You would get the refund in the city of your departure back home, so in this case you would get it at Heathrow. I bought something in Paris last year but flew home from London and this is what I did. Anyway, I don't think there is a tax refund counter in the Gare du Nord train station in Paris.
Duty | Tax | Customs for International shopping {VAT refund}
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You would get the refund in the city of your departure back home, so in this case you would get it at Heathrow. I bought something in Paris last year but flew home from London and this is what I did. Anyway, I don't think there is a tax refund counter in the Gare du Nord train station in Paris.
Thank you! But would I get the same amount back in euros if I get the tax return in London? Because I think I read somewhere that I would get it back in GBP and after the conversion, I would get less back....?
Yes, that's true, if you convert the refund you will get less. If you choose a cash refund, the best thing might be to keep it in pounds and save it for a later trip, or exchange it yourself at a more favorable rate when you get home. Or, if you can wait, get the refund on your credit card. This might give you the best rate (credit card).
I have also read that in Paris many stores use Premier as their preferred tax free company, whereas in Heathrow the Global Blue counter is the most convenient for me and the one that I always use. I can't remember if Heathrow has a Premier counter, but it's worth looking into if the stores in Paris used Premier. Basically, you should try and use the same tax refund company for your purchases in Paris to process your refund in London. If you get the refund from a different tax company than the one used in Paris, you will pay an extra fee to the new company, resulting in an even smaller refund.
I think you can also mail the tax forms from the Paris train station, instead of doing it in London, but since London is your last destination before going home, I am not sure about this.
I am not an expert, this is just my personal experience and what I have read, so if anyone here has other info please correct me if I am wrong.
Good luck and I hope this helps!
She still needs to get the forms stamped by Customs which is done at the last stop before leaving the EU. In this case, it would be Heathrow since the UK is still part of the EU. It's easy and painless at Heathrow and they've done it a million times. Just get there early enough so that you can get the stamp and process the paperwork at the desk for a cash refund, or mail the forms for a credit card refund. Be aware that mailing the forms can take up to 6 or 8 weeks to process and you are subject to foreign currency fluctuations during that time plus processing fees.
Thank you all of your help! [emoji134] I ended up changing my itinerary and will be flying from Heathrow to Paris then back to the US, so I can get my stamps in the airport.
I just found that we have to pay tax on purchases over $800 USD [emoji33] I didn't know that until yesterday and didn't have problems in the past!! But what should I do when I return back to the US? How much is the tax I have to pay?
I just found that we have to pay tax on purchases over $800 USD [emoji33] I didn't know that until yesterday and didn't have problems in the past!! But what should I do when I return back to the US? How much is the tax I have to pay?
For handbags/leather goods:
First $800 is tax free.
Next $1,000 is at 3%.
Everything over $1,800 is at 6%.
The good news is that you can combine these exemption amounts for your traveling party so if you are traveling with your sister, for example, then the first $1,600 is tax free, the next $2,000 is at 3%, everything over $3,600 is at 6%.
Sometimes, even when you declare that you have purchased more than $800 in goods abroad, you will be waved through. Other times, not. I've had times where I paid the duty and times where they just waved me through and said "have a nice day!". Just depends on who you get and how busy they are that day.
+1 And don't forget to deduct the amount of your VAT Refunds from the amount you declare with US customs. Also, the 6% over $1,800 (or $3,600 for families) is applicable to leather goods (handbags, wallets, etc. The percentage varies for other merchandise (jewelry, etc.). Enjoy your trip!
Most shops will work with a company such as Global Blue to manage the refund process. They have a simple calculator on their website to calculate the refund amount i.e. what you will get paid after they take their commission:
http://www.globalblue.com/customer-services/tax-free-shopping/refund-calculator/
Thanks to everyone here for their helpful refund advice! It took about 6 weeks to get all of my refunds to my credit card after scanning at the kiosks at CDG airport. I'm thinking there was some delay due to the holidays.
On a separate note, I'll be going on another trip to Europe later this year. I'll be flying in and out of Rome with some stops in Spain. I've read that the refund rates are slightly higher in Spain. Is this true and what's the percentage? Since I am flying out of Italy, will I still receive the higher Spanish rate back, or the standard Italian rate if I do a credit card refund? Thanks!
On a separate note, I'll be going on another trip to Europe later this year. I'll be flying in and out of Rome with some stops in Spain. I've read that the refund rates are slightly higher in Spain. Is this true and what's the percentage? Since I am flying out of Italy, will I still receive the higher Spanish rate back, or the standard Italian rate if I do a credit card refund? Thanks!
Global Blue has a calculator on their website which will give you those figures:
http://www.globalblue.com/customer-services/tax-free-shopping/refund-calculator/
The refund rate is dependent on where you made the purchase, irregardless of your last stop in EU.
Most countries' VAT is in the 20% range. You don't get all of that back and, after processing fees and foreign exchange conversion fees, the refund percentage is in the 11 - 13% range for smaller purchases and more for larger purchases. My experience has been that Italy and Spain's refunds are higher than France's, with Spain just a bit higher than Italy.
Hi can anyone tell me about purchasing a bag from LV, Longchamp or a Hermes (bracelet) from St Bart's and returning home to US? The US Customs website said anything made in France or Spain can be taxed at 100% when returning to the US. If I buy an LV bag it will likely be made in France or Spain & the bracelet will be made in France. Am I taking this too literally? Has anyone had experience purchasing in St Bart's and/or St Martin and returned home to US?
I'll be flying back to US from St Martin but shopping mostly in St Bart's. I'm sorry if my question sounds amateurish but this will be my first trip making these types of purchases outside the country. Thanks for any help you can give.
I'll be flying back to US from St Martin but shopping mostly in St Bart's. I'm sorry if my question sounds amateurish but this will be my first trip making these types of purchases outside the country. Thanks for any help you can give.