No worries I understand. I see in Paris it says 12% but people say you only get 10% back in Paris. Do you have the link?
Best way to 'detax' after H in Europe
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No worries I understand. I see in Paris it says 12% but people say you only get 10% back in Paris. Do you have the link?
Pocketbook Pup is right ---Always declare!
I had a friend-of-a-friend that got caught and it immediately puts her on a search list anytime she travels out of the country. Not just a stop and ask questions but go through her bags with a fine tooth comb kind of search. It was silly on her part as her's was a relatively small $$ amount. Its just not worth getting caught, fines, penalties, lawyers, etc.
I had a friend-of-a-friend that got caught and it immediately puts her on a search list anytime she travels out of the country. Not just a stop and ask questions but go through her bags with a fine tooth comb kind of search. It was silly on her part as her's was a relatively small $$ amount. Its just not worth getting caught, fines, penalties, lawyers, etc.
We are flying into London next month and I've heard there is amazing shopping there. I know if we were flying back to LAX from London, I could detax at the airport but we are also traveling to Dublin.
How does that work if I'm flying back home from a different country than I flew into? Does Hermes give tax back at the stores?
Thanks in advance for your help!
How does that work if I'm flying back home from a different country than I flew into? Does Hermes give tax back at the stores?
Thanks in advance for your help!
I am not surprised at all that there is link between the Pablo forms and customs agents. It might be all forms or perhaps there is a threshold of some sort, either a dollar amount of number of forms scanned. Thanks for passing on that info Pocketbook Pup!
Not sure how Hermes works in London for non-EU. But I assume they will give you a form that you will need to get stamped at the airport. If you're thinking of T5 shopping in LHR that is different. You might get more info on London threads. In general check prices though with exchange rate to USD its not as good.
If you are leaving from DUB, on most flights to USA you will clear customs and immigration there. It's like travelling to Canada.
Frankfurt has an office after security as well - forgot which terminal but one of those used by LH back to USA. They sent me there because I didnt have bags to check and they said the line was shorter. They were right - it was super fast!
You always do tax refund at your final stop in the EU, even if you've shopped in multiple countries.
As long as you can show a non-EU passport and proof that you ARE leaving the EU soon, the Heathrow shops will probably give you the tax-free price rather than tax refund forms. You should try for this. Heathrow Hermès prices are GREAT because a) the pound is weak against the dollar right now and b) you get the full VAT off instead of what Global Blue gives you after its processing - so it's close to 20% off retail at the airport.
If not you'll be paying VAT and filing a refund in Dublin.
It is actually currently cheaper for a US shopper to buy at Heathrow tax-free than in Paris with detax. I just came back from both countries. Of course, there is no guarantee that Heathrow will have what you want.
Now back to topic, which is tax refunds as opposed to duty-free shopping.
I left CDG this month, and scanned my forms and was told by the agent I could drop them in any of the boxes near the Pablo scanner. My question being that I thought Hermes had its own "yellow box", have they stopped using this system., and was the information I was given correct.
Its not an Hermes box. Its the yellow La Poste Mailbox. There is one right near the Pablo machines. Hermes doesn't use Premiere or Global Blue. Hopefully if you dropped it in the box for one of those services they will be nice an put it in the mail for you.
So I'm answering my own question and the answer is it depends .... But in particular for Hermes at CDG Terminal 2E L gates, they charge you the price less VAT so you get the VAT refund without any paperwork if you are flying to the US
As long as you show your boarding pass that goes OUT of Europe prices will be VAT free
Ok so now steam is really coming from my ears. The French agent who so diligently sent my vat forms to US customs didn't actually scan the forms correctly. So now they are sending them to me to take to the local consulate. The forms in question are only the VCA forms which she did make a bit of a fuss over because I only had the pouches and not the boxes. I mailed the boxes home to save room. I asked if everything was ok and she said yes. She seemed to know how to scan the other forms because I received all of my other refunds already- within a month. Hermes refunds ended up coming through as global blue by the way. [emoji35]
I will be shopping in France but I have a 5 hour layover in London (LHR). I understand that VAT forms need to be completed in the last EU country you are departing from, so in my case at LHR. Do I have the option to detax in France since it's only a layover in LHR?
I have read that the detax process in LHR is different than in France and Italy where I normally depart.
I have read that the detax process in LHR is different than in France and Italy where I normally depart.
Yes you will be able to detax in France as long as you're boarding an international flight out of EU, excluding layovers.