International VAT Guides for US Sellers

As a remote seller, you only owe a US state’s sales tax once you pass its economic nexus threshold. VAT abroad works the other way round: if your business is based in the US, many countries tax your sales to their consumers from the very first one. The EU has no threshold for non-EU sellers at all.

These guides answer the question US founders actually search for, “Do I need to charge VAT in this country?”, separately for physical products and for SaaS, because the rules are different.

Germany

• Do US Sellers Need to Charge VAT in Germany? For stores and brands shipping physical products. IOSS vs paying at the door, DDP, Amazon FBA, the €3 customs duty from July 2026 and Germany’s LUCID packaging register.
• Does Your US SaaS Need to Charge VAT in Germany? For software, subscriptions and digital products. 19% VAT for consumers through the non-Union OSS, reverse charge for businesses, pricing rules and a worked quarter.

The rules every US seller should know

	Physical goods	SaaS and digital products
Threshold for US sellers	None	None
Sales to consumers	VAT due on every parcel: collected by you (IOSS), the marketplace, or customs	You charge the customer’s local VAT from the first sale
Sales to businesses	The business pays import VAT and reclaims it	Reverse charge: no VAT on your invoice
EU registration	IOSS through an EU intermediary, or a local VAT number if you stock goods there	One non-Union OSS registration covers all 27 countries

More on EU VAT

The EU rules behind these guides apply to sellers from any country outside the EU:

• Selling to EU customers: overview
• Selling to EU consumers (IOSS)
• Selling to EU businesses (reverse charge)
• Non-Union OSS for digital services

For the US side, where you owe state sales tax, see the US sales tax guide and the free US nexus calculator.

GoodVat tracks both sides for you: your US state nexus and your VAT obligations abroad, with registrations and returns handled in one place.