Does Sberbank return tax free. What are tax-free checks? Return of tax-free at the point of issue of any country

We refund money for purchases from 25 euros when traveling around Europe and the world. And we don't pay taxes.

Tax Free is an international value added tax (VAT) refund system. Travelers shopping abroad do not have to pay this part of the cost of goods and services because they are not residents of other countries. VAT on goods purchased on foreign trips can be refunded. As a rule, it is reimbursed from purchases for a certain amount in one store (or shopping center) on the same day. You can return from 3 to 20 percent or more. Understanding all this is not easy. Yes, and there may not be time. As a result, you lose money. We recommend preparing for the Tax Free refund in advance. Then it will be easy to arrange it.

What else you need to know about Tax Free

The system operates worldwide, but is best developed in Europe. In addition to European countries, the tax can be refunded, for example, in Turkey, Israel, Argentina, South Africa, Singapore, Mexico and other countries. Each of them sets the minimum amount that you need to spend in order to return VAT. There may be several goods, but they should be paid with one check. Some large department stores and malls, such as London's Harrods or Spain's El Corte Inglés, count as one store.

So the minimum amount in Italy is 155 €, in Greece - 120 €, in Spain - 90 €, in Lithuania - 48 €, in Germany - 25 €. The amount of VAT also differs from country to country and from one product group to another. However, the amount of tax does not mean that you will receive exactly this share of the amount spent. The operator company that helps to return the funds will take its percentage. The approximate cost of the return can be calculated on the website of one of the operators - the Swedish company Global Blue. Further, we will talk mainly about her.

It is the largest Tax Free refund company in the world. Based in Sweden. Its offices (points of return) are located in 37 countries. In second place is the Irish Premier Tax Free (20 offices). There are several other companies, for example, the Spanish trading house El Corte Inglés has its own Tax free system. Partly you decide who to return the money from, partly it's a matter of chance. Stickers are pasted on the doors and shop windows, as well as at the cash registers - they can be used to determine where which operator is. Global Blue cooperates with 300,000 stores around the world. In Barcelona there are 90% of them. That is a lot of shops. If there is no sticker - ask.

How to make purchases

Food and non-food products are considered separately - they cannot be “mixed” in the check, it is better to purchase goods from one of the groups up to the minimum amount, even if we are talking about 1 euro.

After paying for purchases at the checkout, ask the seller to issue Tax Free. In a small store, this will happen there. There are special counters in shopping centers. You will be asked to fill out a short form, which will contain all the information about the return: date of purchase, your passport details, home address with zip code, store details. An example of filling out the Global Blue form can be found here. You will need a passport or a copy of it (mandatory). All information must be triple checked. An error in a letter or number can cause a refusal at the next stages of the return - do not relax, there are several more.

Another, slightly faster way is the Global Blue personalized card (SHOP TAX FREE Card). It will have all your data on it. The seller counts them from the card and prints out the completed form. In order to issue a card, register on the operator's website. Previously, the cards were plastic - they were delivered by regular mail. From December 13, 2016, Global Blue issues only virtual cards. It can be shown to the seller directly on the smartphone. But regular cards still work. It is important to remember that each card is individual. It cannot be transferred to another person, even close relatives.

What happens next: In some European countries, purchases are sometimes sealed with a special tape. The Tax Free receipt along with the check will be glued on top. In this case, it is better not to open the purchase. However, even if they were not sealed, it is not worth unpacking the boxes (or carrying things) before returning home. The tax can only be refunded on goods that have not been used in the EU. For information on other countries, check in stores or on the Global Blue website in the "FAQ" section.

In addition, not all goods can be returned Tax Free. The “returnable” categories include all manufactured goods: clothing, shoes, jewelry, household items, watches, household and electronic equipment.

To "non-returnable": alcohol and tobacco, medicines, weapons, antiques, books and souvenirs, food, as well as various services. The exact lists of goods and services differ from country to country. Or the refund amount for individual groups will be lower than for popular clothes, shoes and equipment. For example, VAT in Poland for medicines is only 8% instead of 23% for other groups of goods.

Tax Free can also be returned for purchases in online stores.

