How to arrange luxury shopping in Amsterdam with Tax Free? Holland, Amsterdam, Schiphall airport
If you live outside the European Union and make a purchase in Holland, you are entitled to a VAT refund in many cases. The conditions are that the item purchased is for personal use and that you export it, unused and in your cabin baggage, to your own country within three months following the month in which it was purchased. The minimum amount specified on the invoice is €50 in Holland.
- Ask for a tax refund.
- Shop till you drop.
- Save on what you buy.
How does it work?
When making your purchase, ask for a Tax Free form. Complete the form. If you do not enter all of the requested information on the form, you will not receive a refund. Collect all your sales receipts and completed forms.
When you leave Holland, make sure to request a stamp from Customs to prove that you exported the product you purchased. You will not receive a refund without a stamp.
Please note! A refund form must be stamped by Customs within 3 months following the month in which the purchase was made. For instance, any product purchased on May 26 must be exported in your personal baggage by August 31 at the latest.
Once validated by Customs, forms relating to a purchase in Holland are valid for an unlimited period of time.
It is easy to organize your tax refund when you get to the airport prior to leaving. You can do this at one of the tax-refund organizations. There is also a tax-free lounge at the exclusive De Bijenkorf department store on the Dam in Amsterdam. Here, visitors from outside the EU can apply for a tax refund for purchases made in De Bijenkorf.
Shopping in Holland
Many people like to fit in an afternoon of shopping during their stay in Holland. While one person likes fashion, shoes and jewellery, another loves art and design and yet another prefers literature and music. Fortunately Holland has countless special shops for each of them.
Outlet shopping and tax free
Holland has a number of outlet centers offering up to 70% discount on designer fashion and luxury products. Do you live outside the EU? Outlet shopping will be even better because in addition to the discounts, you can also apply for a tax refund. The outlet centers are located throughout the country.
Brief description of the tax free process: when making a purchase in a store abroad, a tourist receives a special check, which must be stamped with a special stamp when leaving the country (at customs) (it confirms that the goods have been exported). After this, the buyer has the right to return VAT. You can receive money immediately after clearing customs or upon arriving home. The tax-free system operates in Europe and in about 20 countries beyond its borders. The procedure for returning tax free is approximately the same, but the restrictions on the minimum value of the purchased item and the validity period of the check are different in each country.
Tax free process diagram
Tax free systems
All work on VAT refunds is entrusted to private tax-free systems, which are intermediaries between tourists and the state. Each of them includes a network of partner stores and a number of offices for refunds. As a reward, the system retains a small commission. Basic systems:
Attention! If the goods were purchased in an EU country, then you need to stamp the tax free receipt not when leaving the country where the goods were purchased, but only when you leave the EU itself (Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Norway are not included in it). Additional hassle may arise if you are leaving the EU through a transit stop (more on this at the end of the article). EU members are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia , Spain, Croatia, Sweden and Great Britain.
Refund amount
It should be noted that a tax free refund does not mean that you will receive the full amount of VAT paid. Part of the money will go towards administrative costs and commission to the intermediary (each country has its own rules). If you receive from a bank, you will have to pay for acceptance of the check for collection and interest for cash withdrawal. In some rare cases, the cost can reach half the refund amount. The Global Blue website has a convenient calculator for more or less accurate calculations.
Ways to return tax free (check cashing):
- at the airport - the fastest option to get your money back;
- by mail - you need to send a tax-free check to the tax-free system office. The money will go to your card or bank account. Takes quite a long time (2 – 4 months);
- at any tax-free point - it sounds like an option with a wide choice, but in practice it all comes down to receiving a refund in the city of residence. Available only to residents of large cities.
Return (receipt) of tax free at the airport
The main mistake when receiving tax free at the airport is to check in the purchased goods as luggage when checking in for your flight, because you will need to demonstrate the purchase at customs. Sometimes a special tag may be attached to such luggage, but they are required to return it to you.
