Selling to Multiple EU Countries? Here’s Why You Need the OSS Scheme

Selling to customers in different EU countries can be a huge growth opportunity. However, it also comes with complicated tax obligations. Each country has its own VAT rules, rates, registration thresholds, and filing requirements. As your business grows across borders, so does the paperwork.

Managing VAT separately in multiple EU countries means dealing with:

• Different tax authorities.

• Multiple VAT numbers.

• Filing returns in various languages.

• Paying VAT in different currencies.

It’s not only time consuming but also risky. A missed filing or registration can lead to fines, delays, and even blocked shipments. That’s where the One Stop Shop (OSS) scheme comes in.

Introduced by the EU in July 2021, the OSS scheme is designed to simplify cross border VAT reporting. Instead of registering and filing VAT returns in every EU country where you sell, OSS allows you to do everything in one place (just one registration, one return, and one payment).

For any business selling B2C across multiple EU countries, OSS is the smart way to stay compliant without getting buried in bureaucracy.

What Is the OSS Scheme?

The One Stop Shop (OSS) is a simplified VAT reporting system introduced by the European Union to make cross border selling easier for businesses. It was launched in July 2021 as part of the EU VAT ecommerce package.

It was designed to remove the burden of registering for VAT in every single EU country where you sell.

Before OSS, if your business sold goods to consumers in multiple EU countries, you had to register for VAT separately in each country once you crossed its local threshold. That meant managing multiple VAT numbers, tax authorities, languages, currencies, and return schedules each with their own rules. For small and medium sized businesses especially, this was expensive and unsustainable.

OSS changes all of that. With the OSS scheme, you can:

• Register for VAT in one EU member state

• File a single quarterly VAT return.

• Report and pay VAT due for all B2C sales across the EU

That’s it. One registration. One return. One payment irrespective of how many EU countries you sell to.

At Global Trade Business, we help companies (both EU based and non EU sellers) make the most of OSS. Whether you’re using Amazon FBA, Shopify, or a custom platform, OSS allows you to focus on sales and shipping while we handle your VAT compliance behind the scenes.

By using the OSS scheme with Global Trade Business as your partner, you avoid the hassle of fragmented tax systems and stay compliant with far less effort.

Who Should Use OSS?

The OSS scheme is designed for B2C sellers who deliver goods or services across EU borders. You should seriously consider OSS if:

You sell goods from one EU country to consumers in other EU countries.

• You exceed the EU wide threshold of €10,000 in total cross border sales.

• You’re a non EU business with goods stored or fulfilled from a location inside the EU.

• You use platforms like Amazon FBA, Shopify, or WooCommerce with European delivery points.

For example, let’s say you’re based in Germany and ship to France, Spain, and the Netherlands. Instead of registering separately in each of those countries, you can use OSS to file a single VAT return in Germany that covers all your EU sales.

Key Benefits of Using the OSS Scheme

The One Stop Shop (OSS) scheme is more than a simplified VAT tool. It’s a major efficiency upgrade for any business selling across the EU. If you’ve ever dealt with fragmented tax systems, you’ll appreciate how OSS cuts through the complexity. 

Here are the core benefits of using the OSS Scheme

1. Centralized VAT Reporting

2. 
   

With OSS, you no longer need to manage VAT returns in every country where you sell. Instead, you:

• Register once in a single EU member state (usually where you’re established).

• Submit one quarterly VAT return through that country’s tax portal.

• Declare and pay VAT due for all B2C sales made across EU countries.

This centralized approach eliminates the need to juggle multiple filing portals, submission formats, deadlines, and languages.

At Global Trade Business, we handle the full process for you (from initial registration to quarterly submissions). You just provide your sales data, and we take care of the rest. 

2. No More Multiple VAT Registrations

3. 
   

Before OSS, selling to customers in five different EU countries meant maintaining five separate VAT registrations. That involved:

• Different tax numbers.

• Separate tax filings.

• Country specific audit rules.

With OSS, all that disappears. You only need one VAT registration to cover all EU cross border B2C sales.

This is especially helpful if you're using Amazon FBA, Shopify, or pan EU fulfillment models, where products are shipped from a central EU warehouse to various countries.

If you’re a non EU business, Global Trade Business can act as your intermediary, helping you register for OSS and stay compliant without needing a physical presence in the EU. 

3. Reduced Administrative Costs

4. 
   

Managing VAT in multiple countries isn’t just complex, it’s expensive. Businesses without OSS typically spend thousands of euros per year on:

• VAT registration and renewal fees.

• Local tax advisors and accountants.

• Filing penalties due to missed deadlines or mistakes.

OSS reduces these costs dramatically. One return means:

• Fewer filings.

• Lower accounting expenses.

• Less staff time spent on tax compliance.

At Global Trade Business, we’ve helped sellers reduce their VAT related costs by as much as 60% annually by consolidating their filings under the OSS scheme. 

4. Improved Compliance

When you centralize VAT compliance, you also reduce the risk of:

• Missing a deadline in a specific country.

• Filing returns in the wrong format or language.

• Forgetting to register when your sales cross a threshold.

OSS provides a uniform and predictable system for VAT reporting. And when you partner with Global Trade Business, we monitor every step (tracking deadlines, validating your invoices, and preparing each return with full accuracy).

This means fewer surprises from EU tax authorities and greater peace of mind for your team.

OSS vs Traditional VAT Compliance

Feature	Traditional VAT Compliance	OSS Scheme
VAT registration	One per country	One across EU
Number of returns	One per country (monthly/quarterly)	Single quarterly return
Language and currency barriers	Multiple	Single system
Cost of compliance	High	Lower
Risk of missed obligations	Higher (many countries)	Lower (centralized)

If your business is expanding or already selling into several EU markets, OSS is the faster and smarter choice.

How to Register for OSS

If you’re based in the EU, you can register for the OSS scheme through your local tax authority’s online portal.

If you're not based in the EU, you’ll need to:

• Appoint an OSS intermediary based in the EU (like us).

• Provide legal documents (incorporation certificate, VAT/GST ID, etc.).

• Grant power of attorney to your intermediary.

• Submit platform details (e.g. website or Amazon store).

Once approved, you’ll receive an OSS VAT ID and can begin filing OSS returns.

How We Support Your OSS Journey

At Global Trade Business, we work with sellers across the globe to handle OSS setup and VAT compliance, especially those expanding across multiple EU markets.

Here’s what we offer:

• OSS Registration: We handle the full registration process, including intermediary services if you’re a non EU business.

• VAT Filing and Record Keeping: We prepare and submit your OSS VAT returns, making sure everything is filed correctly and on time.

• Deactivation of Redundant VAT Registrations: We help you clean up past registrations to avoid double charges or unnecessary compliance burdens.

• Ongoing Support: If you get audited or contacted by tax authorities, we speak on your behalf, so you don’t have to navigate foreign tax systems alone.

In conclusion, If you’re selling into multiple EU countries, using OSS is essential. It saves you time, money, and the stress of navigating dozens of tax systems. Whether you’re scaling your Shopify store or running a global Amazon business, OSS makes VAT compliance manageable.

Are you ready to Simplify EU VAT with OSS? Get in touch with Global Trade Business today to streamline your OSS setup and take the hassle out of EU VAT.