What to do at customs

At customs at the airport (or train station), check in for your flight, but do not rush to check in your luggage. In the customs service, the Tax Free receipt and checks from stores must be stamped. This is a very important point - without seals, they will not be considered valid, wherever you turn with them later. So you confirm the export of goods from the country. Customs officers may ask you to show your purchases - therefore, they cannot be checked in as luggage, as well as unpacked. You should apply for Tax Free in the European Union only once in the last country, before flying home, or in a third country outside the EU if you are traveling in several countries.

At major airports, customs can be located anywhere - arrive a few hours in advance. Another reason to take your time is long queues during the tourist season or the sales season. There may be many people who want to return VAT, and you simply will not have time to go through all the stages of the return. At the same time, travelers agree that it is more difficult to issue Tax Free at night than during the day - there may not be employees at customs, and in general there are fewer departures at night.

It is necessary to stamp the Tax Free form filled in the store within a certain period of time from the date of purchase, depending on the country. Somewhere this period is small, somewhere - impressive. In Italy, the Czech Republic and Lithuania - three months, in France - six months, in Germany and Spain - four and five years, respectively. This means that during this time the goods must leave the country once they have been purchased. A stamped receipt is also valid for a certain time: from a month (in Switzerland) to infinity (in Spain and Austria), but in most European countries - three months. During this period, you are entitled to a refund. Read on for how to do this.

How to receive the money

There are three main ways and one unexpected:

1. At the airport at the return points of the operator- they are located after passing inspection and customs. They must include representatives of the tax operator. Money is returned in cash or to a card account. If you choose the first option, then the Global Blue service fee will be from 3% and the total amount will be less than in the store receipt. If the second - without it. Money is returned in the currency of the purchase, or in US dollars. If you bought in euros and returned in dollars, you will be charged a commission again. Therefore, it is more profitable to return funds not in cash, but on a card and in the currency of purchase - your bank will make the conversion itself (if necessary).

2. Self mail. To do this, put the Tax Free form with a check in a special envelope of the operator (ask at the store) - it should also be stamped by customs. Drop the envelope in the box at the same return point, or send it by regular mail from your home country. This method is suitable for those who, for some reason, did not get to the operator after customs - they arrived at the airport late, or did not want to stand in line. The return address is printed on the check, on the envelope and on the Global Blue website.

3. In a bank that cooperates with operators. For Global Blue, this is Intesa Bank. In Russia, a refund can be made in four cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Pskov and Kaliningrad. As in the first case, Global Blue will charge a service fee of a few percent for a cash refund. It is more profitable to return to the card. Terms of transfers are standard: 3-5 working days.

Unexpected. In rare cases, Tax Free are ready to return in the store immediately after the purchase and filling out the form. But it will still need to be stamped at customs and the form sent from home by mail back to the store to confirm that the goods have been exported. If you do not do this within the prescribed period, your card will be debited in the amount of the amount that has already been returned to you. This also applies to online purchases, but after the goods leave the country. For example, you spend 100 euros, export the goods (put stamps on the border), confirm the fact of export, the funds are returned to the card.

What prevents the return

Subject to all other conditions, they may refuse if you have completed the documents incorrectly: you made mistakes in the Tax Free receipt or did not stamp at customs. Fill out the form should be clean - without a lot of corrections.

The same applies to the customs seal - the name of the checkpoint should be read on it - this is important if you return money through a bank in your home country. Bank employees should read its name.

Another likely reason for rejection is incorrect dates. The Tax Free form and cash receipt must be issued on the same day. However, there are exceptions to this rule. For example, in Spain, purchases in the same store on different days are summed up. In Germany, goods under the same brand are also counted as one receipt. It is impossible to learn the tax rules of all countries. In order not to get confused - find out about the return conditions in each specific country (store and each Tax Free operator) before making purchases.

Finally, you will definitely not be able to return the money for Tax Free if you are a tax resident of this country.

Travelers making purchases abroad can get some of the money back under the Tax Free system. But not everything is so simple. Countries set minimum amounts for purchases and generally prohibit the summation of different checks, and you have to queue at customs to document the export of goods. We figured out the intricacies of Tax Free registration and learned from travelers how it happens in practice.

