Egyptian and Arab linguists dealing with Romanian companies...
Thread poster: Muhammad Mustafa
Muhammad Mustafa
Muhammad Mustafa
Egypt
Local time: 14:54
Aug 13, 2020

Hello there,
Nice to e-meet you all.
First of all, endless thanks for taking time to read and participate on this matter, and any insight on the matter is much appreciated.
Secondly, the problem... I've done translation tasks for a new client, a Romanian client, signed a contract that everything follow Romanian laws, (a normal thing for any international client), then, when I sent my invoice by end of month, I was surprised that they refused to pay until I provide a Tax Residen
... See more
Hello there,
Nice to e-meet you all.
First of all, endless thanks for taking time to read and participate on this matter, and any insight on the matter is much appreciated.
Secondly, the problem... I've done translation tasks for a new client, a Romanian client, signed a contract that everything follow Romanian laws, (a normal thing for any international client), then, when I sent my invoice by end of month, I was surprised that they refused to pay until I provide a Tax Residency Certificate (bilingual in English) issued from Egyptian tax authority due to Romanian laws "Any income that’s earned in Romania must be taxed, even if it’s earned by a foreigner, in this example you living in another country" and Convention for avoidance of double taxation” (sometimes known as “Double Taxation Avoidance Treaties”) between Egypt and Romania...

I've tried to find where such certificate can be issued, but all my efforts were in vain.

Would anyone kindly help me with matter?!

Regards
Muhammad
Collapse


 
Andriy Yasharov
Andriy Yasharov  Identity Verified
Ukraine
Local time: 14:54
Member (2008)
English to Russian
+ ...
Local tax office Aug 13, 2020

I received my Tax Residency Certificate from my local tax office. I just submitted a request for such a certificate and a few days later they issued one for me. Perhaps you can inquire about the certificate at your local tax office too.

Vesa Korhonen
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Dr. Matthias Schauen
Dr. Matthias Schauen  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 13:54
Member (2007)
English to German
Old thread on similar problem Aug 13, 2020

This should be harmonized in the whole EU, but I received requests for this residency certificate only from two Spanish agencies and a Greek one (I never had a Romanian client). I suspect that this is due to a misinterpretation of the relevant laws by the specific agencies and/or their local tax offices/tax advisors. You can find several threads on this tax residency certificate, but most of them were started by translators from the EU.
... See more
This should be harmonized in the whole EU, but I received requests for this residency certificate only from two Spanish agencies and a Greek one (I never had a Romanian client). I suspect that this is due to a misinterpretation of the relevant laws by the specific agencies and/or their local tax offices/tax advisors. You can find several threads on this tax residency certificate, but most of them were started by translators from the EU.

In this thread from 2017 https://www.proz.com/forum/business_issues/317860-doing_business_with_egypt_fiscal_residence_certificates.html the same problem was addressed, but it is not clear how it was resolved. The HR person of a Spanish agency asked what to require from Egyptian translators who worked for them.

I think that Sheila's reply to the Spanish agency in that thread was probably right:
"I know it's a very common belief here that you need to have certain bits of paper, and you certainly aren't alone in demanding these ones. But it's unreasonable to put the onus on the supplier to oblige the Spanish tax authorities. If you check with your tax office, from the angle of "We know this freelancer isn't living here or running a business here, so we don't need any other proof of their tax situation, do we?", I'm sure you'll find they'll agree that you don't need to hassle them further. Let them be answerable to their own tax authorities and police.
If you look at it from the point of view of freelancers, you can see that we can't possible comply with the different needs of every tax regime in the world."


Still, you will first have to convince the agency that they do not require this certificate from you. And that they are obliged to pay your invoice - in full. Good luck.

[Edited at 2020-08-13 10:09 GMT]
Collapse


Yolanda Broad
Mr. Satan (X)
 
expressisverbis
expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 12:54
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Seek the opinion of an accountant, or go to the Egyptian Tax Authority Aug 13, 2020

Salam!
I think you should go to your Tax Authority and request that document.
It is the entity who can issue this kind of documents, at least, here in Portugal.
Here you can find several forms:
http://www.mof.gov.eg/English/Pages/MinistryofFinanceForms.aspx
And here you can see the contacts of the Egyptian Ministry of Finance and Tax Authority:
... See more
Salam!
I think you should go to your Tax Authority and request that document.
It is the entity who can issue this kind of documents, at least, here in Portugal.
Here you can find several forms:
http://www.mof.gov.eg/English/Pages/MinistryofFinanceForms.aspx
And here you can see the contacts of the Egyptian Ministry of Finance and Tax Authority:
https://www.wikiprocedure.com/index.php/Egypt_-_Apply_for_Treaty_Withholding_Tax
I find this statement a bit strange: "Any income that’s earned in Romania must be taxed, even if it’s earned by a foreigner".
It's true that tax laws are different, but I also recommend you to speak to an accountant. He can also request the Fiscal Residence Certificate for you.
All the best!


I forgot to add: it is not very professional for a company to provide this information (the need of this certificate) after you sent them your invoice. They should demand you this document in the very beginning.

[Edited at 2020-08-13 12:33 GMT]
Collapse


Mr. Satan (X)
 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 12:54
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Romania does seem to be the exception that proves the rule Aug 13, 2020

Dr. Matthias Schauen wrote:
I think that Sheila's reply to the Spanish agency in that thread was probably right:
"I know it's a very common belief here that you need to have certain bits of paper, and you certainly aren't alone in demanding these ones. But it's unreasonable to put the onus on the supplier to oblige the Spanish tax authorities. If you check with your tax office, from the angle of "We know this freelancer isn't living here or running a business here, so we don't need any other proof of their tax situation, do we?", I'm sure you'll find they'll agree that you don't need to hassle them further. Let them be answerable to their own tax authorities and police.
If you look at it from the point of view of freelancers, you can see that we can't possible comply with the different needs of every tax regime in the world."


Still, you will first have to convince the agency that they do not require this certificate from you. And that they are obliged to pay your invoice - in full.


Unfortunately, if you look at the end of that post, you'll see that I made an exception for Romania. My Romanian client made exactly the same demand and I resisted. However, on further research I discovered that Romanian law does actually call for all foreign suppliers -- EU and non-EU; private individuals, the self-employed and companies alike -- to be taxed locally unless they can prove tax liability elsewhere. And taxation is not something that's harmonised across the EU so they do actually have that right. So that particular client got her wish, which was for a fiscal residency certificate from the authorities here in Spain. In Spain, it's just an online request, and free at that. I don't know what it involves in your jurisdiction.


 
Muhammad Mustafa
Muhammad Mustafa
Egypt
Local time: 14:54
TOPIC STARTER
Eureka! Eureka! :( Jan 15, 2021

Thanks all for your kind replies, and I confirm that I've found out what to do in Egypt.
The company sent me a form that need to be filled from Egyptian tax authority and that helped me a lot with finding out what to do.
Attached is the document for anyone who might be in the same position to know what to do.

Regards

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mFcNmV52yU4W2b3aCc8KXicShN40O2ma/view?usp=sharing


 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:


You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Egyptian and Arab linguists dealing with Romanian companies...







Trados Business Manager Lite
Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio

Trados Business Manager Lite helps to simplify and speed up some of the daily tasks, such as invoicing and reporting, associated with running your freelance translation business.

More info »
Wordfast Pro
Translation Memory Software for Any Platform

Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users! Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value

Buy now! »