VAT refund for good purchase as flight crew
 

Hi,

Do you guys know as a flight crew member can we get VAT refunded for goods we buy in Europe ?

Only if you proceed through the Emirates Crew Center...then you can claim your refund. Alcohol is duty free up to the limit of 48 cans.

I meant when you are in Europe for example in spain and buy a laptop then can you get a VAT refund as crew member? Because we do not have ticket number to provide VAT office?

In some countries a copy of the gendec is accepted

I have seen colleagues do it in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands but the administrative procedures vary between each country. It can take a little time if Customs wish/need to check the items and verify any paperwork.

At destinations where we don't pass through the passenger terminal (such as some airports in the UK), then the process will be very difficult.

Hello!, I do it very often. Basically, your purchase has to be more than 90 euro to get tx free. After purchase, you have to tell the guys in the shop to do the tax free for you.

They will give you an envelope with all the details and amount to recieve. In spain, those papers have a bar code that you just scan in machines in the airport in the check in area, and sometimes, machine does not validadate it and requests you to go to customs police for stamp and they might check if you really have the items to take out of the country.

After validation by customs police or the machine, you go inside after security controls, and near the boarding gates, you will find the global free, or another company for the tax refund, that they can give it to you in cash, or in your credit card. In cash, they sometimes take more comission.

Take it in Euros, never in dollar or dirham, as they do very bad rate. Most of the times, electronics and some other expensive items are much better to buy them in europe and do the tax refund. It becomes much cheaper than in UAE. Sometimes, they don´t want to do tax free if you are in uniform, however, it never happened to me. Some colleagues had that issue, but seems to be not very often.
Good luck!

A bit late to this thread...

It does depend on the country where you are asking for the refund.

For example, flight crew are specifically not allowed to reclaim tax back on purchases made in UK if you are leaving the country as crew. If you leave the UK on a passenger ticket you can get a refund. If you have managed to get a refund whilst on duty then well done to you but the rule is that you cannot.

In Germany it is permitted to get a tax refund for purchases made whilst in the country on a duty and when leaving the country as part of a crew.

Old thread but want to make sure it could work... In Canada it's crazy, bikes are not available... I found one in Lisbon, Portugal... At the price of the bike I want to make sure I can get the Vat back (part of it). Anybody know if as a pilot with no boarding pass it will work at Lisboa airport? What requirements since no boarding pass?