Tax issues for purchases in The Netherlands by a US citizen?
If I am correctly reading https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/Tax/dttl-tax-european-vat-refund-guide-2015.pdf (page 189-191), VAT (BTW in Dutch) on purchases in Netherlands can only be refunded for business supplies and not things that tourists buy. But that seems hard to believe, given how many other countries like to help out tourists.
The document says you have to go through an electronic portal in the "country you are registered in." Does that mean I have to register on their website for a password and claim a refund in the same place, or wait till I get "home" to claim it? I was thinking of picking it up at their shop to avoid shipping (plus there's too much risk of not getting it before I leave USA in twelve days).
In Spain and Perú, you have to have the shop prepare a special form at time of purchase. Not sure what Netherlands requires, nor did the shop owner know. I'm surprised this is not a duplicate, but all the suggestions are U.K.
What do I have to do to get a refund of Netherlands BTW?
Can I also get the refund if I order from USA and have it shipped here?
If I do get the refund, for a €700 bicycle accessory (trailer that doubles as a travel case for the bike), what, if any, is USA going to charge me on my return? Is that the same whether bought there and carried back, or bought online and shipped in?
If I DON'T get the refund, will USA CBP waive the US tariff (if any)?
I know, this is more than one question, but it seems they really need to go together for the complete picture.
Best Answer
You can find many details on the official website of Schiphol airport. Provided you live outside the European Union, it is indeed possible to recover some taxes when shopping in the Netherlands but only if the shop participates in one of the tax-refund schemes.
Additionally, one of them, vatfree.com, will apparently try to get a refund for goods that weren't purchased in one of the associated shop but there are no guarantees. You cannot just buy stuff at a random shop and get the VAT back without their cooperation.
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