Council Directive (EU) 2025/1539 of 18 July 2025 amending Directive 2006/112/EC as regards VAT rules relating to taxable persons who facilitate distance sales of imported goods and the application of the special scheme for distance sales of goods imported from third territories or third countries and special arrangements for declaration and payment of import VAT

1 On importation, VAT shall be payable by any person or persons designated or recognised as liable by the Member State of importation.

2 By way of derogation from paragraph 1 of this Article, the supplier or, where applicable, the deemed supplier in accordance with Article 14a(1), making distance sales of goods imported from third territories or third countries that would be eligible for the special scheme set out in Title XII, Chapter 6, Section 4, shall be the person liable to pay the import VAT.

3 Where the supplier or the deemed supplier referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article is not established in the Community but in a third country with which neither the Union nor the Member State of importation has concluded an agreement on mutual assistance similar in scope to Council Directive 2010/24/EU and Regulation (EU) No 904/2010, that supplier or deemed supplier shall appoint a tax representative in the Member State of importation as the person liable for payment of import VAT.

4 Where the importation of goods is exempted in accordance with Article 143(1), point (ca), paragraph 3 of this Article shall not apply.

Without prejudice to Article 201(2) and (3), and where the persons liable for payment of import VAT fail to fulfil their tax obligations under those paragraphs, Member States may allow, according to conditions and procedures to be laid down by them, the customer to pay the import VAT which is due by those persons.’

By 31 March 2032, the Commission shall, based on the information provided by Member States, present to the Council an evaluation report on the functioning of Article 201(2), (3) and (4), Article 201a, Article 204(1), fourth subparagraph, and Article 205, second paragraph, including their impact on the functioning of the internal market, and assess the need of maintaining Article 201a and Article 205, second paragraph, and if deemed necessary, make an appropriate legislative proposal.’

1 Member States shall adopt and publish, by 30 June 2028, the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive. They shall immediately inform the Commission thereof. They shall apply those measures from 1 July 2028. When Member States adopt those measures, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or shall be accompanied by such a reference on the occasion of their official publication. The methods of making such reference shall be laid down by Member States.

2 Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of the main measures of national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive.

This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.