Points of issue of tax free. Getting money at the airport. How to get tax free when you get home

Step-by-step instructions for returning Tax Free

During trips abroad, many tourists make purchases. Very often, the amount of these purchases far exceeds the cost of ordinary souvenir trinkets, and many even plan their budget in advance, taking into account such expenses. The system of return of paid value added tax on purchases in foreign countries - Tax Free - allows you to return up to 20% of the amount spent abroad.

What is Tax Free

Tax Free- This is an international system that allows you to return VAT when making large purchases abroad. After all, you, being a foreigner, are not required to pay VAT. Therefore, it is possible to return Tax Free in such cases. Currently, the largest tax free refund companies are Global Blue Refund (270,000 points of sale connected to the system) and Premier Tax Free (about 100,000 points of sale).

The amount of tax refunded depends on the country in which the product was purchased (it can range from 7 to 20%). Currently, the VAT refund system is available in 37 countries, mostly European. To qualify for a Tax Free refund, you will need to meet the basic requirements of the system:

• You must not be a citizen of the country in which the goods are purchased, and at the same time stay in its territory for less than 3 months;
• The purchase amount must necessarily exceed the limits set by the system (at the end of the article there is a link to a summary table with limits for European countries);
• The purchase must be made at a point of sale connected to the Tax Free system (there must be appropriate stickers and announcements on store windows).

Step 1: make a purchase

You make a purchase in stores that work with the system (as a rule, they are marked with appropriate stickers on the door or at the checkout). In the process of making a purchase, inform the seller that you want to make a purchase at Tax Free and show him yours (sometimes a photocopy is enough). The seller fills out the Tax Free form, enters your data and the data of the purchased goods there and sends it to you along with the receipt (for most countries, a sales receipt is required). At the same time, your purchase is assigned a unique identifier, by which you can later track the status of the transfer of funds on the official websites of the companies organizing the Tax Free refund.

Do not forget that the purchase amount must necessarily exceed the limits set for each country.

Step 2: put a customs stamp on Tax Free checks

Before going through the customs inspection, inform the customs officials that you need to confirm the return of Tax Free and they will explain to you how to get to a special officer who will put a mark on the check. It is impossible to get a refund without it. In most cases, to complete this procedure, it is enough to present your passport, but it is also possible that at this moment you will be asked to present the goods itself, so it is advisable to save all tags, packaging bags and stickers. Moreover, all things should not have traces of use.

Once you have received the customs stamp "Tax Free" in the check, you can go through customs control and check in luggage. But it is not recommended to remove documents with a customs mark far away - the next step is to receive funds in the international zone.

Step 3: Tax Free refund in the international area of ​​the airport

Tax Free refund offices are located in the international zone of airports and customs crossings (in the same place where Duty Free shops are located). On them you will see the inscriptions “Cash refund” or “Tax refund” and, without fail, the Premium Tax Free or Global Blue Refund logo. Pass the Tax Free checks marked by the customs officer to the cashier and select the desired currency - you will immediately receive the money.

Attention! Please note that the procedure for issuing a Tax Free refund takes from 5 to 20 minutes, in addition, at large airports, at cash points, a queue may form. Therefore, in order to immediately receive money, it is advisable to check in for a flight “in the forefront” so as not to be late for the plane. In addition, there is always the opportunity to return VAT in Russia, although with small losses (read about this in the next step).

If you want to receive funds non-cash, for example, to a card account, you will need to fill out an application for transfer of funds, indicating the detailed details of your card account. Money is not transferred to bank accounts immediately, but within 60 days, since the volume of settlements passing through the system is quite large, and the return occurs with the participation of a foreign bank.

Global Blue Refund provides its customers with another - fast - method for processing a refund. If you are in a hurry for a flight, you can simply ask the manager for a Tax Free return form, a Global Blue branded envelope, put checks with a customs mark, a Tax Free form, as well as card details and an e-mail address in it and send them to the company's office . Employees of the company will arrange the transfer of funds, and if there are any questions, they will contact you by e-mail.