Try to simplify your life before arriving at the airport by:
- find out where exactly in the departure area there is a customs window where tax-free checks are stamped, and where money is then issued (in the general area of the airport or in the neutral zone after passport control). Usually the queues at these points are such that you won’t even dare to get up. In addition, not all points are open 24 hours a day. The locations of points with operating schedules are on the website global-blue.com;
- Do not cut off tags and labels from purchases. At the same time, pack your suitcase so that your purchases can be easily presented if asked by a customs officer. It’s best to carry your purchases separately - as hand luggage;
- be sure to fill out the tax free receipts (if the seller in the store has not done so) and keep the latter along with the cash receipts, passport and tickets.
When you arrive at the airport, first line up for customs. At the control you will need to present a tax-free receipt, a cash receipt, a passport and the goods. If your purchases do not fit into your hand luggage, you will have to go through customs before checking in for your flight and checking your suitcases into your luggage. Therefore, spending time and money on pre-packing suitcases in this situation does not make sense.
All you have to do is get the money and go through passport control. It is in this sequence, because in some countries VAT refund points are located in the common room. You may be left without money if you remember about it after going through passport control, because you will not be allowed to go back to the common room. In countries where these points are beyond passport control, you will receive money upon boarding the plane.
Receiving the money
After receiving the customs stamp, go to the tax free return office (it can be called differently; sometimes this role is played by one of the Duty Free store cash desks). To avoid paying a currency conversion fee (sometimes up to 5%), you must take a refund in local currency. Advice: if the money return point is located before passport control, then you should get in line before going through customs.
Having finished with tax free, go through passport control. By the way, if there are less than 10 minutes left before the end, you can go to the counter without queuing, or use the check-in window for late passengers and check your luggage at the Drop Off counter.
If you don’t have time to get money at the airport and you know for sure that there is no tax-free issuing point in the city of your residence, then the only option is mail.
Tax free return by mail (to a bank card)
To receive a tax free refund on a credit/debit card, its details must be indicated in the tax free receipt stamped by customs. You must place it in a special envelope and in a special tax-free mailbox at the airport. The envelope can be obtained in advance at the purchase store or already on site (at the tax-free system office at the airport). Of course, it is acceptable to use a standard envelope and a regular mailbox, but then you will need a postage stamp and the recipient's address. And if you are sending a letter from your country of residence (or any other), then an international stamp is required.
Tax free returns by mail are not only the longest (2-4 months), but also the most unreliable. Use it only if you don’t have time to process a refund at the airport and you know that there are no tax-free offices in your hometown. Be sure to scan or photograph your receipts before sending them - in case of problems, they will become the only, strong evidence of your right to a tax refund.
Tax free return by mail (to bank account)
This method repeats the previous one, with the only difference that if the card account details are not filled in the tax-free check sent by mail, then the tourist will receive an international bank check marked “to the recipient’s account” at the specified address. Such a bank check can only be cashed at the bank where you have a current account. The check has no statute of limitations, but each bank decides to accept it or refuse it individually.
Refund of tax free upon transit departure
When traveling around Europe, you must put a customs stamp on tax free checks in the last country of the European Union (Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Norway are not part of the EU). But what if the last country is only a transit stop for you? In this case, there may simply not be enough time for the tax-free procedure. Yes, and there may not be a customs point in the transit zone. In addition, the luggage is sent directly to its destination, which makes it impossible to demonstrate it. Therefore, be sure to issue a tax free refund at the airport of your first departure. Show your ticket and say that you have little time for a transfer.
Tax free refund at the point of issue in any country
To receive a refund, you must have a tax-free receipt, a cash receipt, a foreign and internal passport (for CIS countries). Funds are paid exclusively in national currency (the exchange rate is usually not favorable).
