# Tax in the European Union

If you’re selling goods and services to customers in the European Union (EU) you might need to collect value added tax (VAT), even if your business isn’t established (based) in the EU. Although the VAT laws are similar across the EU, the tax rates and rules vary per country.

## Countries in the EU

Stripe can calculate tax in all of the countries in the European Union. For country-specific registration resources and special tax rules, see [Collect tax in a country in the European Union](/tax/supported-countries/european-union/collect-tax).

## When and how to register

Different rules determine when and how you need to register for VAT, depending on the country your business is located in. After you register with a country, go to Locations to add your registrations to Stripe in the Dashboard to start collecting tax on your transactions. Learn more about the different registration schemes in our guide.

See [Thresholds](/tax/monitoring) to get insights about your potential tax registration obligations in each country in the European Union. Stripe also notifies you with email and Dashboard alerts when you need to register to collect tax. Learn more about how the monitoring tool works.

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