Interviews

Understanding VAT: Three Questions with Sheila Francis

Published: July 2, 2025

Sheila Francis (INTA, USA)

INTA’s 148^th Annual Meeting will take place in London, England, from May 2 to 6, 2026. Thousands of intellectual property (IP) professionals, business leaders, government officials, judges, NGOs, and solutions providers will gather in the English capital to explore the latest trends and advancements in the IP world.

Before traveling to London next year, Annual Meeting registrants will need to understand the value-added tax (VAT) and how it affects registration fees. Here, Sheila Francis, Senior Managing Director of Knowledge and Development at INTA, sheds light on what registrants need to know.

What is VAT and why is it included in the registration fee for the 2026 Annual Meeting?
VAT, or the “value-added tax” is a consumption tax applied to goods and services in many jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom. As INTA is hosting our 2026 Annual Meeting in London, we are legally required to apply UK VAT, currently at 20 percent, to the registration fee for registrants from organizations outside the United Kingdom.

How has INTA incorporated this into the registration fee?
When registrants from organizations outside the United Kingdom register, they will be automatically charged the additional 20 percent VAT. They can later claim this VAT back. As we did during the Annual Meeting registration pre-sale [which concluded June 30], we will show the registration pricing with and without VAT on the website.

Many registrants, particularly those from organizations outside the United Kingdom, may be eligible to reclaim that through the tax authorities in the United Kingdom.

You note that registrants can claim this VAT back. What advice do you have for registrants in this regard?
Many registrants, particularly those from organizations outside the United Kingdom, may be eligible to reclaim that through the tax authorities in the United Kingdom. While we don’t provide tax advice directly, we strongly recommend that registrants review the links on our website which take them directly to the tax authority portals around VAT reclaim. All the information can be found on the tax authorities’ website pages. I would certainly encourage registrants to do this.

INTA is also working towards trying to have a VAT specialist on site in London so that you can also get some assistance during the Meeting. Stay tuned for more information!

Learn more about the Annual Meeting and follow our official hashtag #INTA2026 on LinkedIn for regular updates. Look out for a flash sale later this year. General Registration will open in January.

Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of this article, readers are urged to check independently on matters of specific concern or interest.