Non-EU Citizens Can Claim VAT Refund on their Shopping in Finland:
Global Blue Tax Free
If you’re shopping in Finland and are a non-EU citizen, you are eligible to claim VAT refund on your shopping. To qualify for the sales tax refund, your purchases must be made in shops which display the Tax Free sign and the minimum total sum of purchased goods must be 40 Euros.
Tax-free Shopping in Finland
Finland is a member of the European Union and as such the VAT refund process here is quite similar to the process in other EU countries. Before you set off on your tax-free shopping spree, make sure that you have your passport with you … and your cash or credit cards of course.
To enjoy tax-free shopping in Finland you must:
- Look for stores that offer tax-free shopping. You will see the official tax-free signage of companies such as Global Blue or Premier Tax Free in the shop windows.
- When paying for goods that are 40 Euros or more, ask the shop assistant for a Tax Free Form. All required information in this form must be completed or you risk your claim being rejected.
Note: These days some of the bigger shops have cash terminals that are set up to record the required information and calculate the tax refund, saving the shop and the shopper from manual processing. Where this is available, the sales assistant will key in your name, address, passport number, etc. into their terminal and print the Tax Free Form for you. It’s a strip of paper that looks very much like your supermarket shopping receipt.
How to Claim Vat Refund at Helsinki Airport
Global Blue –
If you have Global Blue Tax Free Forms, you can have your form stamped at their refund points. If the Global Blue office is closed, Customs will provide the stamp.
For goods to be checked in: Before you check in for your flight, go to the Global Blue refund point (Terminal 2 Arrivals Hall 2B), with your Tax Free Form, passport, shopping receipts and goods to have your form validated. Goods must be unused or they can refuse to validate your form. After stamping of your forms you can get your payment at the refund office next to Gate 29 or 34.
For goods in your hand luggage: Go to the Global Blue refund office next to Gate 29 or 34 for validation and payment.
Premier Tax Free –
As of 2017, Premier Tax Free is now represented at Helsinki Airport. For goods purchased in Finland for personal use Premier Tax is able to provide instant electronic approval.
- Before check-in go to Premier e-Taxfree refund point at the main departure hall in terminal T2
- Present receipts, passport and goods
- Check-in and get your boarding pass
- Return to the Premier e-Taxfree desk and show your boarding card
- Get your instant Cash Refund
If the Premier Tax Free office is closed, you must get your stamp from Customs and mail your Tax Free Forms back to the company.
Remember this cardinal rule – No Customs stamp = No refund!
Before you put any documents in the mailbox provided, I highly recommend that you make clear copies of the Tax Free Forms and receipts as things can and do go missing in the mailing process. If you need to check the progress of your tax refund claim, you will need the DOC ID No. contained on the Tax Free Form to perform the on-line check.
Happy Shopping!
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Hi helen, my first vat experience last year at cdg was a pleasant one. Got all my refunds. This time i left eu from helsinki and got my cash refunds from global blue but there was no premier tax in helsinki. I sent my tax vouchers with the relvant stamps for my purchase from chanel. Now premier tax had stated that they have not received this form and charged my credit card as i had taken a city cash refund. To further complicate matters there was a postal strike in finland which may have caused the delay. I have taken photos of my tax form with custom stamps. How do i appeal with the photo? Anybody hsf experience or success? I mean the postal services incompetence should not cost me 650 euros right? And there is no way i could have photoshop a finnish custom stamp. Pls advice.
Hi Stan,
Sorry to hear about your tax refund woes and for 650 Euros, it’s certainly worth trying to fix the situation.
1. From your email address, I presume you are in Singapore, and it appears that Premier Tax Free has an office in Singapore. As they are centrally located in Beach Road, I would print a copy of the photo you took, and go into their office and ask for their assistance. Bring along your camera and any other documents that you may have as well, just in case they want proof that it is a real photograph of the document. Below is their address and contact details.
Premier Tax Free (Singapore) Pte Ltd
Address: 10-05 Keypoint 371 Beach Road Singapore 199597
Phone: 0065 62933811
Email: info@sg.premiertaxfree.com
2. If you don’t get any joy from the Singapore office, then I would contact Premier Tax Free through their tracking system. I hope that from the photo you took that you are able to complete the details required. In the box at the end of the form, be sure to let them know that you have taken a photo of the customs stamp and that you can send it to them.
http://www.premiertaxfree.com/en/index.php/tourist/refund-tracking-system
3. If you don’t get any satisfaction from the first two options, ring your credit card company and tell them that you would like to dispute the charge. Tell them that you have proof of the customs stamp and that you can send the image to them.
Stan, there’s no guarantee that any of the above actions will have a positive outcome, but for the amount of refund at stake, it’s worth giving them a go.
p.s. I’ve moved your query to our Finland page as it doesn’t belong to the Italian blog.