Refund of tax free when leaving the country by car, train, ship
The easiest way is to put a customs stamp on tax-free receipts for motorists. This is the only way when it is difficult to be late. When leaving the country by train/ship, you can obtain a customs stamp at the point of departure (station/port) or when directly crossing the border. The disadvantage of the first method is that your luggage will travel separately from you. The second method is not particularly reliable, since when crossing the border, customs officers may simply not have time for you. Be sure to find out in advance whether there will be customs officers on the train or ship, and whether you can get a stamp on your tax-free receipt.
Subtleties of tax free returns in different countries
- If you forgot to put a customs stamp on your tax free receipt, you can do this upon arrival home at the embassy/consulate of the country in which the purchase was made. This service is not cheap (minimum 20 euros);
- for checks issued in Poland, money is returned only in cash;
- when leaving Slovenia, you need to put two official stamps: the first - on the tax free form, the second - on the check;
- In Iceland, a stamp is not required to receive a tax refund on wool purchases;
- in Israel, VAT refunds are carried out according to the tax (VAT) scheme, which has its own characteristics;
- Croatia, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark have their own national stamps. This means that checks from these countries may not be accepted in other European countries. This is especially true for Croatia and Norway, since they are not members of the EU. Therefore, if you have a direct flight to your home country, you need to get tax free immediately at the airport. If you are flying or passing through other countries, you can only process a refund at home;
- In Norway, the stamp must be placed not at customs, but at the tax-free office. This is the only country that allows refunds for food items (over 285 CZK), but like all other purchases, they must be presented at customs and therefore cannot be consumed before departure;
- In the USA, it is impossible to obtain a tax free service, since there is no value added tax in this country. However, non-residents can get an 11% discount at large department stores. To do this, you need to find a Customer Service employee and show him your passport, after which you will be given a special card, which you will need to present at the checkout;
- At German airports they require you to first register and then go to the customs officers. In this case, when registering, you need to say that you will be signing up for tax free: your luggage will be checked in and returned to you. After issuing the checks, you will need to hand them over in another place (customs officers will explain where).
- In Holland, you can return VAT by making a purchase in any store, even not part of the tax free shopping system, but to do this you need to return to the country. Conditions: if you buy goods worth more than 300 guilders, then put a customs stamp on a regular cash receipt. When you come to Holland again, go to the store where you made the purchase. There you will be able to receive the entire VAT amount without deducting commissions. For comparison: with a tax free check when leaving Holland, you will be refunded only 10% of the cost of the goods, and in the store - all 17%.
Useful resources for tourists
roomguru.ru and hotellook.ru are hotel search engines that search through different booking systems and compare the results, helping to find the best deal
aviasales.ru and skyscanner.ru are airline ticket search engines that free you from the need to view the website of each airline separately
booking.com is a world leader in hotel booking, distinguished by high quality services, transparent prices and prompt support service
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is the most important international airport in the Netherlands, which has been in operation since 1916. It is located 10 km southwest of Amsterdam city center in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer. During its history, it was awarded the title of “Best Airport in the World” 5 times and from 1988 to 2003 was considered the best airport in Europe. Code Schiphol Airport according to IATA - AMS.
Currently Amsterdam Airport Schiphol ranks fifth in Europe in passenger traffic and third in freight traffic. Runways in Schiphol airport five, and there is a separate lane for small aviation flights. More than 50 million people a year use the services of this airport. It is used as a base for Transavia.com, Martinair and KLM airlines.
The airport is constantly being improved. So for today in the building Schiphol There is a children's room, a spa center, a prayer hall and even a marriage registration department. In addition, there are cafes, restaurants, about a dozen hotels of different levels of service (from economy class to 5 stars), facilities providing personal services, and a library for those interested. The comfortable seating area is equipped with TVs. The local shopping center allows you to buy everything you need, and art lovers will be interested in visiting the branch of the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands. The latter regularly hosts painting exhibitions, where you can buy souvenirs and have fun. Available in Schiphol airport and free Wi-Fi (2 sessions of 30 minutes each).
