VAT Refund Calculator for Tourists

VAT refund for tourists lets a visitor reclaim the value added tax on goods they carry home. It applies to things you take with you, never to hotels, restaurants or anything you consumed while you were there.

How it works:

1. Pay the full price, VAT included, at the shop.
2. Ask for a tax-free form at the till, before you pay, with your passport in hand. Ask afterwards and most shops cannot help you.
3. Get the form stamped by customs at the airport, with the goods available for inspection and still unused.
4. Claim at a refund desk for cash, or post the stamped form for a card refund.

Calculation: VAT Amount = Purchase Price − (Purchase Price ÷ (1 + VAT Rate ÷ 100)) Refund = VAT Amount × Refund Percentage

The refund percentage is well under 100% because Global Blue, Planet and the rest take an administration fee, commonly 15% to 40% of the VAT. Taking cash at the airport usually costs more than waiting for a card refund.

Rates and minimum spends:

The minimum is per shop and usually per day, which is why buying three small things in one store beats spreading them across three.

Two countries that work differently.

The United Kingdom scrapped tax-free shopping for visitors on 1 January 2021. There is no refund on goods bought in Britain and carried home, whatever an older guide tells you. Plenty of articles still list a £30 minimum and a 12% to 16% refund; that scheme no longer exists.

Japan deducts the tax at the register rather than refunding it later, so you pay the lower price on the spot and show your passport at purchase. Consumable goods get sealed in a bag you are not supposed to open before leaving.

Spain removed its minimum spend in 2018, so any amount qualifies, which makes it the easiest of the large European schemes to use.

Worked example: A €600 purchase in France at 20% VAT with an 85% refund rate.

• VAT inside the price: €600 − (€600 ÷ 1.20) = €100
• Refund at 85%: €85
• The service keeps €15
• Effective discount on what you paid: 14.2%

Notice that the VAT is €100 rather than €120. The tax was charged on the €500 net price, not on the €600 total, which is the mistake that makes people expect more back than they get.