VAT return issue for non-EU resident doing business in EU

Dealing with VAT return for the first time, and honestly a bit nervous about getting something wrong.

I’m UK resident and run a small online business selling subscription-based tools for IT companies and freelancers. During 2025 and early 2026 I started getting more and more customers across the EU, mainly in France, Germany, Italy. To support the business, I also bought some equipment and paid for EU-based services, including cloud hosting, software licences, and invoices from local contractors.

Some invoices include VAT, some mention reverse charge, and a few are honestly confusing and unclear =/.

I’m trying to understand how European VAT returns work for a non-EU business. Should I be using VAT OSS? Can I reclaim input VAT on business expenses, or is that only possible if I’m already VAT-registered inside EU? Keep lurking about EU VAT return, VAT return for non-EU companies, reverse charge VAT, digital services VAT, import VAT, VAT compliance etc, but it’s too huge to take in without help.

Biggest concern right now is cashflow. Can a business realistically rely on getting a partial VAT refund later, or is the process too slow and uncertain to plan around? I don’t want to assume I’ll get money back and then end up waiting eight months and have claim rejected because one invoice is missing a small detail.

I’m not looking for ways to avoid tax or do anything illegal! I just want to handle this and avoid overpaying just because I don’t fully understand the process yet.