Romanian VAT Compliance can be described as a layered system conflated with different declarations and requirements, from SAF-T obligations to electronic invoicing. In this page, businesses aiming to remain compliant and looking to know the most up to date news, can find an overview of the main Romanian VAT rules. Scroll down to learn about Romanian VAT compliance requirements and how to remain compliant.
Romania is a complex country for VAT rules, with many elements that companies need to be aware of. These include:
Periodic VAT return (Decont de taxa pe valoarea adaugata) | Monthly |
Quarterly | |
Romanian Domestic Supplies & Purchase listing (Declaraţie informativă privind livrările/prestările şi achiziţiile efectuate pe teritoriul national – D394) | Monthly |
SAF-T (Declarației informative D406) | Monthly/Quarterly |
SAF-T Stocks (Declarației informative D406) | On-demand – a minimum 30-day deadline |
SAF-T Assets (Declarației informative D406) | Deadline for the submission of Financial Statements for the year |
EU Sales and Purchases List | Monthly |
Intrastat | Monthly |
VAT rates | 19% |
Intrastat thresholds | Arrivals: RON 1 million |
Romania is at the forefront of VAT compliance, having implemented a broad range of requirements, from SAF-T obligations to e-invoicing. You can find more information on the various rules and requirements here:
Taxable persons established in Romania are required to register for VAT purposes if their annual turnover exceeds the threshold RON 300,000 (EUR 88,500). Established entities that don’t meet the threshold may opt to register for VAT purposes.
Non-established entities are required to register for VAT purposes, regardless of annual turnover, when practicing certain activities such as Intra-Community transactions or exports.
In Romania, VAT liability encompasses various transaction types – including, but not limited to, the following:
Legislation in Romania states that invoices, paper or electronic, must include the following information:
Since January 2024, the Romanian B2B e-invoicing and e-reporting mandate has applied to established taxpayers and VAT registered entities – concerning all B2B transactions with place of supply in Romania.
From January 2024, VAT-registered entities must report their invoices (regarding domestic B2B transactions) to the RO e-Factura platform within five working days of issuance.
Established taxpayers are equally required to electronically report their invoices from January 2024.
The tax authority provided a three-month grace period where no penalties will apply, meaning that penalties will be imposed from April 2024.
From July 2024, the e-reporting obligation will shift to an e-invoicing requirement for transactions between established taxpayers. If established taxpayers fail to issue the invoice electronically, the invoice must be reported within five calendar days to the RO e-Factura platform.
In addition to the invoicing content requirements, which must also be included in electronic invoices, the e-invoice must comply with certain technical requirements as well.
You can find more information about Romania’s e-invoicing rules on our dedicated Romania e-invoicing page.
The EU established the One Stop Shop (OSS) in July 2021, implementing an EU-wide 10,000-euro threshold for VAT and simplifying cross-border online sales in the region simpler. This is part of the EU VAT e-commerce package.
Following the applicable Romanian VAT rules, the following fall within the scope of the OSS regime:
These entities may choose Romania as their Member State of registration for OSS purposes.
Non-EU entities, which do not have a fixed establishment in the European Union, may also register in Romania for OSS purposes – only if carrying out distance sales of goods when the goods are dispatched from Romania or any other EU Member State.
In addition to the OSS registration, taxable persons may also apply to the Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS) in Romania which concerns B2C distance sales of goods from outside the region.
Intrastat returns – which are related to the movement of goods in the European Union – are submitted in Romania if the taxable person exceeds the provided threshold.
Even though Intrastat requirements remain similar across the EU, each Member State may implement rules differently. Our Intrastat Guide is a useful tool for navigating cross-border trading in the EU.
In Romania, the Intrastat threshold for both arrivals and dispatches of goods is RON 1,000,000 (around EUR 201,000). The Intrastat return must be submitted by the 15th day of the following month.
The EU Sales and Purchases List is submitted in Romania by taxable persons carrying out Intra-Community supplies or purchases of goods or certain services. The return must be submitted by the 25th day of the following month and is not required to be submitted in tax periods where no transactions occurred.
The Domestic Supplies & Purchase listing (form 394), first implemented in July 2014, is an additional return to be submitted periodically by all VAT-registered entities in Romania. The return includes data on domestic supplies and purchases between VAT-registered entities and must be submitted by the 30th day of the month following the end of the tax period.
In Romania, any entity subject to taxation (not just VAT) shall receive a tax identification number.
The number of digits in the VAT number may vary.
The Romanian periodic VAT return – Decont de taxa pe valoarea adaugata – is submitted on a monthly or quarterly basis, if the taxpayers’ annual turnover remains below the equivalent in RON of 100.000 EUR. The returns must be submitted electronically by the 25th day of the month following the end of the applicable tax period.
The VAT return must include the amount of the deductible VAT as well as the VAT charged in the tax period.
Taxable persons established in Romania are required to register for VAT purposes if the RON 300.000 (EUR 88.500) annual turnover threshold is exceeded. There is no threshold for non-established entities.
The Romanian VAT Act is part of the Fiscal Code (Codul Fiscal) of 8 September 2015, adopted by Law no. 227/2015.
The applicable VAT rates in Romania are 19%, 9%, 5% and 0%.
As a rule, the standard rate of 19% applies to all supplies of goods and services.
The reduced rates of 9% and 5% are only applicable to certain specifically identified goods and services. The 9% rate applies to:
The reduced rate of 5% is applicable to:
Exceptionally, certain transactions are taxable at a 0% rate, namely:
Romania’s VAT rules provide reduced VAT rates of 9% and 5%, depending on the goods and services in question.
Taxable persons not established in the EU that fall under the obligation to register for VAT purposes in Romania are obliged to appoint a fiscal representative.
Yes. Since January 2023, Romania‘s mandatory e-transport system has monitored the transport of certain goods in the national territory. The e-transport system operates in parallel with Romania’s e-invoicing system. For more information read our in-depth blog about the e-transport system in Romania.
Looking back at this overview, it becomes clear just how fast-paced Romania’s developing VAT compliance requirements are. Sovos helps customers navigate difficult VAT compliance landscapes worldwide, by leveraging our global coverage.
We take care of compliance so you can concentrate on growing your business.