Hello! I have a question on where to claim my VAT Tax Refund.
I will be in Italy for a couple of weeks and I plan to shop there. From Milan, I will fly to Marrakech for a few days. After Marrakech, I will then fly to Madrid, which is my last stop. From Madrid, I will be flying back home.
My question is: Where do I claim the tax refund? Upon my flight out of Milan or Madrid, as my last exit point?
Appreciate any input, thanks!
limepastel, You claim the refund at the point you exit the EU. That would be your flight from Milan to non-EU Morocco. Re-entering and re-exiting the EU shouldn't matter.
The rules are:
1) You must a resident of a non-EU country.
2) The goods must be exported unused and intact.
3) You need to get your forms stamped by the customs when you leave the EU, in this case Milan airport. They may ask to see the goods, you must have them on you.
4) The customs do not do the refund. The stamped form authorises the shop not to pay VAT on the item. so they can then refund you the VAT you paid. But, you must get the form back to the shop or an agent, only then can they repay you. And they sometimes charge a paperwork fee.
The Italian for VAT is IVA (Imposta sul valore aggiunto).
You can also claim the VAT when you are back in the States but it is a long process and the refund takes along time. Best to do it before you leave Madrid. Plan a lot of extra time the Asian tourists are crazy about the VAT refund (probably because the shopping exchange is so good they shop a lot). Communication barriers exist and can make the VAT lines long and tedious. Get organized before you get in line.