The easiest, but at the same time the most expensive, option to get from Schiphol Airport- this is a taxi. Until recently, electric taxis powered by electricity were a new feature in Schiphol. This type of transport allows you to use the Internet even on the road, which is important for business people who do not want to waste a minute. You can book both an electric taxi and a regular one by going to the corresponding SchipholTravelTaxi section on the official website of the airport. You can also order a transfer here - but no later than 4 hours in advance. Taxis are delivered from Schiphol Airport to any location in the Netherlands. To book it, you need to indicate the exact date and time of arrival, the number of people and the volume of their luggage, and destination. The price depends on the distance. For example, a taxi to the Zuidas center costs 42 euros, to the station - 58 euros, and to the center Rotterdam already about 125 euros. The taxi rank is located opposite the Schiphol Plaza exit. If you need to order a taxi in Amsterdam, then focus on the P-Taxi parking lots or call - 0207777777. The prices for taxi services are approximately as follows: about 8 euros for landing and the first 2 km, after which payment is made at the meter - 2.30 for each kilometer of the route. If you are planning a trip to the Netherlands, then go straight to Schiphol airport you can rent a car. Services are provided by companies such as Europcar, Thrifty, Sixt, Alamo, Zoom, AutoEurope. To do this, you must have an international license issued at least a year ago and be at least 21 years old.
Where to get tax-free at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
IN Schiphol airport three pick-up points tax-free and one customs point. First of all, you need to put customs stamps on your checks. This is done in the area Departure 3 either before passport control or immediately after it. The second option is preferable, since the office Global Blue is located right next to the customs office, which is very convenient (see diagram). Please note that the interactive diagram on the official website airport Schiphol(select business, and then tax free refund) this counter is not marked, and the customs point is located in a different place, however, I personally returned tax-free there in January 2013, 
therefore the information on my blog is more relevant. Offices open Global Blue daily from 8-00 to 20-30. Up-to-date information can be found. Please note that in the Netherlands VAT is refunded for purchases over 50 euros in one store. The refund amount can reach up to 16%. You can calculate the exact amount yourself using a special calculator.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol online scoreboard
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Airlines and Destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | Dublin, Cork |
| Aeroflot | Aberdeen, Bergen, Billund, Birmingham, Gothenburg (Landvetter), Glasgow, Cardiff, Leeds, Luxembourg, Norwich, Newcastle, Sola, Edinburgh |
| Aerolineas Argentinas | Berlin (Tegel), Buenos Aires, Hamburg, Hanover, Düsseldorf, Munich, Frankfurt, Stuttgart |
| AeroMexico | , |
| Air Arabia Maroc | Nador, Tangier |
| Air Astana | Almaty, Atyrau |
| Air Baltic | |
| Air Europe | Berlin (Tegel), Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Copenhagen, Luxembourg, Munich, Frankfurt, Helsinki (Vantaa) |
