I am considering buying a chanel bag and a cartier watch in Paris and would like to know if they offer VAT. If so, where will I get my money back? I will be going by eurostar to london so do they have a booth in the train station for VAT?

Yes there is VAT. I don't know about the booth at the train station but there is definately one at the airport.

VAT is the acronym for "Value Added Tax". I believe what you meant to ask is if three is a scheme which would allow you to have that tax refunded on those articles you are taking out of France.

The current VAT rate in France has recently been reduced from 20.6%, for most goods and services, to 19.6%.<BR>

I'm no expert, but since both France and the UK are European Union countries, you can't get your refund until you leave the UK, not going from France to the UK.

Yes, there is a VAT in France. You must spend at least 185 euro in the same store on the same day and get the paperwork from the store in order to get it back. You can now receive a cash refund for your VAT while still in Paris, without waiting for it to be credited on your credit card. Get the paperwrok from the store and go to the Cash Refund Department on the 2nd floor of Les Trois Quartiers on Blvd de la Madeleine corner of rue Duphot. Take the escalator up - you'll be in a store called Madelios - turn left - walk about 30 feet and on your right will be the Cash Refund Department. Give them the paperwork and they will give you the cash on the spot. HOWEVER, you still must go to customs and have them stamp the forms and then mail them in from the mailbox there when you leave the country. If they do not receive it in 21 days your credit card will be charged that amount and a 10% service charge added. If you'll be going to another EU country you do that before leaving that country I believe. You won't go through customs until you leave the last EU country. You can ask at the refund office for further clarification on that.For more Paris information go to www.anamericaninparis.com

Oh Dear..where are the advertising police when Fred is running rampart again??

Now Fred, there's a real bit of good info!

You do have to do the customs work at the last point you leave the EU, if you aren't going directly home from France, so for you that would probably be the airport in London, it sounds like. Be sure to keep the necessary forms you will get from the store where you do the purchases.<BR><BR>I don't know about the stuff Mr. Melnick is proposing above -- that's a private dept. store and I don't know why they would refund your money from another store. I read they take a cut of it (about 6 pct), so I would not do that myself.<BR><BR>

You have to have your forms stamped by customs upon leaving the EU.<BR><BR>The min. amount purchased is 175 Euro, VAT included (TTC). VAT in France is 19.6 % on the nett price (HT), which equates to 16.39 % of the TTC price.<BR><BR>The &quot;Cash Refund Department&quot; Fred (an American in NY) refers to, is (or was, because their site does not show that location) a city office of Global Refund (www.globalrefund.com), a private international company that advances you the VAT refund. <BR>They have several counters at both CDG and Orly airports, and most international airports throughout Europe.<BR>They deduct a service charge, on a sliding scale. The bigger the purchase, the smaller the percentage. Their website does not indicate the scale.<BR>They process refunds for all stores that have their Tax Free Shopping logo.

We used the cash refund place that Fred talked about and no service charge was deducted. We received the full refund and in cash. But as he said, you still have to go to customs when leavingwhich we did at the airport. It was nice not to have to wait several months to get the VAT credited like we used to, and sometimes never received it. The refund place is not part of the store - they just have a little office upstairs there.

Thanks so much for all the information. I really dont know what I would do without this forum that is so knowledgeable. So, I can do my PAris VAT in london right? I have done the VAT in london and they always ask to see the goods. Will they wanna see the paris good too?

I had ALL the paper work and carried ALL<BR>the purchases(someone said you had to show the gifts so not to pack them in your checked luggage)to the VAT booth at Frankfurt airport in July. It was an early flight and the booth was not open.

We did exactly what Jeff did, following Fred's instructions in his book. They gave us the refund in euros, not on a credit card. We did this the last full day we were in Paris and it took maybe 5 minutes.This was at the end of October and they gave us the full amount. Maybe things have changed.

<BR>Jeff &amp; Judy,<BR>You both say that you got the &quot;full refund&quot;. But then how do these people earn a living? <BR>I assume then that the retail store already deducted a percentage from the VAT amount, which they in turn credit to Global Refund. If you still have the figures, it would be interesting to check their calculations.<BR>I fully agree that they deserve a fee for advancing cash, but I'd like to know how much it is.

Jules-<BR>As far as I could tell, the refund office was not part of the store. They just had an office on the second floor with the entrance from the store. It's an indoor mall with lots of different stores. Medelios and the refund office are on the 2nd floor.

Judy, I realize that. <BR>This is what I meant: <BR>You bought something at a retail store, and paid 19.6 % VAT. Then you got a refund check from the Global Refund office. IF you did get the full 19.6 %, then how do they make a living?<BR>I honestly think you did not get the full VAT amount back... That's why I wondered if you still had the amounts of your purchase (price paid and amount refunded), to see how much exactly they charge for their service.

Jules- Sorry but I no longer have my receipts but I don't remember losing money on it. I would if I didn't get the forms in within 21 days - then it would cost us 10%. Like I said, this was the end of October and maybe things are different now.

Thanks for the information, Fred. I didn't see it on your Website but I'm still busy reading it.

Anyone knows about those &quot;service charges&quot; for a VAT refund?