I just claimed my VAT back in Stockholm and it was so easy! I didn't have to do anything at Customs, just went to the Global Blue counter right as you come in the airport and they stamp everything there. The only thing he asked to see was a Burberry bag I'd bought, and then he issued me a receipt for everything with an ID/tracking # and said I'd receive the refund to my card within 5 business days. I hadn't done a ton of shopping b/c we still have a week in Iceland left on our trip, but the 5 min it took to get $350 back was totally worth it!
Official worldwide thread - Tips/Advice for customs, VAT, etc...
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Hello! I'm traveling to Italy for the first time and I really want to buy a Chanel purse there. I was wondering if any of you would know what time the customs office is open at FCO airport so that I get my documents stamped. I am worried since my flight is at 6:30am on a Sunday.
I've been having issues with VAT refunds. I didn't get my refund the first time I did it which was over a year ago. I went to Europe a little less than a month ago and I was unable to get my forms stamped due to the timing and lack of knowledge as to where the customs are for that. Do you think there's anyway I can get it stamp or at least try to get the VAT refund now that I'm back in the US? I've googled this countlessly and nothing helps .
Here is a link to the FAQs at Global Blue (assuming you used Global Blue and not Premier or another one):
http://www.globalblue.com/customer-services/tax-free-shopping/tax-free-shopping-faqs/
There seems to be a way to get the refund if you didn't get the customs stamp originally but it looks like it'll be complicated.
2.9 How do I receive my refund if I didn’t manage to obtain customs stamp?
Customs stamp is obligatory to get refund with Global Blue Tax Free Shopping. It proves that the purchased goods were exported from the country of purchase to your home country.
However, Rules and Regulations in certain countries offer the possibility to obtain additional customs stamp:
• For Tax Free Form issued in the EU, it is necessary to go through the EU Customs again. You must re - export your goods and get customs stamp according to local Rules and Regulations;
When shopping in Europe, I know non-EU citizens are eligible for a VAT refund. However, I have always been confused as to whether applying for/receiving a VAT refund in Europe automatically alerts US customs officials that you have made a large purchase. Are these independent processes, or does applying for VAT necessitate US customs finding out about the purchase, and in turn levying a duty? Additionally, are any duties levied typically less than the amount received for the VAT refund? (I know that the duties are not always consistent.) Thanks so much!
I have made multiple purchases in Europe from LV specifically and from my experience I can say that the customs process and the VAT process are separate and unrelated to each other. Regardless of customs once you get back to the states, you will get the refund if the tax refund paperwork is filled out right. That is all that matters. If I am wrong someone please correct me, but from multiple trips and multiple purchases I have found this to always be the case in my personal experience. Hope that helps
I have made multiple purchases in Europe from LV specifically and from my experience I can say that the customs process and the VAT process are separate and unrelated to each other. Regardless of customs once you get back to the states, you will get the refund if the tax refund paperwork is filled out right. That is all that matters. If I am wrong someone please correct me, but from multiple trips and multiple purchases I have found this to always be the case in my personal experience. Hope that helps
Thanks, this is very helpful! Do you know if customs then becomes privy to this paperwork once you are back stateside? Or does customs not know any information beyond that which you report directly to them yourself?
From my experience, the only thing customs in the US is aware of is what you report on the declaration forms when you fly back in! They have no idea about tax refunds or purchases unless you claim them. I always fly back into NYC airports from Europe and have never had any issues there.
This has been my experience as well. Purchase data from outside the U.S. isn't transmitted to U.S. Customs. However, when you do declare your total purchases, you can deduct the amount of any VAT refund you are due. The last time I returned from Europe and was asked to show my receipts from my purchases, I made sure to show the VAT refund paperwork as well so those refunds were deducted from the total amount subject to duties.
On handbags, the first $800 is free, next $1,000 is at 3%, amounts over that are at 6%. Every person in your traveling party has this same amount and you can combine them. So, if you and your DH were traveling, the first $1,600 is free, next $2,000 is taxed at 3%, etc.
