Confusion on VAT refund process...

Bee: Go to wwwsecretsofparis.com/vat-refund for information. It has been my experience that unless you spend a LOT of money in one store there is no point in looking for the refund. I did once buy a very expensive kilt in Scotland and my refund when I finally got it was $3.00.

You can only get a refund from shops that are willing to do the appropriate paper work and there is a minimum purchase. Shops that participate will usually display a sticker saying something about "Tax Free Shopping" or "Global refund", look on the door near the VISA decals etc.

You can only get a VAT refund when you take the goods out of the EU, you can't get a refund travelling from France to the UK.

Travelex run the VAT refund counters at Gatwick airport, they have a counter in each terminal. Don't forget you need to present your goods, unused, when you claim.

Gatwick maps

I took the VAT route when I went to Ireland three years ago. The refund counter was tucked away in a lonely corner of the airport terminal, and the process involved long lines and tedium. Plus, as Norma has indicated, the return (maybe $7.00 for me) was minimal. The high-end retailers and popular department stores in Paris will accommodate customers looking for the VAT refund, but only if purchases total €175 or more. I agree with Norma and would not take the time to pursue a refund unless I expected to reap a large return.

Bee - good advice so far. I've done the Gatwick VAT "journey" often on trips years past from the US-UK-US around XMAS (Harrod's Sales!) You do have to spend a minimum in ach store (although it can be multiple items) but you still have to meet the VAT minimum per store... and it's different from country to country. Here in Italy the minimum is €155. This post, although it speaks to Italy, may help explain the VAT's: http://www.roninrome.com/%20shopping-dining/vat-refundhttp://www.roninrome.com/%20transportation/low-cost-airlines-in-europe
CLICK HERE

Peter, Global Refund Holdings AB is a Swedish company that does some of the paperwork for you. For a percentage of the refund, of course.

But, at least in Germany, you don't have to use their services to reclaim VAT. Most retailers will sign the from [pdf] if asked.

Mark,

those are the forms I usually use. However, they do make the process a bit more complicated:

1. The retailer has to fill them out. That's usually no problem, no minimum required.

2. Custom stamps them at the airport after inspecting the goods. They usually only ask to see the suitcase but I've never had to open one.

3. Then you mail the form back to the retailer. If you have several forms you have to mail them each individually - no email possible. In your letter you also need to provide banking information to the retailer so that s/he can refund you the VAT.

4. The retailer wires the VAT refund into your bank account. And there is the big advantage: you get the FULL refund, nobody takes a percentage (Global Refund usually takes 50%).

The problem is the banking information. A European retailer wants to wire the money to a European bank account. The fees involved to wire such a small amount to a Northamerican bank are not worth it.

I don't know if it would be possible to use a different way to transfer money. Would be interested to hear suggestions. Most retailers in Germany that I worked with to get a VAT refund do not accept credit cards.

One more question: could you print out those forms from your link or do you have to get the green originals? They are hard to come by. Usually my father goes to the neares Industrie und Handelskammer and gets a bunch for me before I come for a visit.

My advice, Bee, unless you are spending a great deal of money, skip the VAT refund. Lots of paperwork and delay for a modest, if any, result.

And certainly don't bother keeping the receipts for purchases of souvenirs & other small items.Paper overload.

Having gotten VAT back on some Paris purchases...

The retailers I used did do a refund on my credit card. I can't recall what I got back, but it was more then the $3 and $7 being discussed on here.

For the department stores in Paris (and probably everyplace else) you have to spend the minimum amount (around 190 Euros?) in ONE day. So you can't go over serveral days and buy four or five little things and then get your VAT paperwork. Do it all in one day.

I have gotten refunds from Galleries Layfette and Hermes. Worked fine for me. Most guidebooks also give you some guidance. (Even Rick, who doesn't seem like a shopping "guru" :) )

We have used filed for teh VAT refund, but always in the UK as we usually leave from there. Last year we got over $100 back on purchases in teh uK and Ireland. As one pster said, you can get it credited to your Credit card accout, saving conversion and transfer problems.

The store has to issue a special VAT refund receipt and each store seems to have a different minimum. Marks and Spencers will give you one if you save up all your receipts, regardless of the branch, but all from the one country (we had a batch from Ireland one from UK)and issue one receipt for teh total, regardless of whenn they the money was spent (not all on one day). I think the minimum was 75 GBP with M&S.

Last year we left from Manchester and there was no one at the desk when we went there. There was a phone and we were told just to put teh receipts in an envelope and put it in the box. It seemed unsatisfactory, but we did get the money.

Mark: I never said that the OP must use Globalrefund, just that shops that are prepared to fill out VAT paperwork tend to display a decal for one of the service companies (of which Globalrefund was an example) or some kind of "Tax Free" slogan.

Peter: I just wanted to clarify that the "Tax Free" stickers are not just an indication that the shop is willing to go along with the paperwork, but an advertisement of third party companies. Which includes a fee.

I felt that this fact, and that the use of these companies or "marked shops" isn't mandatory, wasn't explicitly enough stated in this thread.

For example Ron and Olana write about "minimum purchases" as if they were law, not just a policy of a service provider.

Beatrix: Yes, doing it all by yourself is trickier. But it is possible, which was my point.

I have no personal experience with VAT returns, because I don't think holidays and tax returns mix (and I never brought something expensive enough that it would force me to do it). But I don't see any reason not to use printed out forms. Especially if they're DIN/ISO sized ;-)

Mark,

with MwSt at 19% my purchases don't have to be huge to make the process worthwhile - unfortunately. Well, and I'm probably a somewhat special case as one of my larger purchases is usually an order of 100 lantern sticks for St Martin ;-)