Need to understand how you claim back VAT after visiting Europe. What can you claim - hotels, purchases, food, etc.? <BR>Is it worth it? <BR>

Dunno, <BR>You can't claim a VAT refund in Europe for services provided, only for goods purchased excluding foodstuffs. Each country has different rules and regulations regarding VAT recovery based primarily on the monetary value of what's purchased and where. Many shops, particularly the smaller ones, are reluctant to initiate the paperwork involved unless the amount of the purchase is significant. Is it worth it to attempt recovery? Depends. Some countries require that purchases be made available for inspection at the point of departure and refund claim, thus you can't conveniently pack them with luggage. I recently purchased a Burberry raincoat for my wife at a cost of about $900.00; filed for and received $175.00 VAT refund credited to my credit card account. THAT was worth it!

You can get VAT back only on what you take OUT of Europe.

VAT refund policy in Germany: Buy over DM100 in merchandise at a single establishment, and the establishment fills out a form that is handed to you. When you leave the EU, you go with forms in hand, and submit them. Your refund later comes back. We hardly ever spent DM100 in a single place; when we did, it only entitled us to about DM10 in refund. We didn't bother making the claim...to much bother for the small amount of return! If our purchase had been a lot bigger, it would be worth the bother.

Here's a response I wrote on VAT previously: <BR> <BR>You can only claim Vat on items purchased that you take out of the European Union and not services (ie car rental, hotels, meal and food taxes etc) <BR> <BR>There are three different types of VAT refunds. The best as far as I'm concerned is Tax Free By Global Refund (blue and white sheet, www.globalrefund.com) which you get your refund back at the airport in cash. The second, which is the one you probably used, is Tax Back (purple and white sheets) where you drop off the sheets at the airport and they send you a refund by check or credit card. Make sure you ask for a receipt since this can take up to six months and they do not automatically give you a receipt at the airport. The third is a system called dutifree/in-store refund where the VAT is deducted from the credit card bill at time of purchase but they give you a form to turn in later. If form is not turned in (with a customs stamp aying goods left country) they will add the VAT and a service charge later. But the biggest thing to remember is you must get the forms, some stores will forget to give them to you since only non europeans need them, plus also keep a copy of the receipts. <BR>Well that's Vat in a nutshell <BR> <BR>