VAT refunds
 

Can anyone give me some advice on how to follow-up on my VAT refunds from France? I turned in all my stamped refund forms at the Charles de Gaul airport in Paris back in Nov. of 2000 and as of today, I still have not received anything. <BR> <BR>I have a friend who did the same in Jan. of 2000 and as of today, he has not received a single penny. Is there an agency I can email or write to to check on my status? Thanks in advance for your feedbacks.

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I have never gotten VAT back from France, but have from the U.K., and it has generally taken about 6 months to be returned. I can't explain the delay. I recently had one returned within 2 months but that went directly back to the store. The others seem to go through a service which is very slow in processing. <BR> <BR>I have never contacted anyone to find the status.

It took about 4 months for my VAT refund to show up from the Netherlands. I have no idea who you would contact to follow-up about the refund - but I think it may still be too early to expect the refund to have arrived. Hope this helps.

We were given U.S. dollars on the spot for our VAT refund at the airport in Copenhagen. I guess it's better in some countries than others.

I was recently in Ireland and the UK. At the time, I didn't know anything about VAT refunds. Now that I'm back, I'm wondering if I can send my receipts to an agency to request a refund. Does anyone know if this service is available and how I would go about it? Thanks.

I have received VAT refunds from purchases at Paris department stores within 2 months of returning home, credited directly to my checking account or credit card. I *think* it came directly from the stores.

I got a cash refund at CDG, instead of asking for a check or credit. Ben, I think you're too late; you have to get things stamped before you leave Europe.

What if you don't get the form stamped in europe? I have all my paperwork, but didn't realize I needed to get it stamped at the time at CDG. Am I at a loss?

Lucy, <BR> <BR>You need to have your VAT forms stamped at the airport before leaving the country. If you did not, it's too late. Sorry for the bad news. <BR> <BR>Thanks for all your replies. I guess I'll just have to wait. I didn't see any areas in CDG airport where I could have received cash right then and there. I know you can't get refunds directly during time of purchase at any stores because you needed the stamp from the airport authority to prove you are a foreign citizen. Thanks all!

Hi: <BR>I also left Ireland without getting my VAT froms stamped. It stated on the form that a notary public can also stamp them. Did that and had a refund in about 10 weeks from mailing them from the US. Good luck!