is the vat refund process a hassle?...has anyone done this?...i understand that you need to bring all the goods and forms to the airport upon leaving...is there any way around that?...is there an easier way?

That seems to depend. On a recent trip to Germany I bought some shoes and I was given the refund form by the merchant and I mailed it back from the US.

Didn't have any problem with VAT refund when we recently left Portugal. Just showed our completed VAT form at the airport, when it was 'officially' stamped, then headed over to a desk (about 20 ft away) to received our cash in US$. Very quick and easy! We did, however, have our purchases (and receipts) with us but weren't asked to provide either.

The process isn't that difficult. You need your receipts and you have to give them to the customs agent at the airport.

Remember, there is a minimum amount that you have to spend *at each store*.
It varies by country.

The only real hassel we found in Amsterdam was that you had to have the goods available for inspection. That meant packing so that you could get at them easily to show the inspector so you are not randomly digging in your suitcase.

If our flight leaves at 6 in the morning, are the refund desks open? And does anybody have an idea basically how much you have to spend in a store to get your refund? Or does it vary widely?

Luv, in Paris it was € 180 at BHV. Even though you are supposed to have your receipts and purchases with you, they didn't ask to see either, which was good since a friend and I had gone together to get up to 180 and she was leaving from another terminal.

Last year when we were leaving Rome we had a problem with the VAT refund application process. We were told by all the merchants in Italy that the goods we had purchased wouldn't be needed for inspection...only the receipts were needed and the form. So most of the larger items we bought we shipped home (to avoid the hassle of carrying them around Italy with us) and kept the receipts and the forms. #-o
However when we got to the airport and tried to get the refund we were told that we couldn't because they had to see the all the items purchased in Italy.
We had also purchased items in Germany two weeks earlier (we had these items and could have presented them) and were told that we should have applied for the refund in Germany for the goods purchased there.This contradicted what the German officials had told us - i.e. that we would not be able to apply for the refund in Germany because Germany was not the final European destination we were visiting.We would be leaving Europe through Italy not Germany.
We ended up losing hundreds of dollars because of this misunderstanding (on our parts I hope!)of how the refund system works. So I guess the moral of the story is : make sure you do the research and UNDERSTAND the research and get the CORRECT information from the correct source and if I had to do it again I would have all the goods for presentation (even if they don't actually ask to see them) if I planned to apply for the refund.

When I purchased something in Rome for which I could get the VAT refund, the merchant gave me the form with instructions on how to get the refund. It stated explicitly that you had to have the goods with you, and unopened, when you get the refund at the airport.

thanks all for responses...anyone have experience with heathrow/uk customs?

friardave,

I've dealt with customs at Heathrow and other London airports many times and they have always stamped the forms without a problem. They do generally request to see the merchandise however. Just arrive at the airport at least 2 hours ahead of departure to make sure you don't run out of time.

Once the forms have been stamped, you can generally choose between a credit to your CC (enter your card details on the form, put it in the prepaid envelope provided with the form and drop it in a mailbox - it will go to a specialized refund service) or a cash refund available from a designated booth at the airport. Very rarely, you will have to mail the envelope directly back to the merchant, with whom you would have left your CC details so he could credit you accordingly.

2 comments regarding JAGIRL's experience:
1) VAT refund is only possible for goods which are physically exported and the only way for the customs official to verify this is to see the items at the airport. If you intend to ship your purhase back home, you need to have this done by the shop at which you purchase the merchandise, as it can then book the sale as an export, charge you the VAT-free amount and ship the package with an appopriate customs invoice. This could of course entail customs duties in your home country which you will have to pay when you pick up the package (but you would have declared those purchases anyway when you returned home, right? ).

Also, you can definitely wear/use clothing on your trip and still have it qualify for VAT exemption. For obvious reasons however, you can't open packages of food, drink, cosmetics etc. you intend to export.

2) The customs official in Rome was WRONG regarding the purchases JAGIRL made in Germany. He should have stamped those forms as well! As another poster mentioned, the refund forms generally come in a jacket which tells you how to proceed in several languages. If the customs official doesn't cooperate, show him the instructions in his language. If it still doesn't work, politely ask to speak to a supervisor... good luck In my experience, Italy has been the only problematic country for VAT refund stamps and even there I haven't had any trouble in years.

One final tip: check if the customs official makes a photocopy of the form before returning it to you - if he does, he could be about to fax the form to the customs officials at your destination! So in that case you better declare your purchases when you arrive This happened once to my mom when leaving Vienna and it was painful

Hope this helps,
Andre

Just returned a month ago from England, Scotland and Ireland. I bought a sweater at the Blarney Woolen mill and I was credited when I made the purchase and the form was filled out. If I didn't present it at the airport I was told to expect a debit within two months. That said, it seemed like everyone was getting a different story on how to properly get credit. I think some of the confusion came from whether the store was "approved" or not.

Oh yes, forgot to mention the 4th refund option which Louise refers to: you can sometimes get an immediate VAT refund, but if you don't get your form stamped at customs and return it, you will be debited again.

Andre

Wish we'd had Andre with us on our trip!!! Anyway...what's a few hundred dollars...right?
Btw...forgot to mention that you can get the refund at any Thomas Cooke office located in the country from which you're leaving Europe.

A jewelry shop in Dublin where I made several purchases filled the forms out for me, and submitted them as well. I got the VAT taken off the purchase then and there, nothing to do on my end. But I did have to have my passport with me.

It is something of a hassle, but worth it if you're going to spend more than $200 or so at any store. As mentioned, you must have the proper forms filled out by the store where you purchased the goods. In most cases, you will also need to bring those forms and the merchandise to the airport, and the customs inspectors at the airport will stamp the forms. You then mail the stamped forms back to the store. (Most stores give you a SASE for this.)

Do leave extra time at the airport for this. If you will pack the merchandise you bought in suitcases that you will check, be sure to go to the tax rebate (detaxe) office before checking in for your flight, but of course have your tickets with you to prove that you are, indeed, leaving.

The only time I had a problem was in Amsterdam, when I was flying to the US via a connection in London/Heathrow. The customs agent would not stamp my forms because I was not flying out of the EU from Holland (even though I had a ticket showing a connection from LHR to Boston), and my luggage would be checked through to the US so I could not have the forms stamped at Heathrow. A Catch-22, apparently, not made any easier by the standard [micro-]mindset of customs agents.

I just returned from CDG and they did want to see the items from some of the stores purchased before stamping the forms. The line was long, and--yes--I did have to unpack one bag to find a purse that I had bought to get my VAT stamp. It was a 12% refund, however, so I think worth the 1/2 hour wait in line and all. I haven't mailed in the forms, yet, though, I just returned.