Step 4: Tax Free refund in Russia

If you didn’t find a Tax Free return office at the airport, there wasn’t one (for example, you cross the border by car or on foot) or you just didn’t have time to get the money, then you can do it in Russia, at the branches of Tax Free banks - partners of Premier Tax Free and Global Blue Refund. Now only three Russian banks work with Tax Free: First Czech-Russian Bank (FCRB) (works only with Premier Tax Free), SMP Bank (works with both Premier Tax Free and Global Blue) and Master Bank (works with Global Blue Refund ).

Until recently, VTB Bank also carried out Tax Free refunds, but since 2011 it stopped working with the system, which significantly reduced the options for choosing VAT refund points in Russia.

Tax Free refund in Moscow or St. Petersburg is easy to make. You need to contact one of the branches of the partner banks of the system, provide Tax Free checks (there must be customs marks of the country where you made the purchase), with the help of a bank manager, draw up and sign an application and receive money at the checkout. Moreover, it is not at all necessary to do this immediately after arrival - Tax Free checks can be brought to the bank within several months from the date of purchase, depending on the country in which you purchased the goods.

For example, for Tax Free checks from Austria, Spain, Ireland and the UK, there is no expiration date. For other countries, checks are most often valid for no more than 2 or 3 months.

If you return Tax Free through a bank, you cannot get back the entire amount of tax paid, as the bank will charge you a commission for carrying out conversion operations. The amount of the commission in FCRB is fixed - 2.5 euros for a Tax Free check, and in SMP Bank and Master Bank the commission depends on the amount of the return - from 1 to 3%. For large refunds (usually more than 100 euros), it will take up to 3 days for the bank to conduct an additional check of your checks - only after this check will you be able to receive cash.

Most international flights pass through the airports of Moscow and St. Petersburg, so you can check the addresses of the nearest Tax Free bank branches in advance and plan your route in such a way as to visit one of them. If your trip abroad does not involve visiting Moscow or St. Petersburg, but in your city there are branches of Master Bank, SMP Bank or Perovoy Czech-Russian Bank, then you can contact one of them and clarify the possibility of Tax Free refund on the spot. In addition, you can always issue a power of attorney and ask someone else to receive your cash.

Thus, the Tax Free refund process is not at all complicated if you prepare for it in advance - clarify the limits on the purchase amount for the country you visit, plan your budget and allocate your time. As a rule, you need to spend no more than 15 minutes when making a purchase and another 15-20 minutes at the airport or customs.

If you have your own Tax Free refund experience, please share it with others in the comments to the article.

Tax Free Global Blue Refund refund offices around the world: http://www.globalblue.ru/customer-services/tax-free-shopping/refund-points/

Tax Free refund offices in Moscow: http://www.globalblue.ru/customer-services/tax-free-shopping/refund-points/-moscow-1/

Tax Free refund offices in St. Petersburg: http://www.globalblue.ru/customer-services/tax-free-shopping/refund-points/--st-petersburg/

Tax Free Calculator: http://www.globalblue.ru/customer-services/tax-free-shopping/refund-calculator/?

Premier Tax Free official website: http://www.premiertaxfree.com/ru/index.php/tourist

Official website of Global Blue Refund: http://www.globalblue.ru

Do not forget to return VAT and "recapture" part of the money. How to get money through the Tax Free system quickly and without too much fuss, read in our life hack.

What is Tax Free and why can it be returned?

Even if you were expelled from Narxoz in disgrace, you know that all goods in the store are subject to value added tax (VAT or VAT - Value Added Tax). In each country, citizens and tax residents pay it, but tourists are not required to pay. Since convincing the seller that you are a tourist, and therefore you have to pay a quarter less, is not very effective (unless, of course, you are in), then, leaving the country, you can return VAT in a civilized manner. And this, for a moment, is from 3% to 33% of the cost of goods.

