Which bank can I get tax free from? What is Tax Free: where and how can you get your money back?

Through tax free, a certain part of the cost of the product is reimbursed. The reimbursement algorithm is the same in all states that are participants in the Tax Free system. The difference lies only in the interest rate, the validity period of the check document and the cost of acquisition, which provides grounds for receiving this type of compensation.

The concept of "Tax Free"

Tax Free is a refund of indirect tax included in the price of a product or service and paid directly by the buyer in a situation where the purchase was made outside the home state. This is by no means a promotion or discount, contrary to popular belief. The basis of this procedure is pragmatic calculation.

States are interested in their products being actively exported. Without burdening foreigners with paying taxes, the state thereby stimulates citizens to make new acquisitions. This allows local production to grow without increasing the volume of surplus in the domestic market.

How to get Tax Free: return conditions

To return part of the amount from a product purchased in a foreign country, you need to prove the following:

• the buyer does not have citizenship of the country in which the purchase took place, as well as refugee status, the right to officially reside and work in this country;
• the period of stay in the country where the goods were purchased should not exceed three months;
• the amount for which the entire purchase was made, i.e. the lower limit of its cost, which makes it possible to count on receiving Tax Free, is established by countries based on individual legislation.

note

Most states do not tax food, tobacco, alcohol, jewelry, cars, or printed materials. Returns are not provided for purchases of designated types of products.

The system providing for this VAT compensationTax Free Shopping, used in the European Union, as well as in 20 other countries of the world, in particular:

• Belarus,
• Britain,
• Turkey,
• South Korea,
• in a number of other countries, to which Russia Not included.

Tax Free does not apply to purchases from online stores.

Stages of obtaining Tax Free

In order to be sure of the possibility of receiving part of the money back for it when purchasing a product, you need to pay attention to the following: those stores that are partners of the system have a special inscription on the door.

The algorithm for registering and receiving tax free in this case is as follows.

First stage. At the time of payment for the purchase, the seller must issue a special receipt confirming the right to Tax Free. Inside the paper, the full name of the buyer, the state and city in which the particular citizen lives are written in Latin letters, the date of purchase and its total cost are indicated.

note

For this procedure, the buyer must provide his or her passport.

Sometimes sellers only fill out the date and amount fields. In such conditions, the remaining items have to be filled out by the buyer himself in accordance with the data of his passport.

Purchased products must be kept in the same condition in which they were purchased until the buyer receives a refund. This applies to tags, labels, packaging, seals and other things.

Second phase. The tax refund procedure begins before returning to your home state, at the place of departure.

Important fact

This process may take a long time. NIt is strongly recommended to arrive at the departure point in advance.

Having arrived at the place (airport or train station), you must go through customs. If the purchase is in hand luggage, you need to go through the customs point before registration. If in luggage - after check-in, because It is more convenient to check in your luggage at the customs point.

The customs officer checks the purchase and its integrity, also looks at the receipt issued to the buyer, and compares the data in the receipt with the information in the international passport. Afterwards, he puts a stamp on the Tax Free receipt.

Third stage. You can receive your funds in the following ways:

note

Before closing the envelope, the payment instrument number must be indicated on the receipt. If this procedure is completed correctly, the money will arrive on the card within 8 weeks.

Travelers making purchases abroad can get part of their money back through the Tax Free system. But it's not that simple. Countries set minimum purchase amounts and generally prohibit the summing of different receipts, and in order to document the export of goods, you have to stand in line at customs. We figured out the intricacies of applying for Tax Free and learned from travelers how it actually happens.

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 must be paid for with one check. Food and non-food products are considered separately. Some large department stores and shopping centers, such as London's Harrods, count as one store. Tax Free conditions in a specific location can be clarified on the website or with the seller before purchasing.

The system operates in 50 countries of the world - in particular, the tax can be returned in the European Union, Turkey, Israel, Argentina, South Africa, Singapore and Mexico. Each state sets a minimum amount that must be spent to return 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 tax also varies from country to country. It is also worth considering that tax refunds are handled by the operating company, which charges 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 looking at the sticker in the store or by asking the sellers.

As a result, having purchased goods worth 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 Gines

Development Director at 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, which already contains all the information. In Europe, purchases with Tax Free are sometimes sealed with a special tape; you should not tear it off and unpack the boxes.

