Yes, the European VAT Directive contains a number of provisions that oblige your company to register for VAT in another European country. The most common situations are those where your company is itself designated by law as the person liable to pay local VAT:

1. International trade of goods:

• Your company imports goods from a third country (USA, China, etc.)
• Your company exports goods to a third country (USA, China, etc.)

2. Intra-Community trade in goods :

• Your company delivers goods to another European country
• Your company acquires goods from another European country
• Your company moves part of its stock from one European country to another (advanced stock, call-off-stock, consignment stock, etc.)

3. Domestic transactions: 

• Your company sells a good that remains in the same country (no border crossing) for which no reverse charge is applicable
• Your company provides a service in another country for which no reverse charge is applicable

In order not to increase the administrative burden for businesses unnecessarily, it is possible in certain situations to legally avoid VAT obligations abroad:

• The VAT Directive provides for specific situations in which businesses do not have to register for VAT in another European country: simplified triangular scheme, consignment stock arrangements, non-transfers, etc.

• Over the years,  European countries have agreed collectively (through the VAT Committee) on specific situations where VAT registration, which is in principle compulsory, is not required: contract work, breakdown of an intra-EU supply of goods into two transactions (a transfer of goods followed by a domestic supply), etc.

• Some European countries have made internal arrangements and do not require the VAT registration of a foreign company due to exceptional circumstances when such registration is normally compulsory: occasional transactions, etc.