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A Canadian company that paid VAT in a European country can ask that country for a VAT refund, and it files the claim directly with that country’s tax authority. The EU’s Your Europe portal says a business based outside the EU can claim when it was charged VAT on business costs in a country where it didn’t supply goods or services.
Who can claim a VAT refund in Europe?
Your Europe splits claimants in two. EU businesses file online through their home tax authority, which passes the claim on. A business outside the EU, which is you, goes straight to the country where the VAT was charged: the portal says to send your application to the authorities in the EU country where you incurred the VAT. It adds that some countries will only refund you if the country where your business is based offers similar arrangements to businesses from theirs. No plain list of which countries offer a refund to Canadian companies turned up, so ask first.
The other test is what you did there. If you sold goods or services in that country, the rules are different, and you may need to register for VAT instead of asking for money back. That can’t be sorted out from here.
Which costs do countries refuse?
Some do refuse whole categories. Your Europe names restaurant costs, entertainment, cars and fuel as examples of spending that certain countries don’t refund. A client dinner in Lisbon might come back, or it might not, and the only way to know is to read the rules of that one country before you file, because the same dinner in another country could be treated the other way round.
Claims also carry standard expenditure codes, so each cost is labelled as fuel, transport, accommodation, food or admission and so on. Late refunds can earn interest, the portal says.
What is the deadline for a VAT refund claim?
This is the part to be careful with. Several tax-service pages put the deadline for businesses outside the EU at 30 June of the following year. Others mention 30 September, which is the date often given to EU businesses. Neither could be confirmed on an official page, and the Your Europe portal gives no date. The exact deadline is set country by country, so look up the authority’s page for each one, and plan around the earlier date to be safe.
Do it early in the year, not at the last minute. Say Anil’s bakery equipment company in Burnaby sent staff to a trade fair in Germany last spring. The receipts are in a shoebox. If he waits until the summer, he may already be past a 30 June cut-off, which means the VAT is gone for good.
Keep the original invoices. Some authorities ask for supporting documents after the claim goes in, so a missing invoice can hold up money you thought was safe.
How big is the VAT you are chasing?
Think of European VAT the way you think of GST or HST. Back home, the HST reverse calculator shows that a $113 Ontario receipt holds $13 of HST. The same trick works on a foreign receipt if you know the rate, so you can size the claim.
Here’s an invented example, not a real rate. If a supplier charged 20% VAT on a bill of 5,000 euros before tax, the VAT is 1,000 euros. That’s what you’d put in the claim, provided the country allows the cost. Try the reverse as well: a receipt for 2,380 euros with VAT at an invented 19% holds 380 euros of VAT (2,380 multiplied by 19 and divided by 119). No country’s standard rate was verified for this page, so look yours up on the authority’s site.
On the Canadian side, the GST/HST calculator handles what you charge and pay at home. It doesn’t touch foreign VAT.
Should you hire someone to file it?
Some firms file these claims for a fee. Fee levels for any of them weren’t confirmed, and none is named here. If you use a filer, ask for the fee in writing, ask whether it’s a percentage of the refund, and ask who holds your invoices. A refund of a few hundred euros can vanish into a percentage fee.
For small amounts, doing it yourself in the country’s own portal may be easier than it sounds. For a large claim over several countries, a filer can save real time. The choice comes down to how much VAT you paid.
What mistakes cost the most?
Mixing years is the first. A claim covers one period, so sort receipts by country and calendar year as you go. Booking foreign VAT into the wrong account is the second, since you can’t total it later if it’s buried inside expenses. A separate account for VAT paid abroad makes the claim a ten minute job.
The third is treating the claim as income when it comes back. How the refund shows up in your Canadian return is a question for your accountant, and it wasn’t verified here. Your business income figure also matters for corporate tax, which you can estimate in the corporate tax calculator.
Where we got these figures
The claim route, the country exclusions, the reciprocity point and the interest rule come from the European Union’s Your Europe portal on VAT refunds. The HST figure comes from this site’s calculators, which use 2026 Canadian rates. No tax authority is behind this site.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Canadian company claim VAT back in Europe?
Your Europe says a non-EU business can claim VAT charged in a country where it didn't supply goods or services. Reciprocal arrangements may apply.
Where do I send the claim?
A non-EU business files directly with the country where the VAT was incurred.
Which costs are refused?
Some countries refuse categories such as restaurant costs, entertainment, cars and fuel.
What is the deadline?
Several third-party pages say 30 September of the following year. We couldn't confirm it officially, so check each country.
Do I earn interest on a late refund?
Your Europe says late refunds may entitle you to interest on the overdue amount.
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