Allow Time If You’re Claiming Your VAT Tax Refund at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport:
Although, we did all our shopping in Italy, Amsterdam was our final port of exit from the EU and this was where we had to have our VAT refund processed. This was good as it gave us the opportunity to check out the practical aspects of claiming VAT refund at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
Except for minor variations, the VAT tax refund procedures are pretty much the same anywhere in the EU:
Option A.
If you have done a lot of shopping and prefer to pack your shopping into your check-in luggage, you will need to do your VAT refund before checking in your luggage and going through passport control. Here are the steps to follow:
Step 1 – Get your Customs Validation Stamp
The Customs Tax Free Validation desk is near Departures 2 on Level 1.
- You must get your tax form stamped by Customs (no Customs stamp, no refund!)
- You must have your goods with you (they do random checks)
- You must show your passport and travel itinerary (unlike in Rome, you are not required to show your boarding pass here)
Step 2 – Do Your Airline Check-in
Once you’ve had your tax refund form stamped you can proceed to do your airline check-in and deposit your luggage (with the goods checked in) .
Step 3 – Get Your Tax Refund
If your Tax forms are from Global Blue -
- The Global Blue office is just next to Passport Control (near Gate G). A supervisor will check your stamped form and receipts and ask if you want cash or a credit to your credit card. I suggest that you go for cash as you get your refund immediately and there’s no possibility of any kind of debit to your credit card later on. Once he has checked your documents, he will pass you on to the cashiers for payment.
Note: this procedure takes time as well – since the queue of people at the Customs validation desk find their way here.
If your Tax forms are from Premier Tax Free -
- You can get your payment at the ABN-AMRO bank.
Unfortunately, if you have forms from both Global Blue and Premier Tax Free, you will need to go through the procedure separately.
Option B.
If you only have small or valuable items that you intend to hand-carry, you can process your VAT refund after going through passport control. The Customs tax free validation desk and Global Blue desk are to the right, immediately past the Passport Control. The procedure is the same as described in Option A above. If you can hand-carry your purchases, this appears to be the preferred way to get your VAT refund as there are less people doing it this way. When we went through Passport Control, we saw only one lady getting her VAT refund processed.
Allow Time
If you have VAT refund to claim at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, make sure that you allow time for this. There are only two Customs validation officers on duty and all you need is for someone with complications to hold up the process and you could be waiting a long time, which was what happened to us. It took us about 45 minutes just to get the Customs stamp and cash refund. If there is a tour group in the queue, that will also take time if you’re unlucky to be standing behind them. The Customs officers do scrutinize your forms and receipts and we have seen them asking certain individuals to show their goods.
Make sure to comment below!
Is the Customs Tax Free Validation Desk and the cashier open 24 hours? What if I arrive in the evening, it would mean that I have to forfeit the refund because they are not open?
According to vatfree.com, the Customs offices are open from 06:00 am to 10:00 pm.
The following is further advice provided by vatfree.com: “if the Customs office is closed or busy, call +31 88 – 15 83 900. An officer will come down to stamp your purchase receipts or open up an extra desk in departure hall 3. You can also get a Customs stamp in your home country upon arrival.”
Good luck with your VAT,
Helen
The last time I arrived in Amsterdam it was before 10pm but it seems the office and the cashier is already closed because there was no one. In effect I wasn’t able to claim the refund. I didn’t know that I can get it stamped in my home country. Is this applicable to any country? Lets say that it was stamped in my home country, where should I send it to?
Thank you very much for your reply.
Usually merchants who participate in the tax-free shopping program will use one of the following vat refund companies such as Global Blue, Premier Tax Free or Vatfree.com. If you have a tax cheque (form) from one of these companies, you will need to send your stamped documents to that company. The shop normally gives you a self-addressed envelope to send your stamped documents back.
If you are regularly travelling to Amsterdam and arriving late in the evening you may wish to look at the services of vatfree.com. Read their FAQ and it explains how they assist travellers in claiming the VAT and what they charge for their service and where the tax receipts should be sent to. As ;long as you are a non-EU resident you are eligible to claim VAT refund.
https://www.vatfree.com/en/for-travelers#en-faq-stampedreceipts
According to Vatfree.com you can have your documents stamped in your home country. If you have any concerns, you can email them directly at support@vatfree.com to check on your particular country.
Remember always to make copies of your documents before sending as things do go missing in the mail.
Kind regards,
Helen
Hi,
Is it mandatory to avail the services of the vat refund companies such as Global Blue, Premier Tax Free or Vatfree.com?
Also will they charge money if you do all processes on your own and just have a form of their company ?
Thanks
Sunil
Hi Sunil,
Global Blue, Premier Tax Free and Vatfree.com are in the business of processing VAT refunds and although they charge a fee, you are sure to get your VAT refund if you follow the process, i.e. getting the Customs stamp.
I’m not sure how you intend to “do all processes on your own”, but if you’ve got a VAT refund form from one of these three companies, you need to send it back to the one you got it from. That’s why you have people complaining about having to queue twice because they’ve got forms from two separate companies. Global Blue can’t process Premier Tax Free forms or vice versa.
Kind regards,
Helen Page