You can also claim your sales tax refund at the airport at the airport where you fly out of the European Union. All airports including Barcelona airports have a tax-free office, where you can declare your Tax free purchases at customs, get your tax free cheques stamped and get your tax-free refund.
People Also Ask
To get your refund at any Global Blue Refund Office in Spain please provide the following:
The US Government does not refund Sales Tax to VisitorsUS Customs and Border Protection has clarified on the CBP website that says the below: “The United States Government does not refund sales tax to foreign visitors. Sales tax charged in the United States is paid to individual states, not the Federal government …”.
Items in Europe are already significantly cheaper to purchase than in the U.S., and you can also get a percentage of your money back from the taxes you paid. Let's break it down. The Louis Vuitton bag that I purchased in Spain was $740 cheaper than the U.S. price.
The Spanish Government operates 4 Free Zones: i) Ceuta and Melilla free zones ii) Cadiz Free Zone iii) Vigo Free Zone and iv) Canary Islands Free Zone. These zones offer multiple benefits including i) reduced corporate tax rate of 4% ii) reduced VAT rate of 7% iii) transfer tax exemption and iv) stamp duty exemption.
A VAT, or Value Added Tax, refund in Europe is fairly similar to a tax-free holiday in the States, except it's only available to foreign tourists. A VAT is a surplus charge, often in excess of 25% of the total purchase that is added to most sales in countries inside of the European Union.