Let me know how you go.
Kind regards,
Helen
Hi helen,
I called germany and was advised to wait longer any form of appeal should be of last resort. the problem is i dont know if ‘have not received’ means have not processed or not in the mail room. Hard to imagine the later. Any idea from your experience?
Hi Stan,
I don’t know who it is that you rang in Germany, but I wouldn’t wait too long in taking action as they have already charged your credit card for the VAT. This would indicated that your form was not received by them within a certain time-frame and therefore they have to charge you for the VAT as the shop has to pay the VAT to the tax authorities.
I would still go ahead with Options 1 and 2 above and Option 3 should only be a last resort action.
Kind regards,
Helen
Hi, I got bought a luggage in Helsinki to replace my broken luggage. I need to use it immediately so it would not be “brand new” when I reach the airport. Would they disallow me go claim my VAT?
Hi Diane,
To be eligible for VAT refund your purchases must be ‘unused’, so unfortunately you’ll not be allowed to claim for your replacement luggage.
Regards,
Helen
I studied in Finland and going to leave Finland 1month before my residence permit expires. Am I entitle to have tax refund?
Hi Trang,
Global Blue’s website provides the following information:
“Shoppers eligible for Tax Free Shopping:
●If you have a permanent residence in a non-EU country (except Norway).
●If you make purchases two weeks prior to the expiration of your Finnish residence/ work permit.”
The second point seems to suggest that your purchase has to be within two weeks of your residence permit expiring.
Another point that may affect your eligibility to claim VAT refund is in regard to how long you’ve stayed in Finland. According to the Finnish Tax administration:
“Tax-free sales require that the buyer must be a traveller domiciled outside the EU or Norway. The buyer is considered domiciled outside the EU or Norway if they are not living or staying continuously in an EU country or Norway. If the stay is for at least six months, it is in most cases considered continuous. Those having a residence permit in Finland are deemed to be living in Finland even if they are domiciled outside the EU.”
Can I suggest that you contact Global Blue in Helsinki and clarify your query with them. It may be a case where you just have to demonstrate that you will not be returning to Finland for 12 months.
Kind regards,
Helen
I will do taxfree shopping in paris using Premier Tax Free service. And then I’m gonna stay
at helsinki for few days and come back home.
1. I’ve heard global blue is the only tax free shopping service in vantaan airport. So, how can
I refund with ‘premier tax free’ paper(after stamp from custom)? Can I refund by cash in the
global blue booth in the airport?
2. If not, can I use global blue mail box and then get tax refund through my credit card?
Best regards,
alex
Hi Alex,
If your tax free forms are from Premier Tax Free, you’ll only be able to get cash refund from Premier Tax Free. The important thing to do is to get your forms stamped by Customs. You can then mail the forms back to Premier in the envelope provided. If you’ve lost the envelope you can use any envelope but you’ll have to pay the postage.
Before mailing your documents be sure to take a photograph of the stamped documents. Make sure the customs stamp and document ID numbers are clear. If your documents go missing in the mail or if there are lengthy delays, you can trace your VAT refund status on-line with Premier Tax Free if you have copies of the VAT documents.
Kind regards,
Helen
Hi~I am a visitor from Taiwan and traveling in Rauma Finland now. I do like purchase a handmade lace, and that one costs about 127 Euros, but I’m the whole town has only one shop which has the Blue Global mark. So I would like know if the shop does not have the Blue Global mark and I buy their product over 40 Euros, will I have rex refund? Thank you so much.
Hi Shirley,
Apart from Global Blue, Premier Tax Free is the other VAT refund company that operate in Finland. If the shop does not display the Global Blue or Premier Tax Free logo, you can ask the retailer if they offer tax-free shopping. If they are prepared to process the VAT refund themselves, then you will be able to claim. If not, then unfortunately you’ll not get your VAT refunded.
Regards,
Helen
Hello
I am staying in FINLAND for couple of weeks as visitor and the back to my home country Nepal. I want to buy some electronic goods. I want to know about the VAT refund procedure in the Helsinki-Vantaa airport. If I could received there what would be the alternatives for VAT refund. Plz give the advice me.
Thank you !
Namaste Anil,
The post explains what you have to do for VAT refund. The most important thing is that you must get a VAT form from the seller and this form must be stamped by Customs at the airport. If you don’t have time to get your refund processed at the airport, you can send the stamped form back to the VAT company. If you do this, make sure your credit card details are included in the form. As an example, below is the process as explained by Global Blue, one of the VAT companies.
https://www.globalblue.com/tax-free-shopping/how-to-shop-tax-free
Kind regards,
Helen
Hi Helen,
Day1, i take a ferry from tallin to helsinki to buy chanel bags. Day2, my flight from tallin will transit at helsinki then back to SG. May i know where is my last stop for custom stamp, tax tefund? If helsinki is my last stop, where can i have my custom stamp at the transit area? Thks
Hi Zhuer,
1. If you are packing your Chanel bags into your check-in luggage, you get your Customs stamp at Tallin Airport.
2. If you are hand-carrying your purchases, you can get your Customs stamp at Tallin if your transit time at Helsinki is short. I would try Tallin first and if they say to do it at Helsinki, then you’ll need to follow their instructions.