What it is

Tax Free is an international value added tax (VAT) refund system for tourists who make purchases abroad and do not have to pay taxes there. There may be several goods, but they should be paid with one check. Food and non-food items are considered separately. Some large department stores and shopping centers, such as London's Harrods, count as one store. The conditions of Tax Free in a particular place can be clarified on the website or from the seller before buying.

The system operates in 50 countries of the world - in particular, the tax can be returned in the EU countries, Turkey, Israel, Argentina, South Africa, Singapore and Mexico. Each state sets a minimum amount that must be spent in order to recover VAT. In Italy it is 155 euros, in Greece - 120 euros, in Spain - 90 euros, in Lithuania - 48 euros, in Germany - 25 euros. The amount of the tax also varies from country to country. It should also be borne in mind that the operating company is responsible for tax refunds, which takes a commission for this. The largest player in the market is the Swedish Global Blue, there is also the Irish Premier Tax Free and other smaller companies. You can find out the name of the Tax Free operator by the sticker in the store or by asking the sellers.

As a result, having bought goods for 200 euros, in Spain you can return 22 euros, in the Netherlands - 21 euros, and in Italy - 25 euros (there is a calculator for calculation).

How to receive the money

Arkady Guinness

director of development OneTwoTrip

After paying for purchases at the checkout, ask the seller to issue Tax Free. In a small store, this will happen there. There are special counters in shopping centers. There you will have to carefully fill out the form: an error in a letter or number may cause a refund to be refused. Sometimes it is more convenient to use a special Tax Free operator card, where all the information is already there. In Europe, purchases with Tax Free are sometimes sealed with a special tape, you should not tear it off and unpack the boxes.

On the way back, arrive at the airport a few hours before the flight, check in, but do not rush to check in your luggage. You will have to stand in line at the customs office to stamp your Tax Free receipt and checks from shops. Customs officers may ask you to show your purchases, so they cannot be checked in. Tax Free in the European Union should be issued only once in the last country. Please note that different countries have set different time limits for exporting goods and putting customs stamps on them (from three months in Italy and the Czech Republic to five years in Spain).

After that, you have approximately three months to return the money. They can be collected in cash from the operator's kiosks (Tax Free Cash Refund), usually located near customs. The commission is from 3%, the money is returned in national currency. To get money into your account, you need to put the Tax Free form with a check in a special envelope of the operator (ask at the store) - it should also be stamped by customs. The envelope can be dropped into a box at the return point or mailed from home to the address of the operator. In some cities, you can return Tax Free to your account by contacting the bank with which the particular operator cooperates.

In rare cases, Tax Free are ready to return in the store immediately after the purchase and filling out the form. But it will still need to be stamped at customs and sent from home by mail back to the store. If you do not do this within the specified time, the returned money will be deducted from your card.

When You Can't Get a Tax Refund

Non-returnable goods include alcohol and tobacco, medicines, weapons, antiques, books and souvenirs, food, and various services. The exact lists differ in each country. In addition, Tax Free cannot be refunded for purchases in online stores.

Corrections in the form, illegible customs stamps, incorrect dates can interfere with the refund (as a rule, the Tax Free form must be filled out on the day of purchase, but in Iceland and Germany, purchases in the same store on different days can be summarized).

People who have a residence permit, work permit, or simply live longer than three to six months in the country of purchase cannot receive a refund for Tax Free.

How much did you get back from purchases?

Evgeny Vasenev

UX designer

I returned Tax Free to a camera in Singapore through Global Blue. The camera is expensive - 4,222 Singapore dollars (or 3,100 US dollars). Therefore, the tax refund turned out to be significant - 182 US dollars (rate - 7%). I searched for information on the Internet, contacted the store and clarified whether they make a return. When buying, they asked me for a passport, which I didn’t have with me, but the scan helped out. I was given a brochure detailing where and how to get a refund: it even has an airport map so as not to look for a Tax Free point. In Singapore, the kiosk is electronic, you can do everything yourself. I scanned the receipt and passport, chose the method of return: cash or credit card - very convenient, no need to change the local currency to dollars. It all took about ten minutes. Ten days later I have to return the money to the card. Upset only a large commission. My refund is $30.

