VAT FAQ

1. What is Value Added Tax (VAT)?

In the European Union, Value Added Tax—or VAT—is a consumption tax levied on goods and services. It applies to most goods and services sold in the European Union and over the Internet to customers residing in the European Union.

For the customers, the tax appears on the purchase price and is calculated as a percentage of the purchase price excluding tax. This percentage is different for each European Union country, and is fixed by local tax authorities. The tax rates can be found on the European Commission website.

2. Am I being charged Value Added Tax when purchasing artnet products online?

Prices listed on the artnet website exclude Value Added Tax and other taxes.

artnet is required to charge Value Added Tax to all European customers who reside, have a permanent address or are established in the European Union. The countries where Value Added Tax is applicable include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom

If you are a business or are using your artnet account for business purposes, you might qualify for a Value Added Tax exemption. For more information about Value Added Tax exemption, please see question “3. Who is entitled to a Value Added Tax exemption?” below.

When artnet is required to collect Value Added Tax, the tax is added to the price of all products sold on the artnet website. For transparency purposes, you can see the estimated tax on steps 2 and 4 and the final tax charged on step 5 of the purchasing process on the artnet website.

3. Who is entitled to a Value Added Tax exemption?

Businesses established in the European Union will not be charged Value Added Tax when purchasing online products on the artnet website after they submit a valid Value Added Tax identification number on the artnet website. To qualify for a Value Added Tax exemption, customers must use their artnet account for business purposes only.

If you operate a business in the European Union, you might qualify to obtain a Value Added Tax identification number from your local government’s tax authority. As each country has its own guidelines about qualifying for a Value Added Tax identification number, please contact your local tax authority or tax adviser for more details. The European commission website can also provide additional information.

Providing a valid Value Added Tax identification number on artnet will allow you to be exempt from Value Added Tax when purchasing artnet products online.
If you want to know how to register your identification number on artnet, please see question “4. How do I register my Value Added Tax identification number with artnet?”

Be aware that falsifying the Value Added Tax information to evade being charged Value Added Tax on artnet may result in fines and/or prosecution. artnet cooperates with tax authorities on such matters.

4. How do I register my Value Added Tax identification number with artnet?

If you have a Value Added Tax identification number, please log in to your artnet account to add it to your contact and billing information on the artnet website. If you do not have an artnet login, you must first create a username and password on the artnet website.

When purchasing any product on the artnet website, you will also be given the opportunity to provide a Value Added Tax identification number to be Value Added Tax exempted. If this Value Added Tax identification number is validated by the European Commission, you will be exempt from being charged Value Added Tax at the final step of your purchase.

artnet reserves the right to request additional verification regarding your Value Added Tax taxable status from you or government tax authorities as permitted by law. artnet stores and processes the Value Added Tax identification numbers in the United States in accordance with artnet Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

5. How does the Value Added Tax refund procedure work for businesses based in the European Union?

If you register a valid Value Added Tax identification number with artnet, all of your future purchases on the artnet website will be automatically exempt from Value Added Tax as long as the identification number remains valid. The validity of the identification number will be checked monthly for auto-renewing customers, and when subscribing to additional artnet online services on step 3 of the purchasing process.

So, add your Value Added Tax identification number today to your contact and billing information on the artnet website.

If you have a Value Added Tax identification number, but did not register it with artnet, you might be entitled to a VAT refund for the products you purchased for your business on the artnet website. To obtain such a refund, you will have to file a claim with your local government tax authorities (and not with artnet). Your claim will have to include the invoices of the artnet products you purchased online.

To know where to find your invoices on the artnet website, please see question “6. How can I access my billing history or obtain Value Added Tax invoices?”

6. How can I access my billing history or obtain Value Added Tax invoices?

Please log in to the artnet website and go to “My Account” page. At the bottom of the page, you can click “View Billing History” under “Account Info” to view your billing history and invoices.

The first page displays a summary of all your purchases classified chronologically with your most recent purchase showing first, on top of the listing. You can see the following information for each purchase: invoice ID, date of purchase, product name, amount paid, last four digits of your credit card number.

Clicking on any invoice number allows you to open the detailed invoice on a new page. The following elements are displayed on the invoice: date, invoice ID, artnet information, your information (name, address, last four digits of your credit card number, Value Added Tax identification number), detail of the subscription(s) purchased, price details (price excluding tax, tax, price including tax).

If you wish, you can print the detailed invoice page by hitting “Print this Invoice” on the top-right corner of the page.

artnet allows you to access your billing history for all purchases made on the artnet website over the past 12 months. If you need proofs of service further back in time or if you have any other questions, please contact our customer service teams: