I'm traveling from Australia into Germany and then Norway in the coming weeks. My partner and I were soooo excited to finally get stamps in our empty passports (especially from the other side of the world). If I asked for a stamp would they still do it?

I plan on getting a small sentimental travel "passport" to get stamps and stickers from places we visit so if they won't do the official passport i'm hoping they'll stamp the small booklet 🙏🏼

I understand if they say no because of inconvenice. I was just wondering if they are willing to stamp for people who ask! TIA

When departing the European Union from Rome, Italy, we went to Customs to obtain validation. Customs requested to inspect the purchased goods and receipts, but the goods had already been checked into our luggage. Therefore, the customs validation could not be completed.

We still possess the purchased goods, original receipt, Tax Free Form, boarding pass, and passport information. We can also provide photographs of the purchased items and supporting documents if needed.

the key thing is we were not able to get stamped in tax refund form in airport because we were not able to show receipts/goods .

Is the game over?

A friend informed me that any item you buy in Europe and wish to claim vat refund for will be sealed and given to you In a seal which you cannot remove till you leave the EU.

I was planning to buy a bag from there and remove the box and packaging as that just takes up space.

im wondering whats possible here? how correct the info is?

hi all, im currently on exchange in croatia. i’ll be going to the UK before i return to asia and i was wondering if that means i need to do my VAT refund when i go to the uk as its not an eu country? thanks in advance.

I am travelling from Rome to Singapore via Helsinki, and I it has just been brought to my attention that the immigration clearance and Vat refund would have to be done at the Helsinki airport.

However, the transit time is only 1 hour 30 mins.

I am not sure I should take the risk to attempt vat refund there. Im wondering if I can do it in Rome?

I checked and the docs say that if the items are in checked in luggage, I can do a vat refund in Rome. Wondering if I can claim in Rome saying that they are in my checked in bag, then take it out of my bag, and put it in my carry on?
Im not sure if putting a high value item in the checkin is a good idea.

Anyone has any experience with this?

I’m planning to do luxury shopping in both Paris and Milan and I’m confused about where I should process my EU VAT refund because my trip includes Switzerland before returning to France. Since Switzerland is outside the EU, but I later re-enter France before flying home, I’m not sure whether I should do the VAT refund in Milan or at Geneva Airport on departure.

My itinerary is:
Seattle → Paris → Milan → St. Moritz (Switzerland) → Geneva → Courchevel 1850 (France) → Geneva → Seattle

Has anyone done something similar and knows where the correct customs/VAT refund point would be for both French and Italian purchases?

Where would I receive my VAT refund for goods purchased in the EU? I’ve got quite a complicated 2 layover flight back to the US:
All flights are on the same flight booking/itinerary. I am flying out of Milan, but have an overnight layover in Zürich. In the morning, I have a one hour transfer in Frankfurt and then flying onwards to Seattle.

I figure my last port leaving the EU would be Milan, right? Since the morning flight is a short layover, I wouldn’t consider it as re-entering the EU? I definitely won’t have time for VAT refund processing at Frankfurt with such a short layover time…

Hi. I know the rules in general is to do VAT refund in the city/airport before you depart Schegen but I just saw another post that Oslo/Norway is separate from the EU tax refund. I am in Copenhagen leaving for Norway, and departing Schegen from Norway. Should I do my global blue VAT refund in Copenhagen airport or wait till leaving Norway? Any insight will be appreciated. Thanks!

Need advice about a Global Blue refund issue.

I did my Global Blue / tax refund process at Brussels Airport. I brought my Tax Free Form, receipts, passport, and goods to the officer. He checked my form, stamped/signed it, and then told me to "drop the original form into the Global Blue box". He did not give me any copy back.

My friend was with me at the airport and did the exact same process. He got his refund, so I assumed mine had also gone through and that everything was fine.

Only later, when I logged into the Global Blue website, I found out that I had not received my refund and my case was showing as **expired**.