To bring all returns to a common denominator, there are international companies that deal with VAT refunds - Global Blue, Premier Tax Free (elite brands like Christian Dior, Gian Franco Ferre, Yves Saint Laurent), Tax Free Worldwide, Litofolija Tax Free (in the territory Lithuania). Most likely, you will deal with Global Blue - it is a confident dominant in the returns market. Therefore, we will concentrate on it.

There are three ways to receive your money with Global Blue: in cash at the Global Blue ticket office at the train station or at the airport, to a bank card or pick up at a bank in your country. By the way, VAT cannot be refunded on items you ordered from Ali Express, Asos, or your favorite online store abroad. If you shop in Poland, then remember - you can not return the tax for the provision of services and fuel. In Lithuania they do not give Tax Free for alcohol and tobacco. Only in Spain and Turkey are they ready to refund VAT for everything.

What do you need to do in the store to get money?

In order to issue Tax Free, you need to purchase a certain amount (in one check). The minimum differs from country to country. For example, in Lithuania you need to make purchases for € 55, in Poland - € 70 (PLN 300), and in Germany € 25 is generally enough. Check the amount of purchases and returns on the Global Blue website - everything is very clear there.

Look for the Global Blue sticker on the store doors and at the checkout. Do not be too lazy to ask the employee if the store is included in this program, if there is no sticker - believe me, the benefit is worth it. When paying for a purchase, do not forget to ask for the Tax Free form - you fill it out yourself. In the form, indicate the passport number, first and last name, home address with zip code, country of residence and e-mail. The form must be signed. Don't forget to show your passport! If you screw up at this step, the money will definitely not be returned. The Tax Free check must be issued on the same day as the invoice.

What to do with Tax Free at the border?

At the border, ask the customs officer to put a personal stamp on the Tax Free check. If you are leaving the EU, you will need a customs stamp from the last EU country you are leaving. By the way, if you are traveling to Belarus on a scheduled trip, there will most likely not be a stop for Tax Free.

You also need to “stamp” documents in a timely manner: if you export purchases from Lithuania, Germany, Poland, Italy, Holland or England - within three months, from France or the Czech Republic - six months, but you can print on receipts and documents from Austria or Spain put at any time.

Customs will stamp you only on unused purchases in factory packaging. If you decide to issue a return on purchases from the grocery store, be prepared that you will have to present everything to the last candy.

Please note: the stamp from the border has an expiration date. For example, if you want to return VAT on goods from Poland, Lithuania, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy or France, you need to turn around 3 months in advance.

How and when to withdraw money?

There are three options to return everything due.
1. The option is fast. Collect money at the airport at Tax Free Cash Refund. You will need a Tax Free receipt with a shop receipt and a passport. Look for such a return point near the Duty Free store - you can also successfully drain all the savings there. Check the full list of return points on the company's website.
2. Option optimal. Collect money upon arrival in Belarus. VAT refund is done by Technobank - already in three places. Be sure to bring the original documents - copies will not work.
3. Hypothetical option. Seal the documents (Tax Free check and check from the store) in a special Global Refund envelope (if it was given to you in the store) and put it in the mailbox. In this case, the money goes to the card, the account number (usually 16 digits) of which you indicate in the documents. The address to which you need to send Tax Free checks is indicated on the Tax Free check, on the envelope issued by the store where the purchase was made, or on the official website of the company issuing Tax Free checks. Return time - 45 days. Such a system does not work in all countries - for example, it exists in Lithuania, but not in Poland.

In Technobank, they must return the entire amount indicated on the check. The only thing is that since recently, Global Blue itself has been charging a fee of € 1 (if you plan to return more than € 10). If you intend to collect cash at the airport, you will have to pay from € 3 commission (depending on the specific airport). Payments are made in the currency of the country where there is a return point, or in US dollars.

Can they refuse?

In some cases, you still may not get your money back. True, the likelihood of such a situation is minimal. The most common mistake that the bank will turn you away from is incorrectly issued checks or a large number of corrections in them. Among seasoned "returnees" of the VAT, there is a tale that instead of the surname and name, the holders of a Lithuanian visa often write "Sengeno valstybės" ("Schengen countries") on their checks. In any case, the documents should be carefully reviewed for errors - minor edits can be made on top, but with significant corrections, the chance of getting a refund tends to zero. Especially when it comes to passport data.

