VAT Warehouses in Italy

Starting from April 1st, 2017, the Italian Vat warehouses rules will be deeply modified.

First of all, the introduction of goods into the Vat warehouse will be extended to all kind of transactions.

Consequently, any economic operator, established in Italy, could sale and introduce any kind of goods into the Vat warehouse, regardless the country of establishment of his contractual counterparty.

It could be a great opportunity for a Vat planning: the payment of vat, in fact, will be postponed until the extraction of goods.

With reference to the extraction of the goods from the Vat warehouse it will be important to understand in which way the goods have been introduced.
In fact, for the goods introduced into the warehouse following an intra-EU purchase, the new rules confirm the extraction through the mechanism of reverse charge.

For the national goods extracted from the Vat warehouse, in order to be commercialized in Italy, Vat warehouse keeper, in the name and on behalf of the operator that extract the goods, will have to pay the Vat within the 16th day of the month following the extraction of such goods.

Finally for the extra-EU goods, entered for free circulation and later introduced into the Vat warehouse, the person who extracts the goods must pay Vat through the mechanism of reverse charge, and if he provided a guarantee.

According to Ministerial Decree issued on February 23th, 2017, a guarantee should not be provided by who in the three years preceding the extraction of goods has submitted the VAT return or by who, in the three years preceding the extraction of goods, has duly made vat payments, or finally, by who, in the year before the extraction, has not received any Vat assessment.

It should be underlined that, in any case, a person who got AEO certification is considered reliable, without the need to submit a guarantee.