A delivery to Zurich is either a tax-free export – or a delivery on which you owe Swiss VAT because you are registered there. Mixing both on one document used to be a classic invoicing-app mistake. Easy Invoices keeps the two questions apart.
Without registration: “Tax-free export under § 4 Nr. 1a UStG”, 0%
With registration: destination tax with your registration number on the document
Suggestions as soon as destination tax appears without a registration on file
Two questions, answered separately
The German exemption depends on geography. Tax in the destination depends on your registration there. Shopify calculates the latter once you have set it up – the app reads it from the tax lines.
Non-EU country without a tax line → export, § 4 Nr. 1a note, net total
Non-EU country with a tax line and a registration → destination tax shown (e.g. “VAT CH 8.1%”), your CHE number on the document
Pure service to a non-EU country → not taxable in Germany (§ 3a Abs. 5), factual note instead of the export text
Custom legal note per registration if the destination requires specific wording
Managing registrations
Under Settings → Tax you add one registration per country. For most shops the list stays empty – and that is correct.
Country, registration number, optional OSS flag (EU)
Pre-flight: the app scans issued documents and suggests missing registrations
Low-value consignments to the UK (£135), Norway, Australia, New Zealand: if tax is missing although you are registered, the app puts the case to you for review
Proof of export: confirm once that you keep the evidence – the app then stops asking on every export
What the app deliberately does not do
It does not register you anywhere and files no foreign tax return. It makes sure the document states what you actually owe.
Whether and where you must register is your accountant’s call. The app does show you when Shopify charges tax for a country you have not recorded.
Software, not tax advice: We are not tax advisers: Easy Invoices applies the rules you configure to your shop’s data – checking your documents for tax correctness stays with you and your accounting firm. Details in § 2a of the terms
Frequently asked questions
I sell to Switzerland but am not registered there. What goes on the invoice?
The mandatory note “Tax-free export under § 4 Nr. 1a UStG”, 0% tax and the net amount as the total. Import VAT is collected by customs from the customer – it does not belong on your invoice.
And if I hold a Swiss VAT number?
Then you record it as a registration. Shopify charges the VAT, Easy Invoices prints it with rate and your CHE number – and the delivery is still a tax-free export from the German perspective. Both facts sit correctly on one document.
What about US sales tax?
Same principle: without a nexus registration it is an export. With a registration, the sales tax Shopify calculated per state is shown. Tax remitted by a marketplace is not attributed to you.
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