EHERO Woo VAT – EU VAT control, VIES, and intra-community exemption for WooCommerce

WooCommerce EU VAT handled for you: the right VAT on every sale inside the EU

EHERO Woo VAT takes the manual work out of WooCommerce EU VAT. Your business customer types their VAT number at checkout, the plugin looks it up in the European Commission’s VIES service and, when the number is valid and the company is based in another EU country, the order goes through without VAT under the reverse charge. If the number is invalid, or VIES does not answer, VAT is charged and the sale carries on.

Consumers in other EU countries pay their own country’s VAT when the rules say so: the plugin keeps a running total against the €10,000 One-Stop Shop (OSS) threshold, warns you before you reach it and then charges the buyer’s rate according to each product’s tax class.

It also covers what Spanish stores need: the equivalence surcharge, the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla, IRPF withholding and drafts of the 349, OSS and 303 returns. It is a guidance tool, not tax advice: your accountant has the final say.

VAT numbers checked against VIES at checkout

A “VAT number (intra-community)” field sits next to the billing details and is checked while the customer types, with no page reload.

• It checks the country format first (all 27 EU states) and only then asks VIES, from your server.
• Plain messages: valid (with the company name VIES returns), invalid, wrong format or VIES unavailable.
• Works with the classic checkout, the block checkout and FunnelKit, including post-purchase upsells.
• The number is saved to the customer’s account and pre-filled on their next order.
• A limit of 12 checks per minute keeps abuse out.

No exemption without a valid VIES result, checked again on the server

This is the heart of WooCommerce EU VAT in EHERO Woo VAT: the server decides the exemption, never the customer’s browser.

• Three conditions: a number VIES confirms, a company in an EU country other than yours, and a number from the same country as the billing address.
• When the order is created VIES is asked again; if it does not confirm, VAT is put back and an order note explains why.
• Fail-closed: if VIES is down there is no exemption; VAT is charged and you can refund it later if appropriate.
• The exemption survives coupons and the “Recalculate” button on the order screen.
• Every exemption stores the order, number, country, exempt amount, VIES check and evidence.

A log of every VIES lookup

The validations page lists the latest checks: number, country, company, result, date and expiry.

• Valid results are reused for 15 minutes and invalid ones for 24 hours (adjustable).
• VIES outages are easy to spot.
• The log deletes itself after the period you choose (24 months by default); exemptions are kept as a tax record.

The €10,000 OSS threshold and destination-country VAT

WooCommerce EU VAT is not only about businesses: sales to consumers in other EU countries follow their own rule.

• A yearly running total of sales to consumers in other EU countries, all countries together and net of VAT.
• A dashboard warning at the percentage you choose (80% by default) and another once the threshold is passed.
• Past the threshold, or from the first euro if you are registered for OSS, the buyer’s country rate is charged.
• The rate follows the product’s tax class: standard, reduced or super-reduced.
• A report by destination country and period with net amount, VAT and number of sales, exportable to CSV.

Evidence of where the customer is

For OSS sales you need to be able to prove where the customer is located. The plugin stores the proof with the order.

• Billing address, the country of the IP address and, when available, the country of the payment method.
• You decide which piece wins when the address and the IP point to different countries.

Editable VAT rates for every EU country

Each country with its standard, reduced and super-reduced rate. The defaults are a guide and you can override any of them.

• One button creates the rates in the WooCommerce tax table: just your country or every EU country.
• They are labelled “IVA (EHERO)” and regenerating only replaces those, so rates you created yourself are left alone.

Drafts of the 349, OSS and 303 returns

From what the plugin has recorded, it prepares the figures your accountant needs for the Spanish returns.

• Form 349: exempt intra-EU supplies per customer VAT number, with key E and number of transactions.
• OSS return: net amount, rate and VAT per destination country.
• Summary for form 303: net amount of exempt intra-EU supplies, plus net amount and VAT of OSS sales.
• Filter by period and export each one to CSV.
• They are drafts: your accountant completes them with the rest of your transactions.

Equivalence surcharge, Canary Islands, Ceuta, Melilla and IRPF

The Spanish rules, each behind its own switch.

• Equivalence surcharge of 5.2%, 1.4% or 0.5% depending on the product’s VAT, for customers you flag on their profile or by role.
• Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla detected by shipping postcode (35/38, 51 and 52): no mainland VAT, with IGIC or IPSI if you sell from there.
• IRPF withholding for freelancers and professionals (15% by default, 7% for new self-employed), per customer or role: net + VAT − IRPF.
• The surcharge and the withholding appear as separate lines in the cart and the order.

The United Kingdom after Brexit

If you sell to the UK, it is treated as a third country with its own rules.

• Businesses with a verified UK VAT number: no VAT (reverse charge).
• Consumers: UK VAT (20% by default) on goods orders up to the £135 threshold; above it, no VAT, as it is paid at UK customs.
• Optional GB number checks with free credentials from the HMRC Developer Hub; without them there is no exemption.

Rules for selling to businesses

Options for B2B stores, all switched off until you need them.

• Prices without VAT across the store for B2B customers: by role, because they are exempt, or because their account holds a VAT number.
• VAT number required for companies or for a role and, if you like, it must be valid in VIES.
• Company name checked against the one VIES returns: warn only, or block the order.
• An optional company name field for checkouts that lack one.

The VAT number on the order, in My Account and in the emails

Every order shows its VAT number and its status where people need it.

• In the admin, next to the billing details: company, VAT number and an “Exento (reverse charge)” badge.
• In the customer account and the order emails: “Número de IVA: … — exento (inversión del sujeto pasivo)”.
• An internal note with the date of the VIES re-check and the customer’s country.
• HPOS compatible and hooked into the WordPress privacy tools.

Ideal for

If you sell to other EU countries, WooCommerce EU VAT with EHERO Woo VAT saves you manual checks and nasty surprises from the tax office. It pays off most for:

📋 System requirements

What the plugin needs to look after your store’s VAT.

🛟 Technical support

Email support* at soporte@consultoriaehero.com. To get the background, read our guide to intra-EU VAT in WooCommerce (in Spanish) or check a VAT number in VIES without installing anything. WooCommerce EU VAT by EHERO Woo VAT updates itself from your WordPress dashboard while the licence is active.

⚖️ WooCommerce EU VAT compared: why EHERO Woo VAT?

Several plugins validate VAT numbers. This WooCommerce EU VAT plugin adds what a Spanish store needs on top: OSS, tax return drafts and Spain’s special regimes.

Based on the product page and documentation of EU VAT Number on WooCommerce.com (version 3.2.1) and the WPFactory product page (version 4.8.2), checked on 23 October 2026.

Still checking VAT numbers by hand and removing VAT order by order? Let every EU sale carry the VAT it should. Start today for €99.99 per year.

Charge the right VAT on every EU sale with WooCommerce EU VAT by EHERO Woo VAT.

Want to see more tools for your store? Discover all our plugins for WooCommerce or visit the Consultoría EHERO store.

*Support covers incidents, bugs, and plugin installation; it does not include consulting, custom configurations, or custom development. Terms apply.