Another possible reason to stay with the nose is the wrong dates indicated on the Tax Free check. If they are ahead of the dates stamped on the cash receipt, you will not see a return.
Well, it’s banal: Tax Free checks are valid only with a customs stamp - you don’t even have to go to the bank without it, you’ll only waste time. The stamp must clearly read the date and name of the checkpoint. If the seal came out so-so, ask the customs officer to slam it again: believe me, it will not be lost from him, but from you - maybe completely, if the bank does not sort out the mark. But of course we believe in you. Everything will work out!

A photo: www.shopforgoodness.com, www.fortytravels.com, www.appletozebra.com

The cost of most goods includes value added tax (VAT). In Russia, it is 18% and goes to the state. There is also VAT abroad, but you are not required to pay it because you are not a local taxpayer. VAT is charged automatically on every purchase. You can get your taxes back. This system is called "tax free" (tax free). There are more than 10 tax free companies in the world. We will talk about how this system works, using the example of the largest of them - Global blue.

Where and how much can I return?

Tax free can be returned for purchases in about 50 countries around the world. Usually taxes are refunded by stores of all major international brands. At the checkout of such stores there is a sticker with the words "Tax Free", and at the entrance to the store - "VAT refund". If there is no sticker, then ask the seller about this possibility.

Only those who made a purchase for a certain amount, which differs in each country, can receive a tax refund. Here is a list of popular countries:

Country	Minimum purchase price	How much will be returned
Great Britain	30 pounds
Germany	25 euro	Products and books - 7%, the rest - 19%
Greece	50 euro	17% or 24% (depending on the city)
Israel	400 shekels
Spain	90.16 euros
Italy	154.95 euros	Products - 4–10%, clothes and other goods - 22%
Netherlands	50 euro	Products - 6%, other goods - 21%
Thailand	2000 baht
Turkey	100 Turkish Lira	8% or 18% (depending on goods)
Finland	40 euro	4%, 10% or 14% (depending on products)
France	EUR 175.01	For some goods - 2.1%, food and books - 5.5%, medicines - 10%, other goods - 20%

When paying for goods, you will be asked for a foreign passport, the details of which will be recorded on a special form. Save it along with the check and the envelope (this will also be given).

To calculate the refund amount, you can use .

How to get tax free?

Money can be returned in 4 ways:

1. At the airport

Arrive at the airport no later than three hours before departure. If you arrive in two hours, then there is a risk of not having time to do everything.

Do not check in your purchased items as luggage, go to customs first. There you should put a stamp on receipts and checks from stores. You may be asked to show purchases. Only after that you can send the suitcases in the luggage. At the same time, in some countries (for example, in Italy), you can get a stamp only after checking in for a flight. Therefore, there are 2 customs offices at Fiumicino Airport - before and after passport control. Keep this in mind and take the purchased items in your hand luggage.

If you want to get cash, then after passing through passport control you need to find a Cash refund or Tax refund office. There you give a check and a receipt - in exchange they will give you money.

It may turn out that the office will be closed, then you need to fill out a form to transfer money to your bank account. The application, checks and receipt must be packed in an envelope that was given to you in the store (it already has all the necessary stamps and an address), and put in a mailbox next to the office.Before sending the documents, the Global blue tax free system operator advises you to make a copy of them and write down the individual number (DOC ID) of each Tax Free form. This number can be tracked return on the company's website.

The money will be transferred within 10-30 days.

2. In the city

There are also return points in the cities. You can find their addresses . The algorithm of actions is the same as at the airport: show the documents and the purchase and receive the money. In this case, when leaving the country, it is imperative to put a stamp at customs and send documents by mail. If documents are not received within 21 days of purchase, your credit card (which will be asked at the time of the refund) will be charged a penalty.

