VAT Tax Refund
I am by no means an expert on the VAT Tax Refund, but I wanted to share my experience of how I obtained my VAT Tax Refund for the luxury goods we bought in Europe. Each country may have different guidelines in terms of spending minimums and what qualifies, so I suggest you research the country you’re planning to shop at.
What is VAT?
It’s a value added tax for EU residents. That means anyone else visiting could quality for a VAT tax refund on certain bought goods.
How do I get the VAT Tax Refund?
1. Get the tax refund form from the store at the time of your purchase.
Bring your passport
Be able to provide your plane departure information
Keep your receipt copy
2. Get your tax refund form stamped at the airport before your departure. In order to get your form stamped, you need:
The items you purchased unused and unopened. (If you were planning on checking in your bag with your items, you’ll need to do that AFTER you get your VAT tax refund. They may ask to inspect your goods.)
Receipt of purchase
VAT Tax refund from store
Passport + plane info
3. After your VAT tax refund form has been stamped, you’ll need to mail the refund form in the airport for it to get processed, i.e. drop it off in the mailbox located near the tax refund office.
Take a photo of your stamped VAT tax refund form to keep as your record.
In Amsterdam, we were advised to write our credit card information on the VAT tax refund form we mailed in order to facilitate an easier refund process. Not sure if other countries operate this way too.
4. Expect the refund to be applied to your credit card you made the purchase on within 30-90 days.
We made a purchase in Amsterdam, submitted the VAT tax refund form at the Amsterdam airport, and got our refund in two weeks.
We also made a purchase in Paris, ran out of time to submit the form at the airport, submitted it in Amsterdam, and received our refund in two months.
Happy shopping!
You will save so much money if you buy luxury goods in Europe. The price for luxury goods is lower and you get a VAT tax refund. Just make sure you have enough luggage space to bring it all back!