Yes, you can request a VAT refund over goods bought from European online shops. How you can do this depends on the place you get your online purchases delivered.
1. If your online purchases were delivered to an address in Europe, you will have to follow the same steps as if you bought the goods at a regular shop:
- request a proper receipt/invoice (this is often sent to your email by the online shop, after finalising your purchase online)
- register your purchase receipt in the vatfree.com app or via our website
- visit customs before leaving the EU to get a customs stamp on your receipt
- post the receipt to our office
Please note: Most EU webshops will provide the option to list a billing address and a delivery address during check-out from your shopping cart. If the option for a billing address is provided, please list your foreign billing address. The delivery address can be a European address. If the option for a billing address is not provided, please add your name and foreign address in a remark field or add it by hand on the printed invoice you take to customs.
2. If your purchases were shipped directly to your home address by the online shop, you do not need to get a stamp from customs. You also do not need to send your original receipt to our office in the post. It is sufficient to
- request a proper receipt/invoice (this is often sent to your email by the online shop, after finalising your purchase online)
- register your purchase receipt in the vatfree.com app or via our website
- provide a copy of the confirmation of shipment from the store
- provide a copy of the Proof of Delivery
The POD is a digital document that is provided by the courier/postal service that was contracted by the online shop to deliver your goods. You can obtain the POD in two ways:
a. Use your tracking number and request the POD from the courier
b. Ask the online shop to send you the POD they have received from the courier.