The DEB is a declaration covering all of a company’s intra-community trade. It must be sent monthly to the customs authority.
Any company, if it trades with countries of the European Union, is affected by intra-community VAT .
The DEB is therefore a document which summarizes, for a company, all the introductions (imports) and shipments (exports) carried out with other member states of the European Union.
What does the declaration of trade in goods consist of?
Within the European Union, the company conducts most of its trade freely, without border controls. However, it must send this DEB monthly to customs. There are two main reasons for this:
- The DEB allows the customs administration to follow the flow of goods that generate the payment of VAT
- The DEB makes it possible to establish the statistics of the foreign trade of France and to establish the trade balance.
Who is affected by the declaration of trade in goods?
This concerns any company, whatever its size, subject to VAT and which markets goods from France to a taxable person established in another Member State of the European Union.
This also concerns companies in France which acquire Community goods from another Member State from a purchase of € 460,000 .
Once this threshold is crossed, the data must be transmitted in a detailed declaration (simplified declaration below this threshold).
Certain cases are exempt from filing the declaration of exchange of goods:
- The details
- People benefiting from the derogatory regime (PBRD) or benefiting from deductibles based on VAT (exempt companies).
What types of declaration of exchange of goods?
There are different types of declaration of trade in goods, in particular depending on the amount of trade in goods reached:
- The detailed declaration (thresholds: € 230,000 for imports, € 460,000 for exports)
- The simplified declaration (starting from 150,000 € for imports and exports).
How does the declaration of exchange of goods work?
We detail the ins and outs of how the DEB works.
How and when to do the DEB?
This declaration can be made either in dematerialized format (electronic DEB) or on paper each month. But it is also possible to make a declaration after each operation.
Also, the deposit is made no later than the 10th working day of the month at your home center.
Information to be included
Here is the basic data to provide. This list is not exhaustive in the context of detailed declarations:
- The reference year and month,
- The type of flow concerned by the declaration: imports, exports (one declaration for each)
- The issuer’s level of obligation,
- Information allowing the identification of the operating company (VAT number, company name, etc.)
- The value in euros of the exchanges
- The tax regime concerned (taxable or not and to what degree).
What are the risks in the event of forgetting?
Be careful, many entrepreneurs tend to forget to do this monthly formality. But the texts of the general tax code and 467-4 of the customs code provide for a fine of 750 euros for each declaration missing or filed late.