Luckily, I had taken a photo of the stamped/signed form , and I also still have all of my purchase receipts. I already submitted a support case to Global Blue, but their support form did not give me any option to upload the photo or receipts, so right now I’m waiting for their response.

Has anyone here dealt with something like this before?

* Is it normal for the officer to keep the original form and tell you to just drop it in the box without giving you a copy?

* If the case already shows **expired**, is there still any chance Global Blue can manually fix it?

* Is a photo of the stamped form plus the receipts usually enough to help?

* What would you do next in this situation?

This is really frustrating because I followed the airport officer’s instructions exactly, and if I hadn’t taken a photo, I would have had no proof at all.

Hi everyone, I have a complicated VAT refund situation and would appreciate advice.

I’m planning to buy Dior in Oslo. My route after that is Oslo → Helsinki → Rovaniemi (on separate days). Then on the same day from Rovaniemi, I fly Rovaniemi → Helsinki → Stockholm → Helsinki → Singapore.

From what I understand, I should process the VAT refund at my final EU departure point, which would be Helsinki before flying to Singapore. However, all my flights are connecting flights. I won’t be able to exit to the arrivals hall, and I arrive back in Helsinki from Stockholm around 8:10pm, with my Singapore flight departing at 11:55pm.

The issue is that Global Blue counters seem to close around 5–6pm. Given this timing and the fact that I’m transiting airside, how can I get customs to stamp my forms and submit my VAT refund? Is there a 24-hour customs desk airside at Helsinki Airport that handles VAT refund stamps for departing passengers?

I realise my last-day routing is very messy and likely a mistake. Any guidance from someone who has dealt with a similar situation would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I processed my VAT refund with Planet Tax Free at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol on 12th April, we received the amount in my credit card last week but now Planet has charged us 1200 euros (our refund amount) and I'm so confused.

Every time I call the Netherlands contact number the call fails and the shopper portal says it's having technical difficulties AND I can't find the picture I took of the form and envelope so I'm really not sure what to do. Any advice or similar experiences?

Hi! I'll be visiting Geneva from Turin, Italy, and I'm planning to buy an iphone in Switzerland. I'll be going to and from Geneva by bus, is there any customs post where I can get the VAT return? I'm not sure how it works with land transport. Thanks!

Edit: Also possibly through Como - Legano

I booked this apartment hotel in Finland because it was flexible with cancellation, but then found another hotel with better reviews. The booking email didn’t have a way to cancel myself so I emailed them. They responded with this. Is this legit or a scam? I’m from the USA so I’m not familiar with this and one of the reviews online for the hotel said they double charged them and they never got their money back. So just wanted to double check what this is or if this is common in Europe? Or should I try to back charge through my card? Thanks!

I have a 7 am flight out from Paris then a 5 hours layover in Frankfurt then fly back to home and wanted to carry on my purchase.

I will have the completed Global Blue tax free forms ready. I am confused as to which airport I need to present my Global Blue tax-free form, passport, and original purchase receipts to and get my new purchases inspected at ??? Expert travellers, any insights would be appreciated. Thank you.

A) For Carry on

If I wanted to put my new purchase in carry-on bags and have it with me

1. Is it correct that I need to go to the self-validation PABLO kiosk in Paris airport and scan the receipts to get validated, even if I have a connecting flight to Frankfurt, then from Frankfurt back home? Is this Paris Pablo kiosk available 24 hours? My flight is at 7 am, so I probably need to be at the airport at 2 or 3 am.

2. Is it correct that if I get a green light at the PABLO kiosk, I don't need to line up and show the Paris customs officer my new items and get a stamp, regardless if it is carry on items or checked bag items?

3. Is it correct that if I got my receipts scanned at the PABLO kiosk in Paris, then during my 5-hour layover at the Frankfurt airport, I just need to show my new purchase to the customs officer in Frankfurt ? And without exiting, is there a customs inspection office within the security area to inspect my carry on items ?

