UK residents are now eligible for tax-free shopping in France – LeShuttle (2024)

FAQs

UK residents are now eligible for tax-free shopping in France – LeShuttle? ›

UK residents are now eligible for tax-free shopping in France. UK residents are now eligible to shop tax free in the European Union and can save money on VAT on their purchases. A variety of goods qualify, including cosmetics, jewellery, technology, and food and drink items.

New tax-free shopping in France for UK residents

Following Brexit on 1 January 2021, UK residents in England, Wales and Scotland (excluding Northern Ireland) are now eligible to shop tax free in the EU and can save up to 20% by claiming back the VAT on their purchases.

Who is eligible for tax free shopping in France? To get a VAT refund, you must be a resident in a non-EU country, such as the United Kingdom, at the time of purchase. You must also have been in France for less than 6 months and be at least 16 years old.

Goods in European countries, like in the UK, contain VAT (value-added tax). This tax gets automatically added to your shopping bill and can be as much as 20% of the net price! However, if you're shopping abroad in the EU and take your purchases home with you to enjoy, you can get a refund on the tax that you've paid.

To be eligible for a VAT refund on your shopping in the EU, you must: have your permanent address outside the EU; be visiting the EU for less than six months; and. be departing the EU for a non-EU country with your purchase within 3 months following the month in which you bought your item.

Anyone who is over 16 and has travelled to France for less than six months is eligible to claim a VAT refund on goods purchased during their stay in France. These VAT refunds are applicable to all residents of the UK (except for residents of Northern Ireland).

All non-EU visitors to France, which now also includes British citizens, can benefit from VAT free shopping in France by claiming 20% tax back.

For an immediate VAT refund, you should present all your documents at the tax refund desk at the airport, the port or the train station from which you are departing. Otherwise, you must send the documents by post to a tax refund office such as Detaxe SAS, Global Blue France or Detaxe.com.

The claiming process must be completed within 3 months from the goods purchase date. The cost of goods purchased must be over €100,01 and spent in one shop on the same day. You must transport these goods back to your country of residence by yourself. It is not possible to claim a refund on behalf of someone else.

Dear Traveller, you are a non-EU resident, 16 or over and have been in France for less than 6 months. Under certain conditions, you can obtain a refund of the VAT paid on the goods purchased during your stay in France. WHEN LEAVING THE COUNTRY, ENSURE YOU HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO DEAL WITH THE VAT REFUND FORMALITIES.

How to claim VAT refund in France? ›

Go to the French Customs tax refund desk (“Détaxe”) once arriving at your departure terminals before check-in for your flight. For Terminals 1&2 it is located at departure on the first floor (the best way to find it is by following the Détaxe sign or asking for staff at the airport).

If you have paid too much tax, or 'overpaid' tax, and you complete a tax return, HMRC should send you a repayment once they have processed your tax return. For more information see the page self assessment tax refunds. If you do not complete a tax return, you can still claim back overpaid tax.

The UK had implemented the VAT Retail Export Scheme (VAT RES – PDF) to comply with EU rules. It only applied to eligible goods bought by tourists residing outside of the EU. At the end of the Brexit transition period, the Government decided to withdraw the scheme on 1 January 2021.

Overview. VAT is payable on most goods and services you buy in the UK. The VAT refund scheme can be used to reclaim VAT if you're registered as a business outside the UK and bought the goods or services to use in your business.

You must get your VAT refund 407 form checked and stamped by a UK or EU customs officer. This can't be done at the other end of your journey. The specific rules are dependent on your final destination after you leave the UK (or EU).

Personal retail purchases of €100.01 or more are eligible for a VAT refund. Purchases must be made on the same day in the same store. You can buy several items or just one thing, as long as the receipt amounts to more than €100.01.

The basic rule is that the goods must be consumed outside the EU. So eligible tax-free goods include: clothing, jewellery, fragrances and food and drink items. You can also buy some electronic items such as headphones or tablets.

How to get a tax refund. To be entitled to a tax refund, you must present the duty-free slip at customs on leaving France. You may be asked to produce the objects purchased so that they can be verified.

Declaring goods made or produced in the EU. You do not need to pay any tax or duties on personal goods you bring into Great Britain as long as they are within your personal allowances.