Frequently asked questions · Records, invoices and retention

What must a margin invoice say?

One total price, and one line saying which scheme it falls under.

No separate VAT amount — that is the hallmark of a margin invoice — and the name of the scheme. In Belgium, Royal Decree no. 53, article 8, prescribes it word for word: “Bijzondere regeling - gebruikte goederen” (“Régime particulier - Biens d'occasion”), or the versions for works of art and for collectors' items and antiques. Your customer therefore sees a single total price. Adding “VAT not deductible” is allowed, but the law does not ask for it. Check which wording is compulsory in your country.

What goes on your margin invoice

  • A single total priceThat is what your customer sees.
  • A separate VAT amountNot on it: that is the hallmark of a margin invoice.
  • The name of the schemeBelgium, Royal Decree no. 53, art. 8: “Bijzondere regeling - gebruikte goederen”.

Adding “VAT not deductible” is allowed, but the law does not ask for it. Check which wording is compulsory in your country.

That wording is not decoration. It tells your buyer he can deduct nothing, and it tells an inspector why no VAT amount appears on your invoice. Without it, the document looks like an invoice where you forgot the VAT.

Since 1 January 2026 something is added in Belgium: to a Belgian fellow dealer that invoice must leave electronically through Peppol. A margin sale fits in it, under VAT category E with the reason written out.

To a Belgian fellow dealer, since 1 January 2026

You

Your margin invoiceNo separate VAT amount.

On the way

PeppolThe invoice leaves electronically.

In the invoice

Category EWith the reason written out.

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Also worth knowing

Does a second-hand dealer have to invoice through Peppol?

In Belgium, only for sales to another Belgian VAT-registered business. Since 1 January 2026 those invoices must leave in a structured electronic form, through the Peppol network. Invoices to private individuals are not covered. There is no turnover threshold: the small-business exemption (25,000 euros in 2026, 26,000 euros from 2027) is covered too, because exempt is not the same as not VAT-registered. In France every business must be able to receive e-invoices from 1 September 2026; SMEs send them from 1 September 2027 (loi 2023-1322, art. 91), through a PDP. In the Netherlands and the UK there is no obligation.

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How do you tell a supplier is using the margin scheme?

From the invoice. A margin invoice shows no separate VAT amount: there is one total price, with a reference to the special scheme for second-hand goods. If your supplier reverse-charges, the invoice carries two VAT numbers and a note that VAT is reverse-charged. In doubt, ask before you buy rather than after.

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