Jaclyn_Costello

Hello!

I will be traveling in France (and Germany, but mostly France)... and I'm wondering if I am able to receive my VAT tax refund on goods that I ship home through the post. I do not intend to carry the goods with me until the very end of my trip, and then present them at customs. Does anyone know if I can still receive the refund, and if so, how?

I greatly appreciate any help or insight.

Thanks!

BigRuss

Have the shopkeeper send them to you and they should take off the VAT from your charges right then and there.

agedude

VAT refunds are normally conducted at the airport prior to departure. All you do is present your VAT refund paperwork at the airport's kiosk and they will give you cash or a credit card credit. You do not have to show them the items purchased nor have them in your possession.

dutyfree

Agedude-I think not! I travel ALOT and every airport customs I have been through makes it mandatory that you show the goods before they stamp the refund paperwork.It states on the form that "you must be able to present the goods".You either have the store ship them and deduct the VAT or you carry.

CarolA

The regulations do indicate you need to have the goods. They meaty not ask to see them but if they do and you do not have them it's a deal breaker.

yestravel

I know it says u may have to show the goods, however, I have never been asked to show what I bought.

Sarastro

The rules are that you must show the goods. Occasionally a bored inspector may wave you past, stamping your papers without visible evident of purchase, but I have yet to find one.

You could have your purchases mailed or sent to you but I have found shipping costs prohibitively excessive and there is always the question of paying duty on packages entering your home country.

Jaclyn_Costello

thank you everyone... it seems like i'm best off figuring if it's worth it to have things shipped from the store (with vat deducted) or just forget about getting the refund and send everything back myself.

does anyone know, if i spend less than the minimum in france, can i still ask the store clerk to deduct the VAT? for example, if i spend 100 euros, is there a chance the clerk will deduct the VAT?

Sarastro

The VAT refund is not a function of what you spend in France, it is a function of what you spend per day per location, the minimum qualifying purchase total being 175€.

You may of course ask a clerk for a deduction but store clerks have no discretion in reference to VAT refunds. All refund requests require paperwork documenting the money refunded, otherwise the store would still be obligated to forward the required tax on the sale to the French government.

Ackislander

I went through this yesterday, and the process at the shop is pretty well automated. The run your card through the machine to capture that information, you fill out your mailing address on and sign three slips.

I have been asked to show the goods at CDG, but when I told the douanier that I had packed them, he still accepted the paperwork.

This time, I will be wearing them.

Judy

I have, on two occasions, been asked to show the merchandise. As soon as I began getting it out of my bag, the agent changed his mind. I guess he just wanted to know I was prepared to show it.

Cathinjoetown

IME, the store's shipping charges cancel out the VAT refund but they do all the heavy lifting. Whether or not you have to pay Customs when it arrives in the US is a crap shoot.

Posting yourself, very expensive from France to US, means you can pay the postage and will still be liable to Customs/Duty.

Least expensive is carrying it as hand luggage if you can.

dutyfree

I agree-always put the VAT refund goods in your carryon if you really want your money back.