I just received a LV bag that I bought from a japanese store online. It was the exact age I wanted in a vintage piece, in great condition and a at a great price. I had it authenticated here beforehand so I took the plunge. Customs/Import VAT etc is calculated based on the declared value of the bag. The seller put the full value of the purchase in USD as that was the currency I paid in through PayPal. For a bag that was $249 I paid about £5 in Customs Duty, £25 in Import VAT and then ParcelForce added their service charge on top (£13.50) because they pay the fees due to release the parcel from Customs and then you reimburse them. I don't mind paying the tax at all but I do think that ParcelForce adding a service fee is a bit of a cheek!
gov.uk has a useful page on the subject - https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty
Hope this helps
gov.uk has a useful page on the subject - https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty
Hope this helps
Hi everyone!
I want to post the procedure that I followed in Rome airport. This is an update as far as July 2, 2016. I did a lot of research and thought I had all my questions answered but found out things that were not posted or followed in other EU airports. So here it is:
My flight was leaving at 11:15 and I thought customs opened at 8:00am so I decided to head to the airport and do check in at 7:30am.
1- It looks all US airlines were departing from terminal 5. You may want to check this prior heading to the airport.
2- First stop at airline counter. They will check up your passport and flight and you will get your boarding passes. You will see signs that will say "get your VAT refund prior to security". Don't worry your are not inside the terminal yet.
3- After that first counter you will get inside the terminal 5. Everything is in there (customs, airline counters to drop off bags, Premier Tax Refund, Tourist Refund and Global Blue Refund).
4- If you buy anything outside of Italy and you have VAT to claim you need to go to customs. I bought in Austria so had to stop in customs. You need your goods in case they check but they never checked anything. This is important and where other sites confused me (this applies only in Rome airport). You will see signs that say check in first. You just need your boarding passes. I read somewhere that my luggage needed to be tag first but that's not true. We went to the airlines and they said to check in customs and then when done to tag luggage. This is of course if your goods are in your checked luggage.
5- If you just bought in Italy you can go directly to the refund company and they will stamp and will give you your refund (cash or credit card per your request).
6- Like I mentioned before I went to customs because I had purchases outside of Rome. They only stamped the purchases outside of Italy. The Italian purchases were stamped at the refund kiosks.
7- Once in the refund offices, they stamped the forms and they asked how you want your refund. I requested cash since in the past it had taken a long time. Global Blue charged 3-4 euros per receipt and Premier did not charged anything. Totally worth it! Also, once you get your cash you do not have to mail anything. I read in another post that you still had to mail it. I asked and they said no. As a matter fact they take the forms. I saw a woman placing the forms and receipts in the envelope in the mail box and I think it was because she opted for a credit card refund. In that case you will need to place it in their mailbox which is right there in kiosk. Global Blue asked me if I wanted my receipts but Premier did not. I took pictures of the receipts so I didn't bothered. Also, you can request your cash refund in euros or dollars. I opted for dollars to avoid any exchange extra fee.
8- Nobody checked my goods but it's safe to say to have it with you. Once you get your refund go to your airline counter and checked in your luggages.
9- Go to security
10- Take a bus that will drive you to all departure terminals and that's it
11- The whole process took 30 minutes because the lines were small.
My last advice is get there early. In the website the customs office were 8:00am but I think they were opened earlier than that. I was inside of the terminal at 7:45am and they were open. The refund offices open at 7:00am.
Hope this helps and don't stressed out about it! The key is to get there early to avoid the crowds.
Happy shopping!
I want to post the procedure that I followed in Rome airport. This is an update as far as July 2, 2016. I did a lot of research and thought I had all my questions answered but found out things that were not posted or followed in other EU airports. So here it is:
My flight was leaving at 11:15 and I thought customs opened at 8:00am so I decided to head to the airport and do check in at 7:30am.
1- It looks all US airlines were departing from terminal 5. You may want to check this prior heading to the airport.
