Ralstonlan

I am traveling to Italy for 10 days and then taking the train from Milan to Geneva, flying home from Geneva.
With the Euro down it is likely I will do some shopping this trip and am trying to figure out how to go about getting VAT refund. ( if I do shop, the refund will be well worth the effort!)
Since we will not be flying out of Italy, but taking the train to Geneva, I am unclear as to how to go about this.Our last night before the train form Milan to Geneva will be in Verona.
Any help will be greatly appreciated!

BigRuss

<<Any help will be greatly appreciated!>>

If the items are expensive enough, order them to be shipped to the US - the vat won't be charged and the shipping won't replace it.

Truffles

You can only claim your refund at your point of departure, so at the airport in Geneva. Have your receipts and the purchased items available for scrutiny by Customs if they ask. Your receipts/VAT forms are stamped and you have the option of mailing your documents (mail boxes are usually in the same area where you are having your receipts stamped), taking a reduced cash amount on site, or having a credit applied to your credit card (not immediately, usually within a few weeks of submission).

Kind of a rudimentary explanation, but hope it helps.

nochblad

Truffles - your point of departure is not the airport of Geneva as this is already outside of the European Union.

The train from Milan to Geneva passes through the Simplon tunnel to arrive in Switzerland. I am not sure if you can do this on the train when the Swiss customs officers come on board. A tricky one.

If the amount is significant a solution would be to take a taxi when in Geneva, cross into France and immediately return to Switzerland, stamping the forms at the customs when you re-enter. The taxi fare could be costly but I am sure that there are buses running the route too.

flanneruk

"cross into France and immediately return to Switzerland, stamping the forms at the customs when you re-enter."

The only officials you're likely to encounter that way will be Swiss selling motorway vignettes. There are no EU Customs officials between a shop in Italy and a plane in Geneva.

The problem's insoluble. It's a bloody stupid idea anyway. You'll just have to pay the same taxes we all do.

Truffles

Thanks nochblad - I wasn't sure if Geneva was part of the EU, and didn't check.

Ralstonlan - Hopefully the places where you shop are able to offer a solution, or check online with the companies that process VAT refunds to see if you can find an answer.

janisj

If it is valuable and there is a fair amount of VAT - then do as BigRuss suggests and have the merchant ship it (taking the VAT off the top) . . . otherwise, you'll have to do what flanner says -- and just eat the taxes

casperjj

I could be wrong but I believe Geneva airport has a French side and a swiss side, just as Basel airport does. If this is indeed the case, go to the French side and get a customs stamp. Then mail it from the French side. I ended up doing just that in Basel two summers ago. Getting an EU stamp at the swiss border when travelling by rail is not an easy task.

The other option is if you have a European connection after your flight in Geneva. If you have a stopover in Frankfurt, for example, you could get your stamp there.

Make sure you have your items on hand when you request the stamp.

nochblad

flanneruk

Although Switzerland is now part of the Schengen area there is always a manned customs office at all the main crossings into Switzerland. There will still be a place to have the documents stamped.

I have done this on numerous occasions at the Como (Ponte Chiasso) - Chiasso border.

Ralstonian - take your travel documents with you so you can show that you are only entering Switzerland in transit for your eventual departure from Geneva.

Remember that the documents need to be stamped by the Italian custom officials - not the Swiss.

bvlenci

There is a customs office at Milano Centrale train station, where you should be able to get your VAT refund processed.

Address: Arrivals and Departures Area, 2° Floor
Further Info: Italian vouchers accepted only. Opening hours: 7.00-20.00.

Source: http://www.premiertaxfree.com/index....rch_results/24

nochblad

bvlenci

What you link to is an office which gives you an immediate refund. There are these and similar offices all over Italy especially in the major tourist destinations, major factory outlets, airports, ports etc.

But these are NOT custom offices. The documents still have to be stamped by the Italian authorities.

neckervd

Official Italian document:
http://www.agenziadoganemonopoli.gov...itore_italiano

nochblad

English version -

http://www.agenziadoganemonopoli.gov...und/VTA2-Goods

bvlenci

Sorry, I thought I had read that there was a customs office there.

A little further searching found this article on TripAdvisor, which mentions two possibilities. Apparently, on some trains there is a customs official who will stamp the forms. If not, you can get off at the last station in Italy to get the forms stamped. This article mentions Chiasso, but if you're going to Geneva, the last station in Italy will probably be Domodossola.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTop...itzerland.html

There is a customs office in Domodossola:

http://tinyurl.com/kjke2du

Ufficio Viaggiatori Stazione Internazionale FS di Domodossola
Indirizzo
Piazza Matteotti - 28845 Domodossola
Telefoni
0039 0324242069
Fax
0039 0324242069
E-mail
[email protected]
Responsabile
Carlo PAGANO
Orario
dalle ore 08.00 alle ore 22.00

nochblad

I have taken the Milan - Geneva train a couple of times and the stop in Domodossola is very short.

Also the Italian officials who sometimes appear on the trains before the border are generally Police rather than customs officials.

An alternative solution is to take an earlier train to Domodossola, get the papers stamped and then catch the Milan - Geneva train.

For example, there is a train to Domodossola which leaves Milan at 9.29 arriving at 11.06. The Milan - Geneva EC train arrives in Domodossola at 12.43.

I have checked - the Milan - Geneva train only stops in Domodossola for 5 minutes which frankly would not give you enough time.

Ralstonlan

Thank you everyone for your help. Looks as thought best option is ship items or suck it up on the taxes.
Or not shop....

vincenzo32951

My memory is a little foggy on this, and I can't address your specific situation, but it seems to me what when I was in Florence, I took the forms right to a Thomas Cook banking center and got a refund on the spot, without getting them stamped by customs officials. Don't remember if there was a fee, but I think the rule was they had to pay you in the currency of the country listed on your passport.

nochblad

There are two principal ways to get a VAT refund -

1. You get an invoice from the shop, get it stamped by customs when leaving the European Union, return the stamped invoice to the shop and they will then reimburse you the VAT either by sending you the amount by bank transfer or by crediting the amount to your credit card.
2. You use one of the Tax Refund/Tax Free companies - normally the name of the company used is revealed on a sticker alongside the usual stickers for the credit card companies.

1. requires a little more effort to follow up the reimbursement but the advantage is that you receive the full amount of VAT back. With 2. the Tax Refund/Tax Free companies usually deduct a 30% handling fee.

vincenzo32951 - the Tax Refund/Tax Free companies have offices all over Italy which enable you to get an immediate refund. But you MUST still get the documents stamped by customs otherwise the Tax Refund/Tax Free companies will recharge your credit card with the full amount of the VAT.

NO CUSTOMS STAMP - NO REFUND

neckervd

Train departures from Domodossola to Geneva:
5.05, 6.15, 6.55, 8.48, 9.48, 10.48, 12.48, 13.48, 14.48, 16.48, 17.48, 18.48, 19.48, 20.48
Train arrivals from Milan C or PG at Domodossola (journey time 80 - 100 min):
8.43, 9.06, 9.43, 10.06, 11.06, 12.43, 13.43, 15.06, 17.06, 18.43, 19.06, 19.43, 20.06, 20.43.....

Ralstonlan

Thank you neclervd. That is definitely a solution and well worth the effort.