| Air France | Aalborg, Abu Dhabi, Basel, Bangkok, Bahrain, Bergen, Billund, Bordeaux, Vancouver, Vigra, Glasgow, Hong Kong, Guayaquil, Dammam, Durham Tees Valley, Dar Es Salaam, Denpasar, Doha, Johannesburg, Calgary, Cardiff, Cape Town, Cologne-Bonn, Kent, Kigali, Kilimanjaro, Quito, Clermont-Ferrand, Kotoka, Kristiansand Kjevik, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Leeds, Lima, Linkoping, Lyon, London (London City), Marseille, Muscat, Nantes, Nice , Norwich, Oslo (Thorp/Sandefjord), Panama, Pondok Kabe, San Francisco, Singapore, Sola, Strasbourg, Trondheim, Toulouse, Fukuoka, Haimen, Humberside, Chengdu, Entebbe |
| Air Malta | Malta |
| Air Mauritius | |
| Air One | Milan (Linate) |
| Air Serbia | Belgrade, Brussels |
| Airlinair | Clermont-Ferrand, Strasbourg |
| Alitalia | Aalborg, Bergen, Berlin (Tegel), Billund, Bologna, Bremen, Bristol, Venice, Vigra, Hamburg, Hanover, Glasgow, Durham Tees Valley, Dubai, Düsseldorf, Cardiff, Cape Town, Cologne-Bonn, Kent, Copenhagen, Kristiansand Kjevik, Leeds, Lima, Milan (Linate), Milan (Linate), Milan (Linate), Nairobi, Norwich, Oslo (Thorp/Sandefjord), Panama, Rome (Leonardo Da Vinci/Fiumicino), Sola, Trondheim, Florence, Humberside, Helsinki (Vantaa) |
| American Airlines | , London (Heathrow) |
| Arke (Charter) | Arrecife, Aruba, Banjul, Boavista, Burgos, Gran Canaria, Dubai, Kittila, Curacao, La Union, Marsa Alam, O. Sal, Punta Cana, Tenerife (South), Fuerteventura, Sharm El Sheikh |
| Austrian Airlines | Vein |
| British Airways | , London (London City), London (Heathrow) |
| Bulgaria Air | Sofia |
| Cathay Pacific Airways | Hong Kong |
| China Airlines | Bangkok, London (Heathrow), Taipei |
| China Eastern Airlines | London (Heathrow), Rome (Leonardo Da Vinci/Fiumicino), Frankfurt, Shanghai (Pudong) |
| China Southern Airlines | Athens, Berlin (Tegel), Birmingham, Bologna, Brussels, Warsaw, Vienna, Hamburg, Hanover, Guangzhou, Düsseldorf, Geneva, Copenhagen, Lima, Lisbon, London (Heathrow), Munich, Newcastle, Nuremberg, Oslo (Gardermoen), Beijing , Rome (Leonardo Da Vinci/Fiumicino), Frankfurt, Haimen, Helsinki (Vantaa), Zurich, Chengdu, Shanghai (Pudong), Stuttgart, Edinburgh |
| Copa Airlines | Panama |
| Corendon Airlines | Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria |
| Croatia Airlines | Zagreb |
| Cyprus Airways | Larnaca |
| Czech Airlines | Prague |
| Darwin Airline | Cambridge, Leipzig |
| Delta Air Lines | Washington (Dulles), Aalborg, Aberdeen, Abu Dhabi, Almaty, Atlanta, Athens, Basel, Bahrain, Bergen, Berlin (Tegel), Billund, Birmingham, Bologna, Bordeaux, Boston, Bremen, Bristol, Brussels, Budapest, Bucharest, Vancouver, Warsaw, Vienna, Venice, Vigra, Hamburg, Hanover, Gothenburg (Landvetter), Glasgow, Durham Tees Valley, Dar Es Salaam, Delhi, Detroit, Doha, Dubai, Düsseldorf, Geneva, Johannesburg, Calgary, Cardiff, Cape Town , Cologne-Bonn, Kent, Kigali, Kilimanjaro, Copenhagen, Kotoka, Kristiansand Kjevik, Lagos, Leeds, Linkoping, Lyon, Lisbon, London (Heathrow), Los Angeles, Luxembourg, Marseille, Muscat, Milan (Linate), Minneapolis, Montreal , Mumbai, Munich, Nairobi, Nice, Norwich, New York (Newark), Newcastle, Nuremberg, Oslo (Gardermoen), Oslo (Torp/Sandefjord), Portland, Prague, Rome (Leonardo Da Vinci/Fiumicino), St. Petersburg , San Francisco, Seattle, Sola, Istanbul (Ataturk), Tel Aviv, Toronto, Trondheim, Toulouse, Florence, Frankfurt, Humberside, Helsinki (Vantaa), Houston, Zurich, Chicago (O?Hare), Stuttgart, Edinburgh, Entebbe |
