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VAT refund at Heathrow?

Posted by (Seattle, WA, USA ☔️) on

I'm currently in London, on the last day of my UK trip. Starting to get organized for the return flight tomorrow, departing Heathrow mid-day. I have a question or two about getting a VAT refund for some of the items we've purchased (not a lot, but enough to probably make the extra steps worthwhile). When we have bought VAT-refund-eligible items (as we've been told, over £30 at a single merchant), we've been told we can process the refund at Heathrow before departure (assuming we have all the receipts including the special VAT refund receipts). In Ricks book, I see him say you have to do stuff at the airport and then go back to the merchant and get the refund from them (?!). That sounds crazy. Is this just old/incorrect info? I'm not going back to Orkney to get the VAT refunded for my Highland Park single malt....

Can't I do all the paperwork and get the refund at the airport? I'm planning an hour to find them and process it, will have all the receipts and the goods themselves available for inspection (before we check our bags).

Thanks for any tips.

Posted by
5331 posts

The normal procedure is:

  • Get and fill out a VAT 407 form from the retailer
  • Show the goods, the completed form and your receipts to customs at the point when you leave the EU
  • Customs will approve your form if everything is in order. You then take the approved form to get paid.

Payment depends on the shops you bought from. This can involve:

  • Posting it back to the retailer who credits your card.
  • Return it to a VAT company (available if the retailer has outsourced this service)
  • Cash or card refund at the airport providing the retailer belongs to one of the main schemes, such as Global Blue, Premier, Tax Free Worldwide etc and there is an agent to process it with, often Travelex.

Do note that the queue can easily be 30 minutes long at HMRC at busy times.

Posted by
8889 posts

To explain the logic. The forms are stamped to prove the goods left the EU intact and unused. Once the retailer (or their agent) has the stamped forms, they can claim back the tax paid as a credit on their next VAT payment (no tax on exported goods), they can then repay you. You don't physically have to go back to the shop, you send them the stamped forms.

I see a slight problem here. The forms are stamped after you go through security. The customs office is "airside", and you have to have the goods with you in your hand luggage, just in case the customs officer wants to see them to check they are being exported intact.
But you Highland Park is a bottle, and over 330 ml in size, soo how are you going to get it through airport security? If you put it in your hold luggage you risk the customs officier asking to see it, and sayin "no" because he can't inspect it.

Posted by
5331 posts

At Heathrow there are customs points for VAT reclaim both before and after security. If you have items that need to be in checked bags you have to go to the former first. If you are only claiming on items in hand luggage you are advised to go to the latter.

Posted by
6788 posts

Thanks. As mentioned, it was all fairly straightforward. We used the place before check-ins, and also saw the second one after check-in/security.

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