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Where to Get Tax Refund Customs Stamp (Munich–Dublin–US Connection)

Posted by on

Hello all,
I will be traveling from Munich to the US with a connection in Dublin via Aer Lingus, and I am a bit confused about where I should get my tax refund/customs stamp.

My understanding is that the tax refund form should be stamped in the last EU country of departure, which in my case would be Ireland (Dublin). However, since Ireland is not part of the Schengen Area, I assume I will go through German customs when flying from Munich to Dublin.

Should I get the form stamped by German customs in Munich and drop off the refund form there, or should I wait until Dublin to get the stamp? If it needs to be done in Dublin, will it be possible to have the form stamped and mailed while staying in the transfer/connection area? I only have less than two hours for the connection, so I’m a bit worried about whether I’ll have enough time.

Thank you in advance for your help!

Posted by
1759 posts

Hopefully someone who has actually done this recently will respond. It's been a while since I claimed a vat refund, but here goes.

If the items will be in your checked luggage, you'll need to get your documents stamped in Munich.

If the items will be in your carry-on, you'll need to get the documents stamped in Dublin.

Here's the location info for Dublin airport.

Posted by
492 posts

I only have less than two hours for the connection, so I’m a bit worried about whether I’ll have enough time.

Having never claimed the VAT refund, I'd have to ask if it's worth your time and worry. On paper, any "refund" seems nice, but when I track through my many trips where I paid VAT on purchases, I can't say I regret not bothering with that paperwork.

IOW, unless I had a big ticket item(s) where the VAT was significant, I wouldn't bother. I might be in the minority, but the time/effort involved never seemed worth it to me.

I'm really interested to see if I have been making a rookie mistake for decades now.

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