Excise fiscal representative
We are your representative established and registered with German customs, and we assume liability.
Excise duties · distance selling to Germany
Your excise fiscal representative in Germany
Do you sell wine, beer, spirits or coffee online to German consumers? From the very first sale, German excise duty and VAT are owed, and a representative registered with customs is mandatory. Eurofiscalis becomes that representative for you: registration, guarantee, returns, payment of duties and German VAT. You sell, we handle the rest.
- Excise fiscal representative (German customs)
- Alcohol & coffee
- VAT + excise, under one roof
- Turnkey support
🇩🇪 Excise compliance — Germany
- Fiscal representative registered (Zoll)
- Financial guarantee in place
- Returns filed — monthly
- Excise duties paid
- German VAT handled — from the 1st sale
- Coffee (Kaffeesteuer) covered
Your parcels clear, your VAT is in order.
What the law says
Selling alcohol & coffee online in Germany is regulated
As soon as a German consumer orders your excise goods, obligations apply — and ignoring them is costly.
Your obligations
- Selling alcohol or coffee at a distance to German consumers requires you to appoint a representative established in Germany, registered with customs (Zoll) — you cannot act as your own if you are not established in Germany.
- A financial guarantee (Sicherheitsleistung) must be set up with German customs.
- Duties are declared and paid every month, on a schedule specific to each product category.
- Key point: the OSS scheme does not apply to excise goods. German VAT is owed from the 1st delivery — VAT registration in Germany is mandatory, with no threshold.
Without a fiscal representative
- Parcels blocked or seized on entry into Germany
- Retroactive reassessments and penalties (excise + VAT)
- Germany sales at a standstill, disappointed customers
We remove that risk, entirely.
Products & rates
What is taxed in Germany, and how much
Germany taxes alcohol — and, rarely in Europe, coffee. Here are the main products concerned and their orders of magnitude.
| Product | German tax | Order of magnitude |
|---|---|---|
| Spirits | Alkoholsteuer | ≈ €1,303 / hl of pure alcohol |
| Beer | Biersteuer | ≈ €0.787 / hl per degree Plato (reduced rates for small breweries) |
| Sparkling wine (Sekt) | Schaumweinsteuer | ≈ €136 / hl (> 6% vol.) — i.e. ≈ €1.02 / 0.75 L bottle |
| Intermediate products | Zwischenerzeugnissteuer | ≈ €102 / hl (≤ 15% vol.) |
| Still wine | — | Zero rate in Germany — but registration obligations still apply |
| Coffee | Kaffeesteuer | ≈ €2.19 / kg (roasted) · €4.78 / kg (soluble) — no threshold |
Indicative rates, up to date as of June 2026 — they change and depend on your products. We calculate the exact amount for you, by category.
What we handle
Everything your excise representative does
Registration & number
Notification of your distance selling activity and obtaining the identifiers needed for your shipments (customs forms).
Guarantee & surety
Setting up and monitoring the financial guarantee (Sicherheitsleistung) required by customs for your activity.
Returns & payment
Monthly returns and payment of excise duties on your behalf, within the deadlines specific to each product.
German VAT
Registration and management of your German VAT — owed from the 1st sale, as the OSS does not cover excise goods.
Audit support
Liaising with German customs on your behalf and support in the event of an administrative audit.
How it works
Compliant in Germany, from A to Z
A simple journey on your side: we handle the complexity, you approve.
-
Free audit of your flows
We analyse your products, your volumes and your excise and VAT obligations in Germany.
-
Registration & guarantee
Appointing the representative, registering with customs and setting up the financial guarantee.
-
German VAT registration
We register you for VAT in Germany — essential from the 1st sale for excise goods.
-
Returns & payment
Every month, we prepare the excise and VAT returns and pay the duties on your behalf.
-
Monitoring & audits
Compliant documents, regulatory watch and support in the event of an audit. You sell, we handle the rest.
Who it is for
Built for online alcohol & coffee sellers
Do you ship alcohol or coffee to German consumers from abroad? This page is for you.
Estates & châteaux
Winegrowers and cellars selling directly to German enthusiasts.
Distilleries & spirits
Gin, whisky, rum, eaux-de-vie: a premium market, with heavy excise to secure.
Craft breweries
Craft beers and ciders growing the German market.
Roasters & coffee brands
Germany taxes coffee (Kaffeesteuer): boxes, subscriptions and coffee e-commerce are concerned from the very first gram.
E-commerce & DTC
Direct-to-consumer brands wanting to scale in Germany without stalling growth.
Traders & marketplaces
Opening the B2C consumer channel in Germany? We secure it.
Why us
A single point of contact for VAT, excise duties, alcohol and coffee
Where others are single-product and purely technical, we combine alcohol, coffee and human support.
VAT + excise, under one roof
A single team for all your German compliance — where others stack up two providers.
Alcohol AND coffee
We also cover the Kaffeesteuer: rare on the market, essential if you sell coffee in Germany.
Multilingual team
We speak your language and German, and liaise with German customs on your behalf.
France & Germany
The two markets we cover for excise duties. Selling in both countries? We handle everything, with a single point of contact.
FAQ
Your questions, our answers
Excise duties on distance selling in Germany, made clear.
Do I really need to go through an excise fiscal representative in Germany?
Yes, in most cases. To sell alcohol or coffee at a distance to German consumers, the regulations require you to appoint a representative established in Germany and registered with customs, who guarantees and pays the duties on your behalf. You cannot take on this role yourself if you are not established in Germany — that is precisely our service.
Why do I have to register for VAT in Germany, despite the OSS?
Because the OSS one-stop shop does not apply to excise goods. German VAT is therefore owed from the very first delivery to a German consumer, with no turnover threshold: VAT registration in Germany is mandatory. We handle it at the same time as the excise duties.
Is still wine taxed in Germany?
Still wine is subject to a zero excise rate in Germany. But beware: this does not remove the obligations of registration, representation and tracking of movements. Sparkling wine (Sekt), however, is indeed taxed (Schaumweinsteuer).
Do you handle coffee too?
Yes. Germany applies a tax on coffee (Kaffeesteuer) — an almost unique feature in Europe — with no minimum threshold. If you sell roasted or soluble coffee to German consumers, you are concerned, and we handle the registration, returns and payment.
How does the guarantee / surety work?
German customs require a financial guarantee (Sicherheitsleistung) covering the payment of duties. We explain the mechanism, size the guarantee according to your activity and set it up with you — it is one of the steps we handle.
How long does it take to be operational?
It depends on your activity, the products concerned, the setup of the guarantee and the lead times specific to German customs — the timeline varies from one file to another. Rather than quoting a standard deadline, we start with a free audit of your situation and give you a realistic timeline, specific to your case.
Do you cover other countries for excise duties?
For the distance selling of alcohol and coffee, we operate in France and Germany — the two markets covered by this service. If you sell in both countries, we handle everything with a single point of contact.
Do you support companies outside the European Union?
Yes. Whether you are established in the EU or outside it, we can act as your excise fiscal representative for your distance sales of alcohol and coffee to Germany.
Ready to sell in Germany?
Book your free excise audit
An expert reviews your flows and tells you exactly what to do, with no commitment. Alcohol, coffee, VAT and excise, under one roof.
No commitment · France & Germany