Hi all, i'm flying out of Florence with a early 630am flight back to the States but the VAT refund office won't open until 6am. what can i do with my paperwork and refund? so i read that if you have another european connecting flight (layover) and you can get your stamps there instead? is it true? i'm laying over at Amsterdam but don't wanna risk it if it's not true. Please help and thank you in advance.
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Joyce, You should be getting your VAT forms stamped when you leave the EU, as the forms certify that the goods left the EU intact and unused.
So if you are flying Florence --> Amsterdam --> USA you must get them stamped by Netherlands customs at Amsterdam. Florence customs should refuse to sign the forms. What you do with the signed forms in order to get your money back depends on whatever system the shop is using.
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
4040 posts
Technically, you are supposed to do your VAT refund at your last stop in the EU so you should be doing that in Amsterdam. For connecting flights, most of the times I do the refund at the start of the trip home but on a couple of occasions the customs agents have refused and they are technically correct and I have had to do the process at the last stop. That means that you must have your items in your carry on luggage. My concern for you is having to do your VAT at Schipol which is a nice airport but has, in my experience, long lines and long waits at the refund counters.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thanks for the fast reply, really appreciate it!
i also found a direct flight fro Florence to the US but also leaving at 630am vs only an hour of layover in Amsterdam. How do i get the stamp if i'm taking the direct flight out? i have a silly thought of getting to the airport the night before my flight (before the refund counter closes at 7pm) and get it stamped and just hang out in the airport overnight..but really, that's the last thing i wanna do on a trip. so please help!
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Joyce, would you really sleep overnight in an airport just to be able to claim some money back? The stamping place is after you go through security and passport control, when you have legally left the country. Would the airline even allow you to check in the night before?
You would have to pay me a lot more than any VAT that could be saved to do that.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
oops..i check again and you are right, no direct flight. so i guess i'll have to make sure my layover is long enough to get to the refund counter and get stamped. anyone has any experience at Amsterdam airport? thank you so much for those who commented =)
Posted by
OP
4 posts
haha Chris, that's the argument my husband gave me as well (another reason for me not to overspend he said) but now i learn that i have to get stamped at my last EU country which is Amsterdam (layover) i might not have to spend overnight at the airport after all =) thank you guys for the information!
Posted by
New York, NY
4073 posts
Make sure each VAT form you have is signed by the retailer and has the name of the retailer and its address on the form either written or stamped. Then make sure you get the EU customs agent at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam to stamp that form. You also need to show the goods you bought in its original packaging meaning box/container/bag. So, for example, if you've purchased a pair of earrings, don't show up at the customs desk at Schiphol WEARING them.
The customs agent may not give you the refund directly. He/she will stamp the form and instruct you to mail the form back to the retailer for the store to refund your credit card. I don't know what they do if you paid for the item in cash.
At Heathrow Terminal 3, if the retailer is one in which you do get a VAT refund at Heathrow, you wait on another line directly across from the customs agent. Travelex gives the cash refund. It means waiting on line twice. Hopefully it's quicker at Schiphol.
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
I don't know what they do if you paid for the item in cash.
You have to go back to the shop to claim the refund. That's what happens here at the Swiss/German border. Switzerland not being in the EU, most of the shops in the German border towns do VAT refunds for Swiss residents, who are then incentivised to go back to the same shop the next week to collect their VAT refund.
At the border post near me, on Saturdays there is one German "Zollner" whose sole job is to stamp forms. And there is a permanent queue: https://files.newsnetz.ch/story/1/0/1/10157200/6/topelement.jpg
show the goods you bought in its original packaging meaning box/container/bag. So, for example, if you've purchased a pair of earrings, don't show up at the customs desk at Schiphol WEARING them.
I second that. They must be exported unused. So don't unpack your purchases!