3. At the border (if you are traveling by train or car)

You need to put a customs seal when leaving the country (if you are in Europe, then at the border of the last country). At the point of departure or at the station, there may also be a Cash refund or Tax refund point, where a cash refund of taxes is issued. If you did not find these items, then just put a stamp on customs. Taxes will be returned after returning home.

4. In Russia

If you did not have time to receive cash or fill out an application with a refund to the card, then after returning to Russia you can send an envelope with a check and a receipt to the address indicated on the envelope or check tax free . There you need to specify the data of a bank card for transferring money. You can also contact the Bank Intesa, which deals with the return tax free.

Important Details

• Can't get tax free for services, for example: for paying for a hotel, car rental, restaurant bills, etc. Also, goods purchased in other countries of the world via the Internet do not fall under the return.
• Purchased goods must be packaged. If you use the item, then the refund may be refused.
• A commission may be charged for the registration of tax-free - a fixed amount or a percentage of the return. Also, an additional 3-5% can be debited if money is transferred from one currency to another.
• Right to tax free have only non-citizens of the state. If you have a residence permit or pay taxes in this state, you cannot claim a refund.
• If you forgot to stamp your check tax free , it can be delivered at the consulate of the country. However, this requires agreement with the company that issued the check, and a fee (for example, $20) may apply.

Every day, thousands of tourists shop around the world. For small trinkets and souvenirs, as a rule, they pay several times more than they actually cost. This is not surprising, because tourists want to keep the memory of an unforgettable vacation, so they are willing to shell out decent amounts of money for even the most useless things. However, not everyone knows that today there is a system for returning part of the cost of the purchased product. More precisely, this is a tax that in different countries of the world is added to the initial cost of a particular thing. However, it can be up to 20%. It is this part that the tourist can get back.

This procedure is called "Tax Free". In Moscow and other cities, tourists can recover part of the cost of the purchase without any hassle. However, not everyone knows what is needed for this. Let's consider this procedure in more detail. Let's find out where you can get "Tax Free" in Moscow, at the airport or at the border.

What is Tax Free

"Tax Free" is an international VAT refund system in case the tourist made rather large purchases outside his country. This is logical, because a foreigner is not required to pay taxes in the country where he stays for only a few weeks.

Where can I get "Tax Free" in Moscow? Today, there are many collection points, the largest of which are Global Blue Refund, which has opened more than 270 thousand VAT refund offices, and Premier Tax Free. The points of the latter are also located in most major cities of Russia, including the capital.

For example, where can I get "Tax Free" from "Premier" in Moscow? To do this, you need to contact the bank, which is a partner of this organization. Today, the Czech-Russian Bank cooperates with Premier Tax Free. Also, two more organizations work with both systems ("Premier" and "Global Blue"): "Master-Bank" and "SMP Bank". By contacting them, the tourist can get back part of the money spent. At the same time, their size will depend on the VAT of the country in which the purchases were made.

Basic conditions

To qualify, a tourist must meet certain requirements:

• Do not be a citizen of the state in which he previously made purchases.
• The amount of all purchases must exceed a certain limit (depending on the host country).
• Purchases must be made exclusively in stores that have a VAT refund system.

If the tourist meets these requirements, then he can apply to the "Czech-Russian Bank" at the address: Lobachevsky street, house 27. The branch is open until 18:00 during the week and until 17:00 on weekends. You can also visit the "Master Bank", located on the street Nizhnyaya Syromyatnicheskaya, house 1/4. In addition, tourists can receive a refund at the SMP Bank branch at 71 Sadovnicheskaya Street. .

To get "Tax Free" in Moscow, it is worth understanding the sequence of actions that must be performed to return part of the money.

Buying a product

Before purchasing a product, you should check with the seller whether they are partners of the Tax Free system. This can also be indicated by a corresponding sticker, which can be found next to the cash register in the store.

When purchasing goods, you must show the seller your travel passport or a copy of it and ask him to fill out the required form. The seller must enter in the buyer's data and attach a sales receipt to the paper. After that, the purchases will be assigned a special code, by which it will be possible to clarify the status of the expected VAT payment. Then it remains to go through customs and determine where to get Tax Free in Moscow. Let's consider in more detail.