| EasyJet | Basel, Belfast, Berlin (Schönefeld), Bristol, Glasgow, Geneva, Liverpool, Lisbon, London (Luton), London (Southend), Milan (Malpensa), Newcastle, Prague, Rome (Leonardo Da Vinci/Fiumicino), Edinburgh |
| Egyptair | Cairo |
| El-Al Israel Airlines | Tel Aviv |
| Emirates | Dubai |
| Estonian Air | Tallinn |
| Etihad Airways | Aberdeen, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Bergen, Billund, Birmingham, Gothenburg (Landvetter), Glasgow, Dublin, Inverness, Cardiff, Cambridge, Copenhagen, Cork, Oslo (Gardermoen), Southampton, Sola, Helsinki (Vantaa), Edinburgh |
| Eurolot | Krakow |
| Finnair | Helsinki (Vantaa) |
| Flybe | Birmingham, Inverness, Southampton, Exeter |
| Garuda Indonesia | Abu Dhabi, Denpasar, London (Heathrow), Munich, Pondok Kabe, Rome (Leonardo Da Vinci/Fiumicino), Singapore |
| Germanwings | Hamburg |
| HOP! | Clermont-Ferrand, Strasbourg |
| Icelandair | Reykjavik (Keflavik) |
| Iran Air | Ljubljana, Tehran (Imam Khomeini) |
| Jet2.Com (Charter) | Leeds |
| K.L.M. | Washington (Dulles), Aalborg, Aberdeen, Abu Dhabi, Almaty, Atlanta, Athens, Basel, Bangkok, Bahrain, Belgrade, Bergen, Berlin (Tegel), Billund, Birmingham, Bologna, Bonaire, Bordeaux, Boston, Bremen, Bristol, Brussels, Budapest, Bucharest, Buenos Aires, Vancouver, Warsaw, Vienna, Venice, Wigra, Hamburg, Hanover, Gothenburg (Landvetter), Glasgow, Hong Kong, Gran Canaria, Guangzhou, Guayaquil, Dammam, Durham Tisza Valley, Dar Es Salam, Delhi, Denpasar, Detroit, Doha, Dubai, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Geneva, Salzburg, Inverness, Innsbruck, Johannesburg, Calgary, Cardiff, Cape Town, Cologne-Bonn, Kent, Kigali, Kilimanjaro, Quito, Clermont-Ferrand, Copenhagen, Cork, Kotoka, Kristiansand Kjevik, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Curacao, Lagos, Larnaca, Leeds, Lima, Linkoping, Lyon, Lisbon, London (London City), London (Heathrow), Los Angeles, Luxembourg, Stockholm (Arlanda), Strasbourg, Taipei, Tel Aviv, Tokyo (Narita), Toronto, Trondheim, Toulouse, Turin, Faro, Florence, Frankfurt, Fukuoka, Fuerteventura, Haimen, Humberside, Helsinki (Vantaa), Houston, Zurich, Chicago (O'Hare) , Chengdu, Shanghai (Pudong), Stuttgart, Edinburgh, Entebbe |
| Kenya Airways | Aberdeen, Athens, Bergen, Berlin (Tegel), Billund, Birmingham, Bristol, Brussels, Vienna, Gothenburg (Landvetter), Glasgow, Durham Tees Valley, Düsseldorf, Geneva, Cardiff, Copenhagen, Leeds, Linkoping, London (Heathrow), Munich , Nairobi, Nice, Norwich, Newcastle, Oslo (Gardermoen), Oslo (Torp/Sandefjord), Sola, Toulouse, Frankfurt, Humberside, Zurich, Edinburgh |
| Korean Air Lines | , Geneva, Copenhagen, Seoul (Incheon) |
| LOT Polish Airlines | Warsaw |
| Lufthansa | Munich, Frankfurt |
| Malaysia Airlines | Brussels, Gothenburg (Landvetter), Geneva, Copenhagen, Kuala Lumpur, Oslo (Gardermoen), Pondok Kabe, Rome (Leonardo Da Vinci/Fiumicino), Sola, Helsinki (Vantaa), Zurich |
| Norwegian Air Shuttle | Copenhagen, Oslo (Gardermoen), |
| Pegasus Airlines | Istanbul (Sabiha Gokcen) |
| Russia Airlines | Saint Petersburg |
| Royal Air Maroc | Casablanca |
| SAS | Zagreb, Copenhagen, Oslo (Gardermoen) |
| Saudi Arabian Airlines | Dammam, Kuwait |
| Singapore Airlines | Singapore |
| Skywork | Berne |
| Sun Express | Izmir |
| Surinam Airways | Paramaribo |
| Swiss International Air Lines | Zurich |
| Tap Portugal | Abu Dhabi, Lisbon, Porto |