B) For Checked luggage

1. If I put my new purchase in a checked luggage, I understand that I will need to scan all my receipts in the Pablo kiosk at Paris airport, then go airline to check in and tell the airline agent that I have duty free goods, then show them to the customs officer in Paris airport and the customs officer will take my luggage and drop it off for me. And I don't need to do anything in Frankfurt airport or show the customs officer at Frankfurt airport during layover? Is this info correct?
   

Hi my friends,

I am writing to check if by any chance someone would have a piece of advice here.

I came back from a trip to Spain and Italy on March 6th. My departure point from Europe was in Napoli and I had many goods purchased in both countries.

The products I got in Italy were automatically processed and I got my Tax Refund immediately from the Global Blue kiosk.

For the others purchased in Spain (about 350 Euro in refund), I had my forms stamped at the customs counter and the guy from the refund company told me I should place the envelope with the stamped forms at the mailbox located near gate area, after security. Which I did.

Now it’s been 5 weeks and there is absolutely nothing going on at the app. All forms still show ‘Customs Validation Needed’. I have contacted Global Blue twice and all they say is I have to wait until the forms get to the office in Spain or wherever.

It seems odd for me that an envelope takes 5 weeks to get mailed to anywhere near in Europe. My mother’s forms are also under the same status in her app.

Should I assume I will never see this refund? Do any of you have any experience in this process taking so long?

What makes me even more angry is that I didn’t have time to take pictures of the stamped forms. When I got to the gate both the refunds office were closed because they were taking a 40-min break and I almost lost my flight. Couldn’t even think that something like that would happen later.

I would appreciate any advice. I have lost a significant time of my trip taking care of these processes (including almost 4 hour in a line at El Corte Inglés) and the money is significant, almost 350 EURO.

Thank you in advance!

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice regarding a Global Blue tax refund issue.

My refund was rejected because the customs stamps were placed in the wrong spot. Instead of stamping the official Global Blue form, the airport officer stamped the store receipt. I believe the officer was new — he had to consult with colleagues and seemed unsure how to process the paperwork, and unfortunately the mistake was made.

When I later contacted the French Consulate in Los Angeles to schedule an appointment, they told me I first need to write to the French customs agency (PAI – Pôle d’Action Économique) explaining why the form was not properly stamped. Only after receiving authorization from them would I be able to book an appointment with the French Consulate in Los Angeles.

Has anyone here gone through this process?

• How long did it take?

• What exactly did you include in your explanation to PAI?

• Did you need additional documents besides receipts and the original form?

I’d really appreciate any advice on how to handle this efficiently and actually receive the refund.

Thank you in advance!

Just received my refund in Spain (Malaga). The process described on the internet is slightly inaccurate so I'll describe my experience.

We purchased items in Spain. Retailers that support Global Blue will issue bar coded receipt if original non EU passport is presented. No need to specify reimbursement method although they may ask . If not cash is requested then some other details go on the receipt like account number

Malaga airport has Diva kiosk before security where receipt is scanned and validated. No one looks at items and no customs stamps needed. After security cash is paid (passport required). Also we are transfering in another EU country but as long as receipt is from Spain they will issue refund

Hi,

I will be visiting Spain. I want to buy an iPhone 17 and get VAT refund.

I want to get full amount of VAT back, if possible, without losing any refund to intermediary fees (Global Blue, etc).

1. If I bought it from Amazon.es and ship to Spain (ex: my hotel), is it possible to claim full amount of VAT back from amazon.es? If so, how?
2. What about buying from a physical Apple Store ? Is it possible to claim full amount of VAT back?
3. Any other retailers that I should buy it, if purchasing at that retailer is easier to get full amount back?

Many thanks.

