Support for B2B sales of digital services (e.g. subscriptions)

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Jonster highlights that Discourse’s Stripe-integrated subscription feature lacks full compliance for B2B digital service sales, particularly for EU markets. Legally compliant EU B2B sales require: (1) a verified VAT number (ideally checked via the EU’s VIES register), and (2) a secondary location identifier like the buyer’s IP address. Jonster proposes enhancements to Discourse’s payment interface: making VAT number visibility configurable (optional or mandatory) to avoid confusing B2C users, and enforcing mandatory VAT entry if the site exclusively serves B2B clients. This would ensure legal compliance while preserving flexibility for different business models. EU VAT guidelines and the VIES register are referenced as key resources.

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The otherwise excellent subscription function’s integration with Stripe does not fully support legally compliant B2B sales.

Currently, you may not be able to sell to many countries that require the buyer’s VAT number to be printed on the invoice. The EU has even stricter requirements for sales of digital services, like subscriptions.

For B2B sales of digital services to EU customers, regardless of the seller’s location on our planet, the following are required:

  1. A correct VAT number, preferably verified by the application against the EU VAT register VIES, otherwise manually.
  2. A secondary identifier of the buyer’s location, such as its IP address.

I propose that Discourse and its Stripe integration are adapted to cope with the above.

The VAT number visibility in the payment screen would preferably be parameter-dependent so as not to confuse strict B2C businesses’ customers. An optional/mandatory option (the latter if only B2B sales are to be accepted) is proposed. If the VAT number is set to be visible and mandatory, you force legally compliant B2B sales only.

EU VAT: EU VAT for remote sellers
The VIES register: Check a VAT number (VIES) - Your Europe

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