Customs clearance

Before going through customs, the tourist must tell the staff about his intention to receive a chargeback. After that, the customs officer puts the appropriate mark on the check. If the tourist forgets about this stamp, then it will not be possible to receive a chargeback.

Is it possible to return Tax Free at the airport

Being in the international zone, the tourist can find Tax Free return points. As a rule, offices that carry out such operations usually indicate Cash Refund or Tax Refund.

If you can’t get Tax Free from Global in Moscow or another city due to the fact that the tourist lives in a region where there are no corresponding pick-up points, then you should wander around the airport and look for Premium or Global offices. In this case, the cashier will issue the chargeback immediately.

To receive non-cash funds on a debit card, you must fill out a special application in which you need to enter your details. However, it should be borne in mind that in this case it will be possible to receive payment only a few months after the execution of this document.

If there is no time for this procedure, and the tourist is late for the next plane, there is another way to receive VAT on purchases. To do this, just ask a customs officer or a Tax Free representative for a special envelope on which the Global Blue logo will be indicated. It will be necessary to enclose all checks and forms issued at customs and in the store. After that, it will be enough to send the envelope by mail to the office of the company. In this case, you will not have to puzzle over where to get Tax Free from Global Blue in Moscow, since the money will be credited directly.

We return Tax Free in Russia

Tourists are not always able to quickly find their way at the airport during a transfer to another flight. In this case, in Moscow or another city, it is enough to visit banks that cooperate with the international system (they were discussed above) and receive a chargeback.

It is worth paying attention to one important nuance. Some argue that you can get Tax Free at VTB-24 branches. In fact, this is outdated information. This bank did indeed make such payments before, but this practice was suspended in 2011.

When contacting a bank branch that actually issues money for purchases, you must provide employees with checks with customs marks, a passport and a foreign passport. After that, the necessary application is filled out, and the tourist receives money at the checkout. The procedure takes about 15 minutes.

However, it should be borne in mind that when receiving funds through a bank, you will have to pay a commission for the transaction. Its size depends on the specific bank. For example, in the FCRB, the commission is 2.5 euros for 1 check. Upon receipt of a chargeback in the "Master-Bank" or "SMP" will be withheld from 1% to 3% of the total amount of the payment.

If the chargeback amount is more than 100 euros, the procedure may take up to 3 days. This is necessary so that bank employees check the accuracy of all data.

What to do for those who travel by car

If tourists travel around Europe in a private car, they can also count on a VAT refund. In this case, it is enough to present checks and other papers when crossing the EU border. However, when visiting several countries at once, some travelers get confused on this issue.

Suppose a tourist travels to Russia from Germany, while crossing the borders of Hungary or Austria. In this case, he must put a stamp on the check at the customs not of the country in which he made purchases, but at the last border point before the Russian Federation.

Quite often there are Tax Free points at the border. They can also receive cash immediately.

If the tourist is traveling by train

Some travelers choose the romance of the railway. At European railway stations there are points for issuing cash by checks, but sometimes it is difficult to find them.

It is much more convenient to contact the local customs office and provide its employees with a passport, train tickets and checks. In this case, it will be possible to obtain the necessary stamp on the documents.

Some trains have Tax Free employees who work directly on the road.

If the tourist travels by sea

If travelers choose a ferry as their means of transport, they must contact the customs office of the port of departure before departure. There you can get the necessary stamp or find a Cash Refunds point of issue.

Healthy

If a tourist wants to get Tax Free, one important nuance should be taken into account: do not put off the VAT refund on the back burner. The fact is that the validity of checks is limited depending on the country in which the purchases were made. Therefore, it is recommended that you contact your bank or chargeback office no later than 3 months from the date of purchase. It should also be borne in mind that the bank may delay the transfer, so the best option is to visit the cash dispensing branch within a few weeks after returning to your home country.