| Tarom (Romanian Air Transport) | Bucharest |
| Thai Airways | , Edinburgh|
| United Airlines | Washington (Dulles), Copenhagen, New York (Newark), Houston, Chicago (O'Hare) |
| US Airways | Zagreb, Philadelphia |
| Vietnam Airlines | Frankfurt |
| Virgin Australia | Abu Dhabi |
| Volareweb.com | Milan (Linate) |
| Vueling Airlines | , Malaga |
Hi all!
1) an incredible, disgustingly long queue to go through airport formalities for screening passengers. We stood in line for over forty minutes before some airport employee came to pick up the passengers of a late flight overseas, and my wife, under this “tune,” managed, at my instigation, to infiltrate the crowd of Canadians and Americans, who were taken through the business lounge for inspection . Only thanks to this, she “slipped” into the “sterile zone” in less than an hour, because if not for this feint with her ears, she would have stood within one hour after that.
My flight is much later, but now, armed with the knowledge, I will go three hours before departure in order to be on time everywhere.
2) Wi-Fi in airport business lounges is paid, 6-9 euros per hour, depending on the lounge.
3) by taxi-free you can go to Vertrek Drie - departure hall No. 3, where behind a series of counters at No. 22 there is a passage to the sterile area of gate D. Approaching from the side, where people also go into the sterile area and have their boarding passes checked , tell the inspector that you are in Cash Refund - that's what they call it.
You don't need to have a boarding pass! Need to show
- product
- check tax free
- passport with visa, if required
- e-ticket (any paper printout will do! We actually had agent.ru in Russian).
Looked at the product! The suitcase had to be opened.
The employee at the Global Blue booth herself confirmed the fact of export, was quite satisfied that the SAS “through” ticket only had 50 minutes for a transfer at Arlanda airport, asked if we would like to receive a refund on a bank card, and answered in the affirmative that cash would be issued here second and no commission; We preferred cash and received it immediately.
If you prefer to receive rubles from Masterbank in Moscow, then you need to go with checks to the transition gallery from Vertrek 3 to Vertrek 1-2, where the customs office is located.
The line to the customs officers was also long. I saw that everyone was opening their suitcases for the customs officers. You can only join this queue with boarding passes, in contrast to the procedure I described above for obtaining export verification directly in the Global Blue window.
Customs officers very zealously looked at refund checks, cash receipts, and even went outside to inspect things in heavy suitcases.
4) if you suddenly, like me, bought a Scandinavian Air System ticket on the Internet not on the company’s website, but from one of the Internet agents (for example, agent.ru), be prepared for the fact that you cannot
- register online for the flight;
- register for your flight at the self check-in kiosk, and no amount of sacred knowledge, as well as the SAS Eurobonus card read from the magnetic strip by the unit’s device, will allow you to check in without going through the counter. Everyone is required to register either online or using check-in machines that issue baggage sticker tapes (luggage tags). Those who have registered online and are checking in their luggage are required to obtain luggage tags from this machine.
