In January 1993, frontier controls on the movement of goods between EU member states were abolished and importers and exporters in EU trade no longer were required to complete customs documentation. Therefore, in order to fill the gap that was created concerning the collection of statistics information, the EU introduced a system known as INTRASTAT. The system was designed to ensure that statistics of internal EU trade could be collected in a way which would maintain the quality of the statistics and the timeliness of their collection.

 

The system places obligation on traders to submit periodic declarations of their trade. The INTRASTAT returns are submitted to the VAT Service each month and concern arrivals from, as well as dispatches to other member states.

 

 

 

As from May 1st 2004, each VAT-registered person who supplies goods to or/ and receives goods from other member states (the value of which is exceeding the statistical threshold), is obliged to submit the INTRASTAT return for arrivals as well as dispatches to the VAT Service each month.

 

According to the EU regulation, the Cyprus government defines each year thresholds expressed in annual values of intra-Community trade, below which parties are exempted from providing any INTRASTAT information. The thresholds are defined separately for arrivals and dispatches and they may change each year.  For 2010, the «exemption thresholds» are €75.000 for arrivals and €65.000 for dispatches, and the «simplification thresholds» are €1.500.000 for arrivals and €1.200.000 for dispatches.

 

The return must be submitted to the VAT service until the tenth day immediately following the end of the month to which the return relates.

 

 

 

For Intrastat declarations of periods until 31/12/2009, if a person fails to comply, this person is liable to a penalty of eight euro (€8) for each working day of non-compliance, the maximum being thirty working days. As from 1/1/2010, if a person fails to comply, this person is liable to a penalty of fifteen euro (€15). Non-compliance that continues after the thirty working days constitutes a criminal offence and a convicted person may incur an additional fine of up to two thousand five hundred and sixty two euro (€2.562).

 

Also, according to the amendment of the Law N. 38(I)/2004, for Intrastat declarations of periods until 31/12/2009, if a person submits the INTRASTAT return and this report contains substantial omission and/ or inaccuracy and does not inform the VAT Commissioner within sixty days of the end of the relative period, this person is liable to a penalty of fifty one euro (€51). As from 1/1/2010 according to the amendment of the Law N. 38(I)/2004, for Intrastat declarations of periods until 31/12/2009, if a person submits the INTRASTAT return and this report contains substantial omission and/ or inaccuracy and does not inform the VAT Commissioner within sixty days of the end of the relative period, this person is liable to a penalty of fifty one euro (€15).

 

 

 

A trader may appoint an agent to make and submit the INTRASTAT return on his behalf. Under the national legislation, if an agent is appointed, the agent must be a forwarder as defined by the article 74 of the Customs Code Law 2004. The nomination of the agent does not, in any way, reduce or alter the legal obligations of the trader concerned. Any pursuit action initiated by the VAT Service will be concentrated on the trader concerned, not the agent.