On your way back, arrive at the airport a few hours before your flight, check in, but do not rush to check in your luggage. You will have to stand in line at customs to get your Tax Free receipt and store receipts stamped. Customs officers may ask you to show your purchases, so they cannot be checked in as luggage. You should apply for Tax Free in the European Union only once in the latter country. Please note that different countries have different time periods within which goods can be exported and customs stamped (from three months in Italy and the Czech Republic to five years in Spain).

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

In rare cases, Tax Free is ready to return in the store immediately after purchasing 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 period, the refunded money will be debited 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 returned for purchases in online stores.

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

People who have a residence permit, work permit, or simply live longer than three to six months in the country where the purchase was made cannot return money under Tax Free.

How much did you get back from purchases?

Evgeniy Vasenev

UX designer

I returned Tax Free on my 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 looked for information on the Internet, contacted the store and asked if they do returns. When purchasing, they asked me for a passport, which I didn’t have with me, but a scan helped out. They gave me a brochure that describes in detail where and how to get a refund: it even has a map of the airport so you don’t have to look for a Tax Free item. In Singapore, the kiosk is electronic, you can do everything yourself. I scanned the receipt and passport, chose the return method: cash or credit card - very convenient, no need to change the local currency to dollars. Everything took ten minutes. In ten days they should return the money to my card. The only thing that upset me was the large commission. My refund is $30.

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

Elena Sergeeva

organizer of the festival "Travel Business"

I once applied for Tax Free on 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, you had to fill out a form, attach a receipt and check, put it all in a special envelope and throw it in 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 does not send anything, I decided to try my luck - and, as it turned out, in vain). I have never met representatives of this company; they usually have “silent” collection 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 don’t have any contacts left. Now I apply for Tax Free mainly through Global Blue - I receive it in cash at the airport or in Russia.

Don’t forget to return the VAT and “recapture” part of the money. How to get money using the Tax Free system quickly and without unnecessary fuss, read 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 should pay a quarter less, is not very effective (unless, of course, you are in), then when leaving the country, you can return the VAT in a civilized manner. And this, for a minute, is from 3% to 33% of the cost of the product.

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

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

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

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

Look for the blue Global Blue sticker on the store doors and at the checkout. Don’t be lazy to ask the employee if the store is included in this program, if there is no sticker - believe me, the benefits are worth it. When you pay for a purchase, do not forget to ask for the Tax Free form - you fill it out yourself. In the form, indicate your 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, you definitely won’t get your money back. 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 need a stamp from the customs office of the last EU country you are leaving. By the way, if you are traveling to Belarus on a regular bus, 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 checks and documents from Austria or Spain can be stamped deliver at any time.

You will only be given a stamp at customs for unused purchases in original packaging. If you decide to issue a return for purchases from a grocery store, be prepared that you will have to present every last piece of candy.

Please note: the border stamp 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 you owe.
1. Fast option. Collect money at the airport at the Tax Free Cash Refund point. You will need a Tax Free receipt with a store receipt and a passport. Look for such a return point near the Duty Free store - you can also successfully use all your savings there. Check the full list of return points on the company's website.
2. The optimal option. Collect money upon arrival in Belarus. Our VAT refund is provided by Technobank - in as many as three places. Be sure to bring original documents - copies will not be accepted.
3. The option is hypothetical. Seal the documents (Tax Free check and receipt from the store) in a special Global Refund envelope (if they gave it to you in the store) and put it in the mailbox. In this case, the money is transferred to the card whose account number (usually 16 digits) you indicate in the documents. The address to which Tax Free checks should be sent is indicated on the Tax Free check, on the envelope issued at the store where the purchase was made, or on the official website of the company issuing Tax Free checks. Return time is 45 days. This system does not work in all countries - for example, it exists in Lithuania, but not in Poland.

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

Can they refuse?

In some cases, you may still not get your money back. True, the likelihood of such a situation is minimal. The most common mistake due to which you will be turned away at the bank is incorrectly drawn up checks or a large number of corrections in them. Among experienced VAT returnees, there is a story that Lithuanian visa holders often have “Sengeno valstybės” (“Schengen countries”) written on their checks instead of their first and last names. In any case, the documents should be carefully reviewed for errors - minor changes can be made at the top, but with significant corrections the chance of getting a refund tends to zero. Especially if it concerns passport data.

