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Practical VAT manual 2023.

Intra-EU acquisitions and imports

1. Intra-community acquisitions of goods or services

The taxpayer will be the person who carries them out, that is, the purchaser of the goods or services.

2. Imports

Those who carry out imports will be subject to the tax.

The following will be considered importers, provided that the requirements of customs legislation are met:

  1. Recipients of imported goods.

  2. Travelers, for the goods they carry when entering the territory.

  3. The owners of the property, in cases not covered by the previous numbers.

  4. The purchasers or, where applicable, the owners, lessees or charterers of the goods, when dealing with operations similar to imports of goods.

On the other hand, when it comes to imports referred to in article 27.12 of the LIVA , if the importer acts through a tax representative, the latter is obliged to comply with the material and formal obligations arising from said imports.