2- First stop at airline counter. They will check up your passport and flight and you will get your boarding passes. You will see signs that will say "get your VAT refund prior to security". Don't worry your are not inside the terminal yet.
3- After that first counter you will get inside the terminal 5. Everything is in there (customs, airline counters to drop off bags, Premier Tax Refund, Tourist Refund and Global Blue Refund).
4- If you buy anything outside of Italy and you have VAT to claim you need to go to customs. I bought in Austria so had to stop in customs. You need your goods in case they check but they never checked anything. This is important and where other sites confused me (this applies only in Rome airport). You will see signs that say check in first. You just need your boarding passes. I read somewhere that my luggage needed to be tag first but that's not true. We went to the airlines and they said to check in customs and then when done to tag luggage. This is of course if your goods are in your checked luggage.
5- If you just bought in Italy you can go directly to the refund company and they will stamp and will give you your refund (cash or credit card per your request).
6- Like I mentioned before I went to customs because I had purchases outside of Rome. They only stamped the purchases outside of Italy. The Italian purchases were stamped at the refund kiosks.
7- Once in the refund offices, they stamped the forms and they asked how you want your refund. I requested cash since in the past it had taken a long time. Global Blue charged 3-4 euros per receipt and Premier did not charged anything. Totally worth it! Also, once you get your cash you do not have to mail anything. I read in another post that you still had to mail it. I asked and they said no. As a matter fact they take the forms. I saw a woman placing the forms and receipts in the envelope in the mail box and I think it was because she opted for a credit card refund. In that case you will need to place it in their mailbox which is right there in kiosk. Global Blue asked me if I wanted my receipts but Premier did not. I took pictures of the receipts so I didn't bothered. Also, you can request your cash refund in euros or dollars. I opted for dollars to avoid any exchange extra fee.
8- Nobody checked my goods but it's safe to say to have it with you. Once you get your refund go to your airline counter and checked in your luggages.
9- Go to security
10- Take a bus that will drive you to all departure terminals and that's it
11- The whole process took 30 minutes because the lines were small.
My last advice is get there early. In the website the customs office were 8:00am but I think they were opened earlier than that. I was inside of the terminal at 7:45am and they were open. The refund offices open at 7:00am.
Hope this helps and don't stressed out about it! The key is to get there early to avoid the crowds.
Happy shopping!
Thanks for posting this! If I am understanding correctly, if you request a cash refund instead of a credit card refund, then you don't have to mail them anything afterwards? ("Anything" meaning paperwork from US customs?)
My experience in other airports is that you have to mail all the paperwork and receipts in to the refund offices in their self stamped envelopes. This is only if you request a credit card refund. Other posts said that you still have to mail all that even when you get a cash refund. That's not the case right now in Rome airport. Once you get your cash refund you are done with VAT refund. You don't need any paperwork from US customs. If you are over your $800 limit you will need to pay a fee once getting back to the US. You will have to declare that in the form. VAT refund and US customs is two separate processes. You do the VAT refund before leaving Europe and you do your customs declarations once you arrive in US. Forgot to mention that in order to get a VAT refund in Italy the total needs to be over 155 euros. They told me if you purchase in the same store you can combine it and ask the store for a VAT form with all combined receipts.
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Hey guys wondering if anyone can help me with shopping online in Switzerland! I am here for a month and there are heaps of items online that can only be sent within Europe, so a whole new world has opened up to this Aussie. HOWEVER I'm pretty sure Switzerland has some crazy low thresholds for importing goods and I really don't want to be paying duties/VAT/whatever on items that I'm going to be taking back out of the country anyway. (For the record, we're talking clothes, shoes (anyone know any anniel stockists I can visit if I can't buy online?) and perfrume (Jo Malone is MUCH cheaper here and in Italy). So. Any advice? Should I try avoid online shopping and find the brick and mortar items? Should I get things sent to France and pop over to pick them up? Should I create a new thread for this quite specific question?