My wife was forced to go to the business class check-in counter, where, of course, she was served without any problems immediately upon my assurance that we could not register in any way at the machine, because at first both SAS employees, incl. from behind the Economy Class counter, they asked to go back to the self-check-in kiosk.
If anyone has other questions, ask now, so that in the evening, when I fly out of the Netherlands, I can look at what suddenly interests you.
After a hurricane of customs legislation reforms in the EU, it is difficult to figure out what can be transported to the Netherlands by plane, by sea and by land, and what is better left at home until better times. However, ignorance is not an excuse for wrongdoing.
To prevent Dutch customs from ruining your vacation, study the rules of the game in advance. People in uniform don’t care how many shops and stores you ran around in search of a confiscated rarity, what memories connect you with the confiscated souvenir, and how upset your aunt will be without waiting for the gift.
What can you import into the Netherlands?
When crossing the Dutch border by air or sea, citizens of countries located outside the Eurozone are entitled to duty-free import of goods worth up to 430 EUR. By land, you are allowed to carry hand luggage valued at no more than 300 EUR.
Personal belongings of tourists are not subject to duty, provided that the total cost of luggage does not exceed 175 EUR for adult tourists and 90 EUR for minors under 15 years of age. There are no restrictions on the import of funds, but amounts over 10,000 EUR must be declared.
Upon reaching the age of 15 years, you can carry food and industrial products containing alcohol and stimulants intended for individual consumption as part of your hand luggage:
- up to 500 grams of coffee;
- up to 100 grams of tea;
- eau de parfum - 250 ml;
- perfume - 50 ml.
Natives of non-Schengen countries over 17 years of age are allowed to import tobacco products into the Netherlands in limited quantities:
- up to 200 cigarettes;
- up to 100 cigarillos;
- up to 50 cigars;
- loose tobacco - up to 250 grams.
It is advisable to accompany the medications with a notarized prescription from a doctor.
Although Holland does not have a shortage of strong drinks, many tourists are still wondering how much alcohol can be brought into the Netherlands as part of hand luggage. Look for the answer on the bottle label:
- alcohol stronger than 22 degrees - no more than a liter;
- fortified wines - up to 2 liters;
- still wines - up to 4 liters;
- beer - up to 16 liters.
What is prohibited from being brought into the Netherlands
- drugs, precursors and pharmacological drugs of narcotic action;
- firearms and ammunition;
- explosive substances;
- plants on substrate and flower bulbs without documents;
- industrial goods and souvenirs containing biomaterial of protected animal species;
- dairy and meat products, except infant formula and diet food in sealed packaging with a total weight of up to 2 kg.
Transportation of a pet is allowed if you have a vaccination certificate and a veterinary certificate issued 10 working days before the trip.
Caution: export ban!
It is strictly forbidden to bring historical relics and works of art into or out of the Netherlands. When purchasing tulip bulbs, be sure to ask the seller for a certificate from the Netherlands Phytopathological Service for customs.
Don’t neglect the opportunity to save up to 21% on shopping and up to 6% on food through VAT reimbursement by the Dutch customs service under the Tax Free system. Stores that provide Tax Free receipts can be easily identified by the Global Blue sign in the window. To participate in the program, the purchase price must be at least 50 EUR.
At checkout, the seller will give you a Tax Free form, which you need to fill out in block Latin letters. Purchases cannot be unpacked before crossing the border, otherwise tax refund will be denied.
To receive a VAT refund at the airport, go to the counter marked Global Blue with your sales receipts, unopened purchases and completed Tax Free receipts ready. As a rule, funds are transferred to the tourist’s bank card, but if desired, you can receive tax compensation in cash with a fee for processing the application.
If long lines at the counters bother you, a completed Tax Free form with a customs stamp can be sent by mail to the document processing center. The Tax Free receipt is valid for 90 days after issue.
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