cge

Hi,

If my last stop is London and if i bought something in italy and paris, can i do the VAT refund in London?

where shld i claim the VAT refund?

Thanks.

celeste60

You must claim your VAT refund in London, the last point of EU departure. The VAT office in paris will not stamp your receipt and without the stamp you cannot get your refund. When you make your purchase, you must choose whether you want your refund to be credited back to your CC or cash refund at the airport.

The last time I was in Florence I was able to stamp some receipts and receive some VAT refunds (I think there are two companies on is called Global) at their office on Ponte Vecchio. Either way, make sure you have your receipts stamped at the airport and mail the receipt in the stamped self addressed envelope. I think you have 45 days from the date of final departure to mail the receipts. The last time I was in London, I flew with american and the VAT office was a few minutes walk from the american check in counter. I think each gate has one or two VAT counters. You should either get your VAT receipt stamped before you check in your luggage or hand carry the items. Some VAT officer ask to see the item before they stamp your receipt.

cge

Hi,

So i do my VAT refund at London?

Does I need to get my receipts stamp in Paris or Italy first as my items are bought there.

Does London office willing to stamp on those items bought outside the country?

where do i find the VAT office in London?

Is there any limit of items that we can buy?

MademoiselleFifi

If you buy anything in London, the back of the VAT refund envelope has little maps showing where to turn it in at each terminal in Heathrow.

rhy

If I leave from Paris, but connect to a flight in London, do I have to get my VAT refund in London? I am only in the terminal to change planes.

cge

Hi,

As my flight landed in Rome and depart from london, can i do the VAT refund of those items that i bought in Italy in London airport?

How much time is required to do the VAT refund?

What time does the office open?
as my flight is ard 10am?

Thanks.

celeste60

All receipt must be stamped in the EU country of final departure. Last year, I flew from Madrid to Los Angless via Paris. The VAT office in Madrid refused to stamp my receipts. Without the stamped receipt you cannot get your refund.

So if your last country of departure to the US is London you must stamp all your receipts at the airport in London.

A couple of years ago I was flying form rome to LA via Paris and the VAT officer in Rome did stamp my receipts, but told me that he is doing this to me as a favor since my flight from Paris to LA does not give me enough time to find the VAT office.

Last year when my sister was coming back from London to LA (august), she was not able to get her receipts stamped. She said the lines at the VAT office at London Airport were so long that it would have taken her at least two hours to get her receipts stamped. So if you are planning to get your receipts stamped in London, your will need one or two hours. This is usually the case in July and august when there are a lot of travelers from the middle east returing to their country after the summer vacations.

bratsandbeer

Getting VAT refund is a hassle. I have received it okay for 2 trips and then 2 other trips I never heard a thing. We have decided that if buying anything of value we will have it mailed to our home address and then you don't pay VAT tax.
Others do that and it seems to work out well.
But for less expensive items, I won't worry about getting VAT tax back anymore. It isn't worth the hassle.

scatcat

My last VAT refund was really easy. I flew out of Frankfurt. I had to check in and get my boarding pass first, then customs stamp which was close by-no waiting, then about 2 feet over to get the cash refund. I usually just get credit on my card, but this was only 27€ so I took the cash. The easiest place that I have used for for VAT refunds is Nice. Never a line waiting and you don't check in first. Just give them your ticket and paperwork and the customs officer will stamp it and the mailbox is right there.

cathsomm

Can you get a VAT refund on the sum of all you buy in Europe or is it only on big dollar items?

How does it work?

I am going in a week.

bratsandbeer

Check out this web page.
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/vat.htm
You do not receive a refund on tax for lodging or food. If you buy souvenirs, t-shirts, china or whatever you can ask for a receipt to get a VAT tax refund. They will tell you whether or not your purchases qualifies. You have to have that receipt.

scatcat

You can get VAT back on purchases of 150€ (could be a little less). This total must be in the same store, then you can take all your receipts for that day to the store's office and they will fill out a VAT refund form. That is the procedure that I have done many times. Usually my big refunds are from Louis Vuitton. The clerk fills out the entire form there and they give you the addressed envelope to mail it. All you do is present it to the Customs office in your departing airport, they stamp it, you walk to a mail box and drop it in-no postage needed. I have never failed to get credit on my credit card.

MademoiselleFifi

Scatcat,

How long does it usually take for the credit to show up on your account?

scatcat

It usually takes about 4-6 weeks to get credit. It's nice to get money back after all is done. The best refund I ever got was when my son went to Europe with the college and his American Express card (on my account) and bought two Rolex watches. Did I mention that I wasn't aware that he was buying these? But one was for me. The refund was extra nice after paying for those.

cge

Hi All,

So i need to ask the store to provide me with a VAT refund form in order to do the claiming at the airport?

I will be going to Italy, Paris and London. Do not think will be buying stuff from London.

Can I gather all my receipts on the items that I bought from Italy and Paris to do my VAT refund at the London Airport?

London is the last stop of my trip.
As I am flying to Rome this sat.
thanks.

scatcat

You must purchase a certain amount from each store to get the form. I'm thinking 150€ but could be less. You will need the form and your receipt from each store. If the clerk does not fill out the form, be sure you do it before going to the Customs window. You will need to enter your name, address, and passport number. Most shops will fill this out for you. Keep up with all your forms and receipts attached and present them to the last EU airport. If you don't want to wait for credit to your credit card, you can opt for cash. They do keep more of your Euros for service charge.

Trophywife007

I think different stores have different policies on the amount of money you must spend in order to qualify for a refund. You have to ask in each place.

And yes, *please* have your paperwork completed before going to the airport. I've been stuck in line behind 20 women who didn't have a clue about filling it out.

The officer may ask to see the items, so as much as possible, you should have them in your hand luggage.

I guess I need to shop at nicer places because I've never had a store clerk complete the forms for me!

cge

Hi,

Let said if I bought LV from Paris and Prada from Milan, I will have 2 forms??

Does LV and Prada need to stamp on the form?? or they just need to fill up the form?

Then when i am in London i will just submit these 2 forms to the custom for VAT refund??

The service charge is applicable to Cash refund or Credit card refund??

btw, is there any limit of the number of bags that I could get from LV/Gucci/Prada??

Thanks.

scatcat

The shops do not stamp your form. They will possibly fill them out for you. Louis Vuitton in Nice and Herties now Karstadt always have filled mine out entirely. Spend more than the required amount(no problem at LV or Prada) they will put your receipt and form in an envelope for you. Take each form to the Customs office along with merchandise. It does cost more in service charge to get cash back, but if you are worried about the credit, this is the way to go. If you choose the credit, just mail the form.

Trophywife007

Yes, you'll have a separate form from each store.