On our way back, our flight will start very early from Genoa and we only have a 70 minute from arrival to catch our next flight out of Munich. From our experience before, you are required to process your VAT in the last European city before heading home.

Can anone suggest a way or clarify if this is still the case? I was hoping to process the VAT in Genoa to avoid the hassle in Munich.

Thanks.

BT

Good luck. I've found dealing with this in Italy to be so frustrating that I've stopped seeking the refund... But I admit I don't really spend enough to make it worth the effort for a few dollars that may or may not ever come.

I'm not sure you can get around having to do the processing at Munich. It has to be verified that the goods are leaving Europe with you and not just being transported to another city where you could use them (making them not 'exports') or sell them at a VAT-less price while also collecting the VAT refund.

Could you take an earlier flight from Genoa to Munich? Have you researched where you arrive and depart in the Munich Airport and where you'd go for the VAT processing?

http://travel.usatoday.com/deals/ins...ect/46080998/1

Is your Genoa-Munich flight the Lufthansa that leaves at 6:45a? Would the proper office at the Genoa airport be open before 6:00a?

I think if you have your ticket/boarding pass with a final destination out of the EU, you should be able to do the VAT refund in Genoa.

thanks everyone. appreciate the feedback.

Did this in Fall 2011: flew out of Venice and connected in Frankfurt back to USA. Completed & mailed my VAT in Venice before first flight (and purchase was made in Venice.) My card was appropriately credited within 6-8 weeks. Check hours first, of course.

Never a penny refunded on several occasions and I think we followed all the regulations. After a few attempts we just decided it was part of the trip's cost and didn't bother again. Probably a couple of dozen trips but certainly not that many attempts for VAT.

Wow, that is disheartening, but yes, chalk it up to overall cost. Hopefully you continue to enjoy the items you purchased.

i gues it falls in the category of it is what it is

you can only claim back VAT on goods you are taking out of the country, you can't claim for Vat spent on travel or hotel rooms meals etc. just on goods you take home and unless that is of a reasonabley high figure ie upwards of 500Euros then it really is not worth making a claim.

I must be the only person in the world who's done this.

On a trip to Florence, a shopkeeper told us that you could go to a Thomas Cook bank near the Ponte Vecchio and get your VAT tax refund. I didn't believe it. But it was true.

We fillout the paperwork and gave it to a clerk, and got our refund. The only hitch was that the refund is in the currency of your home country. So if you're an American, you'll get dollars you'll have to exchange for euros if you're staying a while. But I looked at it as free money.

last year in barcelona, i was able to do my vat although i had a connecting flight in munich. sometimes they want to see the goods and most times they don't seem to care.
it's all very confusing.