I have a very early flight, 8 am, departing from milan on a wednesday. I was wondering how early i would be permitted to enter the terminal? If i have my boarding pass will they let me in? I probably won't sleep anyway since I would have to leave at like 4-5 am, so I was wondering if i could just go chill in the airport at like midnight or so. The only thing i could find online was ai overview, so I was hoping that someone here might know. The airport security appears to operate 24/7 so I was tryin to save a few bucks on housing.

This is a wild story, I can't find any other DP that has the same scenario. So sharing this as a heads up for anyone researching this in the future.

Two months ago we made a number of purchases from Paris to Amsterdam, and had VAT refund forms across multiple processors from Global Blue to Planet.

Fast forward to this month... we have gotten most of the refunds except all the global blue ones, so we created a case and found out they were all rejected because the customs officer stamped with the wrong date, he literally put a 2025 date instead of 2026 which we didn't realize was part of the stamp in AMS (our exit point of EU).

Apparently, other processors didn't care but global blue rejects and tells us to request AMS customs officials to either email or paper mail them a LETTER to confirm our purchases. Needlessly to say, we will email (which isn't easy to find, AMS emails have changed and our mails got bounced around) but I'm doubtful customs office will give a crap and do anything about it so we're going to be out of hundreds of Euros.

We meticulously checked everything on the form but as you can imagine at the airport, when the officer stamps it we thought we were in the clear, without thinking there is a date on stamp and it could be wrong (We're not the first person in line that day). I took backup photos of every form we dropped into the boxes but apparently that's not enough. I wonder how many of us got screwed that day because of AMS customs.

We purchased a number of items from Paris and flown out of Barcelona so I ended up getting customs stamps from Barcelona and dropped the forms in the yellow mail box. I didn’t put each forms in the blue envelope and I’m worried that they are not going to be processed? Can someone explain to me if that would be the case? My partner’s forms were in the envelope and all of his tax refund forms are now processed so I’m worried that it is because I didn’t put my forms in the envelope.

I am from Canada and I’m aware that UK is not part of schengen and I have to apply some kinda temporary visa to UK. Then I’m planning to take a train from London to Amsterdam, so how will they stamp my passport to start the schengen? As far as I know there’s no immigration at the train.

I’m facing a dilemma in obtaining the VAT refund for items I purchased in Rome. I purchased just over 14k euros worth of Chanel bags as a gift. I flew out of Rome a few days ago but I’m currently in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Due to time restrictions and a damaged luggage inquiry, I wasn’t able to process the VAT refund in Rome.  

I will be traveling back to the U.S in a couple weeks. My flight goes through Amsterdam so I figured I could process the VAT refund in Amsterdam; however, after lurking through the subreddits, I realize that some people have had issues processing the VAT refund in other airports throughout Europe as opposed to the airports in Italy where they originally purchased the goods. 

That being said, I am faced with 3 decisions:

1. Do I drive to Trieste or Venice Airport to get the VAT refund in Italy? I have a car so this would be no problem. 
2. Should I get the refund in Amsterdam which would be my final airport in the EU before flying into the U.S?
3. Do I need to fly through Rome in order to receive the refund?

I have all the paperwork in order and the items I bought are unopened and stored in my checked bag. I’ve done extensive research on this topic but I’m still unclear what I should do. Lastly, when obtaining the refund, is it better to get the cash upfront or should I wait until they process the refund back to my credit card?

I’d appreciate any help on this matter. Thank you!

Asking specifically for Schiphol Airport since I'm not sure how strict they are. A few of the items are gifts and I can't bring them with me. Is a receipt enough? Or would a photo help?

Also, I'd like to purchase a suitcase and claim VAT refund for it but I will be using it when flying as checked baggage. I can do go get the customs stamp before checking in but does that mean I might not be eligible since it's already in use?

I’m flying roundtrip to Amsterdam and visiting Paris via train for a few days during my time in Europe. I plan to shop in both cities, but how do I go about getting my tax refund at Schipol if my flight is earlier than when the office opens? Am I able to go the night before during open hours? Has anyone encountered this issue before? Thanks!