The link below tells you where to get your Customs stamp at Tallin Airport.
https://www.tallinn-airport.ee/en/passengers/customs-and-vat-refunds/
If you have to do your VAT claim at Helsinki Airport, Global Blue handles all the tax refund processing. The link below gives information on their airside location.
https://www.finavia.fi/en/helsinki-airport/services/travel-services/global-blue/
As mentioned above, I would try Tallin first and Helsinki can be your Plan B.
Kind regards,
Helen
Hi, am traveling to Moscow from Helsinki and am going on transit again in Helsinki from St Petersburg then back to my country. since I need to buy LV bags before going to Moscow can I do the tax refund when I leave Moscow?
Hi,
When you leave Finland for Moscow you are leaving the EU so you can do your VAT refund then.
Regards,
Helen Page
Hi Helen,
I am visiting Italy and planning to do some tax free shopping. I will stop over in Helsinki for a few days before I return to Hong Kong. Since I will take late night flight from Helsinki, when Global Blue counter is close…
1) Is there regular office hour for customs stamping tax refund form? Or it opens 24/7?
2) Is there any drop box for Global Blue when the counter is closed?
3) Is there any drop box for tax refund forms other than Global Blue?
Thank you for your attention and awaiting for your reply soon.
Hi Nelly,
Global Blue handles VAT refunds at Helsinki Airport, i.e. validating your form and processing payment. The link below provides information on where you can find Global Blue desks and their operating hours. For your late flight, you would go to Gate 34 which operates till 22:30. If the Global Blue desk is closed, then you should get Customs to stamp your form. There are drop-off boxes at a number of gates at the airport, but you can also send the forms back from anywhere else in Europe in the pre-paid envelopes provided.
https://www.finavia.fi/en/myfinavia/shop/service-types/service?categories%5B0%5D=Currency%20%26%20Cash&search=VAT%20refund
Premier e-Taxfree is also available at Helsinki Airport, but this is for purchases made in Finland. If you have Italian purchases with Premier Tax Free VAT forms, you should get these stamped by Customs. The link above also explains where to drop off your forms.
Regards,
Helen
I travel to Finland last Dec. At ROVANIEMI Airport, the e-tax form is stamp by the departure airport ticket counter instead of the custom stamp. What can I do now? Can I still get refund using my passport with immigration stamp?
Hi Hendrik,
At Helsinki Airport, the e-tax forms are validated by Premier Tax Free and Global Blue and not Customs. Customs will only stamp the forms if the Premier Tax Free and Global Blue offices are closed. I presume it is the same arrangement at Rovaniemi Airport but I’m not sure who is authorized to stamp the VAT forms there. You might still be okay to claim, but you’ll need to get confirmation from the company concerned. I suggest that you email the VAT company and ask them directly – include a scanned copy of your stamped form. I would do this quickly.
For your convenience, below are links for the two tax-free companies:
Global Blue – https://secure.globalblue.com/customer-services/contact-us/
Premier Tax Free – Email: customerservices@premiertaxfree.com
Kind regards,
Helen
Hi Elen,
I am in Helsinki Finland on Work-Permit Visa.
I will be leaving Helsinki on 14th Oct. I just want to clarify few things-
1) Can i do Taxfree to Products i have purchased at any time?
2) Do i directly need to Go to Tax free counter at Helsinki Airport with all the Products i have purchased which are unused?
3) Will the Tax free counter give me the refund directly , or is there any other process?
Thanks
Hi Vaini,
1. According to Global Blue, you can only claim VAT refund “If you make purchases two weeks prior to the expiration of your Finnish residence/ work permit”, i.e. only those purchases made two weeks prior to the expiration of your work permit.
2. Global Blue and Premier Tax Free will do the export validation and process your VAT refund for those goods bought in Finland. For purchases bought elsewhere in the EU you’ll need to get Customs stamp.
Kind regards,
Helen
Hi,
I am a tourist (non EU resident) who rented a car in Finland. I have been charged a VAT of 24% as a part of the rental charge. Am I eligible to apply for a VAT refund?
Hi Rohan,
Car rentals, like hotel accommodation, do not qualify for VAT refunds as they are services consumed in the country. Only goods (unused) taken out of the country qualify.
Kind regards,
Helen