAT reporting within the EU. Instead of registering in every destination country, businesses can declare VAT centrally via their home country—in our case, Germany.

Customers Based Outside the EU (Third Countries)

Shipments for customers based in third countries are currently only processed with a valid VAT ID.
The Invoice is issued without VAT under the reverse charge mechanism. The customer is responsible for VAT declaration.

Important Note on VAT ID

Please make sure your VAT ID is entered correctly when placing a booking. Only then can we apply the appropriate VAT rate and issue a correct invoice.

Most Common Mistakes:

❌ Missing country prefix

❌ Adding a space between the country prefix and the number

🌍 VAT Identification Numbers in Europe (EU + non-EU countries)

🌐 Country	Example	Format explained
🇦🇱 Albania	ALJ12345678L	`AL` + 1 letter + 8 digits + 1 letter
🇦🇩 Andorra	AND123456L	`AND` + 6 digits + 1 letter
🇦🇹 Austria	ATU12345678	`AT` + `U` + 8 digits
🇧🇾 Belarus	BY123456789	`BY` + 9 digits
🇧🇪 Belgium	BE0123456789	`BE` + 10 digits (often starts with 0)
🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina	BA123456789	`BA` + 9 digits
🇧🇬 Bulgaria	BG123456789	`BG` + 9 or 10 digits
🇭🇷 Croatia	HR12345678901	`HR` + 11 digits
🇨🇾 Cyprus	CY12345678L	`CY` + 8 digits + 1 letter
🇨🇿 Czech Republic	CZ12345678	`CZ` + 8, 9, or 10 digits
🇩🇰 Denmark	DK12345678	`DK` + 8 digits
🇪🇪 Estonia	EE123456789	`EE` + 9 digits
🇫🇮 Finland	FI12345678	`FI` + 8 digits
🇫🇷 France	FRAB123456789	`FR` + 2 letters or digits + 9 digits
🇩🇪 Germany	DE123456789	`DE` + 9 digits
🇬🇷 Greece	EL123456789	`EL` + 9 digits
🇭🇺 Hungary	HU12345678	`HU` + 8 digits
🇮🇸 Iceland	IS123456	`IS` + 6 digits
🇮🇪 Ireland	IE1234567X	`IE` + mix of digits and letters (7–8 characters total)
🇮🇹 Italy	IT12345678901	`IT` + 11 digits
🇽🇰 Kosovo	XK123456789	`XK` + 9 digits
🇱🇻 Latvia	LV12345678901	`LV` + 11 digits
🇱🇮 Liechtenstein	FL-123456.78	`FL` + 6 digits + 2 check digits
🇱🇹 Lithuania	LT123456789	`LT` + 9 or 12 digits
🇱🇺 Luxembourg	LU12345678	`LU` + 8 digits
🇲🇰 North Macedonia	MK123456789	`MK` + 9 digits
🇲🇹 Malta	MT12345678	`MT` + 8 digits
🇲🇩 Moldova	MD123456789	`MD` + 9 digits
🇲🇪 Montenegro	ME12345678	`ME` + 8 digits
🇳🇱 Netherlands	NL123456789B01	`NL` + 9 digits + `B` + 2 digits
🇳🇴 Norway	NO123456789MVA	`NO` + 9 digits + `MVA`
🇵🇱 Poland	PL1234567890	`PL` + 10 digits
🇵🇹 Portugal	PT123456789	`PT` + 9 digits
🇷🇴 Romania	RO1234567890	`RO` + 2–10 digits
🇷🇸 Serbia	RS123456789	`RS` + 9 digits
🇸🇰 Slovakia	SK1234567890	`SK` + 10 digits
🇸🇮 Slovenia	SI12345678	`SI` + 8 digits
🇪🇸 Spain	ESX1234567X	`ES` + 9 characters (mix of digits and letters)
🇸🇪 Sweden	SE123456789901	`SE` + 12 digits (always ends with `01`)
🇨🇭 Switzerland	CHE123456789	`CHE` + 9 digits (with or without dots)
🇹🇷 Turkey	TR1234567890	`TR` + 10 digits
🇺🇦 Ukraine	UA1234567890	`UA` + 10 digits
🇬🇧 United Kingdom	GB123456789	`GB` + 9 or 12 digits