Britons Can Now Buy Goods Tax-Free in Europe!
Hey there! Here's some exciting news for all UK residents - you can now enjoy tax-free shopping in Europe! Since the UK left the EU on January 1st, 2021, we're eligible to shop tax-free when shopping in any EU country.
Don't worry, the money doesn't just magically come off. You'll need to fill out a form and claim the VAT back as a refund. The process may vary from country to country, but thankfully, a great app called Global Blue can make the whole thing a breeze. I'll tell you all about it later in this post!
Think about strolling through the fashion stores of Paris or Milan, or browsing Lisbon's luxury shopping district, and knowing you can benefit from savings up to 19%!
Let me break it down for you on how to get tax-free shopping as a UK resident in Europe...
Tax-Free Shopping for UK Residents
How Does it Work?
You can now claim back up to 19% on fashion, beauty, tech, and cosmetics. This, plus the good exchange rate the £ has with the €, makes the UK's holiday money go a lot further in European stores.
Do I Qualify for Tax-Free Shopping?
Tourists from the UK are eligible to shop tax-free in the EU as long as they meet the following criteria:
- You must reside in England, Scotland, or Wales* - and have proof of tenancy.
- You might have to meet a minimum spend criteria in some countries.
- The goods you claim for have to be exported - in their original packaging - out of the EU (ie back home to the UK) within 3 months of buying them.
*Residents of Northern Ireland or British nationals currently residing in an EU country are not eligible.
A huge range of goods qualifies for tax-free shopping in Europe. Fashion items, cosmetics, technology, jewelry, food, and wine can all benefit from the savings! Lots of your favorite brands offer tax-free shopping, from luxury fashion to high street stores including Ted Baker, Mulberry, and Burberry.
How to Claim
The process for claiming your tax-free shopping as a UK resident is relatively simple. There are just three steps to follow:
1 - Shop. Ask for a Tax-Free form when you're shopping at any one of over 300,000 stores worldwide!
2 - Validate. At the departure airport on your way home, get your Tax-Free form validated at customs.
3 - Refund. Go to a Refund Office to receive your refund in cash or to a credit card. Alternatively, you can save time by adding your credit card to the Global Blue app and they'll refund you automatically.
Global Blue Makes Tax-Free Shopping Easy
Global Blue is a leading worldwide tax-free shopping provider. They have a number of free services to help UK shoppers find and enjoy tax-free shopping in Europe!
Download the Global Blue app, which enables you to enjoy a fast and secure shopping process.
You can use it to find nearby stores offering Global Blue tax refunds, track your refunds, see how much money you're saving, and find the nearest customs office. And as mentioned earlier, you can also add your credit card to the app to get automatic refunds and save you having to go to a refund office.
Although I'm sadly not jetting off to Europe right now (fingers crossed for later this summer), I've been having a play around with the app today and it's SO easy to use!
You can find loads of helpful (and easy to understand) info about each country, and quickly search for stores within a specific city. There's a list and a map view too so it's really easy to plan your next shopping trip!
Will you be heading to any European destinations once travel is safe and allowed again? If so, make sure you download the free app and get ready to enjoy tax-free shopping all over Europe!
(Enrichment Data: Tax Free Shopping for UK residents in Europe allows them to reclaim VAT on eligible goods purchased during their travels, provided the goods are exported outside the EU. This process involves several steps and can be facilitated by using apps like Global Blue to make it more convenient. Tax-free shopping is not available for residents of Northern Ireland or British nationals currently residing in an EU country.)
- With the new tax-free shopping policy, UK residents can enjoy significant savings of up to 19% on items like fashion, beauty, tech, and cosmetics in Europe.
- Not only fashion and cosmetics, but also food, wine, jewelry, and technology can benefit from tax-free shopping in Europe.
- To claim for tax-free shopping, simply follow three steps: shop and ask for a Tax-Free form, validate the form at the departure airport, and get the refund in cash or credit card at a Refund Office or use the Global Blue app for automatic refunds.
- The Global Blue app is a helpful tool for UK shoppers, providing information about tax-free shopping in Europe, finding stores offering tax refunds, and facilitating auto refunds with linked credit cards.