Another possible reason for being left out is the incorrect dates indicated on the Tax Free check. If they are ahead of the dates punched in the cash receipt, you will not see a return.
Well, it’s trivial: Tax Free checks are only valid with a customs stamp - without it you don’t even have to go to the bank, you’ll just 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 won’t hurt him, but it could totally hurt you if the bank doesn’t make out the mark. But, of course, we believe in you. Everything will work out!

Photo: www.shopforgoodness.com, www.fortytravels.com, www.appletozebra.com

The price of most products includes value added tax (VAT). In Russia it is 18% and goes to state income. There is also VAT abroad, but you are not required to pay it because you are not a local taxpayer. VAT is automatically charged on every purchase. You can get your taxes paid back. This system is called “tax free”. There are more than 10 tax free operating 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 approximately 50 countries around the world. Typically, stores of all major international brands refund taxes. 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, ask the seller about this option.

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

When paying for goods, you will be asked for a foreign passport, the details of which will be recorded on a special form. Keep it along with the check and envelope (they will give you that too).

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 two hours in advance, there is a risk of not having time to do everything.

Do not put purchased items in your luggage; first go to customs. There you must have your receipts and receipts from stores stamped. You may be asked to show your purchases. Only after this can you put your suitcases in your luggage. However, in some countries (for example, Italy) you can get a stamp only after checking in for your flight. Therefore, at Fiumicino airport there are 2 customs offices - before passport control and after. Keep this in mind and take purchased items in your hand luggage.

If you want to get cash, then after going 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 the envelope that was given to you in the store (it already has all the necessary stamps and address) and placed in the mailbox near the office.Before sending documents, the operator of the tax free system, Global blue, advises making a copy of them and writing down the individual number (DOC ID) of each Tax Free form. This number can be used to track return on the company website.

The money will be transferred within 10–30 days.

2. In the city

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

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

You need to get a customs stamp when leaving the country (if you are in Europe, then at the border of the last country). At the departure point or at the train station there may also be a Cash refund or Tax refund point, where cash tax refunds are issued. If you do not find these items, then simply put a stamp at customs. You will get your taxes back after returning home.

4. In Russia

If you did not have time to receive cash or fill out an application for a refund to the card, then after returning to Russia you can send an envelope with a check and receipt to the address indicated on the envelope or check tax free . There you need to provide your bank card details to transfer money. You can also contact Banca Intesa, which handles refunds. tax free.

Important Details

• You can't get tax free for services, for example: payment for a hotel, car rental, restaurant bills, etc. Also, goods purchased in other countries of the world via the Internet are not eligible for return.
• Purchased goods must be packaged. If you use the item, you may be refused a refund.
• A commission may be charged for issuing a tax free service - a fixed amount or a percentage of the refund. Also, an additional 3-5% may be written off if money is transferred from one currency to another.
• Right to tax free only non-citizens of the state have. If you have a residence permit or pay taxes in this state, you cannot qualify for a refund.
• If you forgot to stamp a check tax free , it can be placed at the country's consulate. However, this requires approval from the company that issued the check and may incur a fee (for example, $20).

Tax free is a system for refunding value added tax to non-residents of the country in which the purchase was made. In one form or another, a tax free system exists in many countries, but most often Russian tourists are faced with refunds of part of the cost of purchases made in EU countries.

The right purchase

In order to receive a refund after crossing the Russian border, a number of conditions must be met when purchasing.

The first condition is that the store where you purchase the goods must be part of the tax-free system. This is usually announced - with a sticker at the entrance with the words Tax Free or a message (in one form or another) that the store operates in this system. If there is no such announcement (or you did not notice it), you can ask the cashier with a question.

The second condition is that you need to spend a large sum at a time (each country has its own minimum threshold). List of the most popular countries and their minimum threshold:

• Austria, Belarus – from 75 euros.
• UK - £30.
• Germany – 30 euros.
• Netherlands – 50 euros.
• Spain – 91 euros.
• Italy – 155 euros.
• Lithuania – 200 litas.
• Finland – 40 euros.
• France – from 175 euros.
• Estonia – 38 euros.