What seemed unusual: in Singapore, not all goods are checked, but my camera was checked: it was in my backpack, it was unpacked, I had been using it for several days. But they did not check much - they just looked, and that's it. The check was already after customs, in the transit zone.

Elena Sergeeva

organizer of the festival "Traveling"

Once I applied for Tax Free for clothes and shoes in Spain. The refund amount should have been around 30–40 euros. I don’t remember the company, but it definitely wasn’t Global Blue, the kiosks were red, not blue. To return, it was necessary to fill out a questionnaire, attach a receipt and a check, put it all in a special envelope and throw it into a box at the counter - all this took about five minutes.

But in the end, the money was not returned (although other passengers warned me right away that this company did not send anything, I decided to try my luck - and, as it turned out, in vain). I have never met representatives of this company anywhere, they usually have “silent” pick-up points with boxes, apparently so that no one has any questions. I didn’t try to contact them, because it’s not clear where to write, I didn’t have any contacts left. Now I issue Tax Free mainly through Global Blue - I receive cash at the airport or in Russia.

The Soviet era of total deficit has long passed. Domestic counters literally "groan" from imported abundance. The era is gone, but the harmful bacillus that prompts our compatriots to look for exclusive gizmos in the West has taken root in our minds forever. And it doesn't matter that you have to overpay for this "exclusive" (which has ceased to be such for 20 years already). Do the math: air tickets, visas, hotels, transfers - all this eventually translates into solid numbers. Maybe that's why (in order to sweeten the expensive pill), the leadership of the EU countries came up with for the Russians, Chinese, Japanese TAX FREE?

And the EU leadership is also making sure that we remember for a long time the long tails of queues “for something” in the beautiful Soviet era. After all, it is almost impossible to get a refund after shock shopping in Italy without tedious waiting. But, jokes aside, our story is on a serious topic. So…

Dedicated to all Russians shopping in Italy...

What is TAX FREE?

International VAT refund system for non-EU residents. This means that Russians (Chinese, Arabs, Japanese) who make a trip to Italian shops can alleviate the bitterness of losing their money by returning a small percentage.

What is the refund amount?

In different countries, the percentage of TAX FREE is different. Tax-free in Italy - 22%. It's official. In fact, its value varies greatly. Shops enter into unfavorable contracts for tourists with intermediaries, which we will talk about later. As a result, a Russian citizen receives 11-13% instead of 22%. The exception is exclusive stores (jewelry, fur). In them, the returned amount sometimes reaches several thousand euros.

Minimum purchase value

The total amount of purchases is over 155 €. They must be completed during the day and certainly in one store, less often - in one trading house. For example, Milan Center La Rinascente at the Global Blue office issues a common tax free invoice for all purchases in different boutiques.

Which stores provide Tax Free?

We noticed shop windows, on the glasses of which there is a logo or global blue, or Tax refund or Premier Tax Free- that way. There are more than 18,000 such outlets in Italy.

How to ask the seller about Tax Free?

After selecting the product and going to the checkout, say: "Tax Free, Perfavore". Say the phrase before making a purchase.

What documents are required?

Personally with you - a passport. For large purchases, branded equipment (for example, Apple) without a passport, a discount will not be issued.

The store must issue:

• Fattura- a special invoice, which indicates: the amount of the purchase (as in the check) and the amount of the return (without this figure, the customs officers will not put the necessary stamp). Sellers can fill in your personal data themselves or ask you to do so.

Return methods

1. In the city before leaving.
2. At the airport of Rome, Milan, Naples, Rimini, Verona, Pisa, Bologna.
3. In Moscow.

Return in the city

Without waiting for the return flight, you can return the tax free at the city offices of the return points. A list of Global Blue offices is available at globalblue.ru. The list of TAX Refund points is available at taxrefund.it. Going for money, grab:

1. Product.
2. fattura.
3. The passport.
4. Return ticket.
5. Credit card.

The tax-free return procedure looks like this. Employees, after checking the checks, pay money, while fixing the credit card data. You undertake, in turn, to send stamped checks to the address of the office in due time. Otherwise, the amount paid and a fine for non-fulfillment of the contract will be debited from the card.

