If you've reached the "statistical value" field in the Intrastat declaration and stopped with your cursor hovering over it, unsure what figure to enter, you're not alone. This is where most people get stuck — because the statistical value isn't simply the amount on the invoice.
Invoiced value vs. statistical value — what's the difference
The invoiced value is the amount you wrote (or received) on the commercial invoice — the price of the goods, as negotiated with your partner.
The statistical value is the value of the goods calculated at the border — meaning the invoiced value, adjusted to reflect the cost of the goods up to the border of the member state of dispatch (for dispatches) or up to the border of the member state of destination (for arrivals).
Why does the difference matter? Because two companies selling the same goods, at the same price, but with different Incoterms, will report different statistical values — even if the invoiced value is identical.
What the statistical value actually includes
- Base: the value of the goods as shown on the invoice (or the market value, if there's no invoice)
- Plus/minus: transport and insurance costs for the leg of the journey up to the relevant border, if not already included (or over-included) in the invoiced price, according to the Incoterm used
The exact correlation between each Incoterm and how to adjust for it is detailed point by point in the official INS guide for Intrastat. If you have a specific situation (an unusual Incoterm, mixed transport, goods without an invoice), check the correlation table in the official guide or talk to someone who handles this daily.
Which exchange rate to use
If the invoice is in a currency other than the leu, the statistical value must be expressed in lei, using the official exchange rate published by the National Bank of Romania (BNR).
The general rule is that you use the BNR rate valid for a reference day set by INS regulations for the reporting period — but the exact day should be confirmed from the official INS/Intrastat guide before you rely on it as a fixed rule.
What you can remember without risk of error: the rate used is always the one published by BNR, never a commercial bank rate. Using the wrong exchange rate is one of the most common causes of discrepancies in an Intrastat declaration.
Step-by-step calculation example (fictional, illustrative figures)
All figures below are invented for demonstration purposes — they are not a real calculation reference.
Situation: a company in Romania dispatches a batch of metal parts to a customer in Germany.
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Invoiced value | EUR 10,000 |
| Incoterm | EXW (buyer covers transport) |
| Transport cost to the RO border | EUR 300 |
| BNR rate applied (illustrative) | 1 EUR = 4.97 RON |
Step 1 — Under EXW, transport isn't included in the price. If the seller covered an internal transport cost up to the border (EUR 300), it gets added to the calculation base.
Step 2 — Calculate the base in EUR: 10,000 + 300 = EUR 10,300
Step 3 — Convert to lei: 10,300 × 4.97 = RON 51,191
Result: the declared statistical value is RON 51,191 — not the roughly RON 49,700 you'd get by converting only the invoiced value directly. The difference of nearly RON 1,500 isn't a rounding error — it's exactly what would be missing from a declaration if you'd stopped at the invoice amount alone.
Common mistakes when calculating the statistical value
- Forgetting transport/insurance costs up to the border — the most common error.
- Using the wrong exchange rate — either the wrong day or the wrong source.
- Confusing the Incoterm with the obligation to adjust for it correctly.
- Using the same value for both statistical and invoiced value, with no adjustment, "to keep it simple."
What actually happens if one of these mistakes ends up in a declaration that's already been filed is covered in the article about what happens if you're late or get the Intrastat declaration wrong.
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