And third, be sure to issue a special check. It is issued by the cashier, cashier or salesperson at the buyer’s request. The product must be packaged and sealed - it cannot be used in the EU, otherwise you will not be able to cash a Tax Free check.

Example of a tax free check

Get a Tax Free refund at the airport

When passing through customs control (when leaving the country), you need to present your purchase and receipt to customs officers. The stamp placed at the border confirms that you are eligible to receive a refund.

The next step is to find a special window at the airport, which is called: Tax free. Usually it is located in not the most favorable places, for example, in one of the far corners. If your purchases are small, you don’t have to check them in as luggage. Or issue a refund using tax free checks before checking your items into your luggage. In some countries that are especially popular for shopping, there are huge queues at the refund window for purchases, so you need to time it correctly.

Money can be received not only in cash, but also to a bank card account by filling out a special application indicating its details. This method has its drawback - unlike cash, which is issued immediately, the transfer to the card is carried out within 60 days. This is due to the fact that the volume of returns under the tax free system is very large.

There is another, remote method of returning funds. You can contact the company manager Global Blue Refund with a request to issue a letterhead and a postal envelope. In the envelope you will need to include checks with a customs stamp, a completed return form, your bank card details, and also leave contact information (email and phone number). Having received the envelope, the employees of this company will process the transfer, and if they have any questions, they will contact you at the specified phone number or address.

Refunds on Tax Free checks in Russia

Where can I get tax free if I couldn’t do it at the airport? Or did you cross the border by car, bus or train? Receiving a refund is possible not only at the airport, but also in Russia.

There are 7 tax free systems in total; in Russia you can receive a refund by check from any of them: Global Blue Tax Free, Premier Tax Free, Tax Free Worldwide, Innova Tax free, La Caixa, El Corte Ingles and New Tax Free.

The most popular system is Global Blue. In Moscow You can issue a refund using Tax Free checks issued in it in three banks: ZAO Banca Intesa, VTB24, Bank and MDM Bank.

In Moscow, Bank Intesa offices issuing refunds under the Global BlueTax Free system are located at::

1. Krasnoproletarskaya street, house 30.
2. 24 Zatsera Street, building 30.
3. Sadovaya-Chernogryazskaya street, house 16-18, building 1.
4. Bolshoy Gnezdnikovsky Lane, building 1, building 2.

MDM Bank offices where you can get tax free:

1. Kotelnicheskaya embankment, house 33, building 1.
2. Lubyansky proezd, house 21, building 1.
3. Profsoyuznaya street, house 7/12.
4. 1 Tverskaya-Yamskaya street, building 11.
5. st. 1st Bukhvostova, house 12/11, building 11.
6. Krasnaya Presnya street, building 29.

VTB24 Bank branches where you can get tax free:

1. st. Bolshaya Sukharevskaya, 14/7, no. 2
2. st. Avtozavodskaya, 6
3. Pokrovka st., 28, building 1
4. st. Marksistskaya, 5, building 1
5. st. Bolshaya Molchanovka, 17/14, building 2
6. st. Barclay, 7, building 1

In order to receive a refund through the bank, you must contact one of the listed branches and provide a number of documents.

• Original Tax Free receipt with customs mark.
• The original cash receipt for which the tax free check was issued. This rule does not apply in all countries and is therefore not mandatory.
• Identification document (passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation).
• International passport.

A bank employee will help you fill out an application, then you will receive money at the bank's cash desk.

The advantage of this method is that it is not necessary to receive a refund in this way immediately after returning from abroad; this can be done within several months. The exact validity period of Tax Free checks is determined by the state in which you made purchases.

For example, the validity period of a check received in Austria and Spain is not limited, but the customs stamp has a validity period of 3 months. A check received in Germany is valid for three years, in Switzerland – 1 month. To avoid missing the deadline, it's best to cash your checks as early as possible.

The disadvantage of returning money on Tax Free checks through a bank is that you will have to pay the bank a commission, which on average ranges from 1 to 3%. If the refund amount is large enough (more than 100 euros), the bank will not issue the money immediately, but will check the checks within two to three days, and only after that you will be able to receive a refund.

Personal experience