Expensive fur and jewelry boutiques provide this service without intermediaries. This is the most favorable return for the buyer. Such stores return the maximum percentage (22%). That is, you buy a product "cleared" from value added tax (VAT).

For stamped checks in a branded envelope (it is issued with fattura), special boxes are installed at the airport. The envelope can be sent from Russia by mail, gluing the necessary stamps.

Standard return procedure at Italian airports

1. Take your boarding pass.
2. Approach the dogana (customs office) with documents (coupon, passport, checks, fattura) and with things bought in the country. Do not remove labels from products.
3. The customs officer, having checked the purchases and checks, puts a stamp.
4. Find points global blue, or Tax refund or Premier Tax Free and show stamped checks.
5. You receive money in cash or leave your credit card details, to which the entire amount will be transferred in 3-5 days.

Yaroslav, Petersburg:

“At the Rome airport (in January 2019) I left my card details. I waited 2 weeks in vain. I thought my blood was crying! It's good that I kept a piece of paper with a phone from Premier Tax Free. Called. I had to "roar" in Italian-English. Received mine after 3 weeks. Bad story."

Rome. Tax Free at Aeroporto di Fiumicino

There are 2 customs offices in the building. The first one is intended for passengers who wish to send items bought in Italy as luggage. Huge queues in which it is easy to lose 2 hours are 100% inevitable. The undoubted plus of this item is a superficial inspection of purchases.

Olga, Petrozavodsk:

“I once got TAX FREE by showing a used Naf Naf dress instead of a purchased Max Mara outfit.”

You will see the second dogana behind the store. Salvatore Ferragamo after going through passport control. This dogana has a procedure for those who “prefer to carry everything with them” rather than check it in as luggage. The queue here is small, but things are examined more carefully.

In front of this customs crowd of people at the window global blue. An immediate refund occurs in this window. Stock up on patience and time (the final step will take another 40 minutes).

Milan. Tax Free at Aeroporto di Milano - Malpensa

The first customs office (registration hall) checks checks more quickly than the point behind passport control. In the window Premier Tax Free(return) for some reason there are always fewer people than in the other two. Experienced shoppers in Milan know this and initially look for stores that have contracts with this intermediary firm. The return office opening hours can be found at airportmalpensa.com.

Vera, Tula:

“The worst airport in terms of money back! Active Arabs, disciplined Chinese visit Milan with the only mission - to collect more goods. Three-hour lines, noise, hassle. You don't wish it on your enemy! Passengers who are lost in lines are often called over the loudspeaker, and they drop everything and run to the plane.”

Rimini. Tax Free at Aeroporto di "Federico Fellini"

Map of Federico Fellini airport.

The customs office is located next to the check-in counters for aircraft flying to Russia. Customs officers are extremely picky: they open the boxes, check the letters on the shop receipt with the letters on the product label. The screening takes 20 (at least) minutes.

Cash points are located on the second floor. You need to get to them before going through passport control.

Moscow. Return Tax Free

In Moscow, a refund is carried out:

• First Czech-Russian Bank;
• SMP Bank;
• Intesa;
• Promsvyazbank;
• MDM Bank.

Payments may not be made by all Moscow branches of banks, therefore, before you go for blood money, call and specify the address of the desired branch. The checks you present must be stamped by Italian customs officials.

Do not forget!

• TAX FREE checks for Italian purchases are valid for 3 months. Make sure you meet this deadline!
• With each Fattura, upon receipt of cash, a commission is charged - 3 €.

farewell parable

At the planning meeting, the director of the holding instructs managers:
- Ask the client what he wants more: a discount or the product itself. If the discount is more important to him, offer the product for a triple price with a 50% markdown - let him rejoice!

Sometimes, when picking up goods worth more than 155 €, an excited customer does not notice that she is choosing an unnecessary item (skirt, trousers). At home, she sighs in disappointment: “Why did I grab this?”. Benefit as a result - zero. Don't make mistakes!