VAT Refund... TA from Barcelona

[Woodridge Cruisers]

I'm booked on a TA from BCN in October and I starting thinking about when to apply for the VAT refund... actually in which port. My cruise departs BCN with stops in Malaga, Cadiz, and Tenerife.  I thought I read somewhere that you apply for the refund in your last port of call if all ports are the same country. My last TA stopped in Tenerife; however, I don't recall seeing a VAT refund processing office/kiosk at the cruise port. Any insights as to when/where to apply? TYIA!

[9265359]

Personally I would do it for the purchases made at that port stop for the purchases made at that port, so whatever is bought in Barcelona is done in Barcelona, Malaga in Malaga, etc. as that would make it easier if you needed to show the items bought.

 

The official website Tax Agency: DIVA digital stamp for travellers (agenciatributaria.gob.es) has a spreadsheet with the list of locations with the terminals DIVA_aerop_act_en24.xlsx (live.com) and it would appear that they exist in all four locations.

 

For the one in Tenerife, then my guess would be that it would be in the ferry terminal office that adjoins the cruise terminal and has the ticket sales desks, a cafe, and a few offices above.

[Harters]

Bear in mind that Tenerife (and the rest of the Canaries) has a different taxation regime from mainland Spain. Even though I've been visiting the island annually for the 30 years, I've never needed to find out about tax refunds. It will be worth you checking out if Tenerife will have the documentation to process claims for mainland purchases. You'd like to think that it would but.........  

 

The advice to claim port by port would seem to be sound advice.  

[9265359]

21 hours ago, Harters said:

It will be worth you checking out if Tenerife will have the documentation to process claims for mainland purchases.

 

The official Spanish government website I posted indicated that it did, and that website indicated that it all seems to be automated these days with the traveller entering their details into a computer terminal and then the terminal deciding if the customs staff needed to actually see the goods or speak to the passenger, and if not then it would do what was needed automatically.

[ollienbertsmum]

There is a global blue app that can help you too.  Don’t ask me how to use it though! When I did my Christmas shopping in Spain I got tax back from two items, one of them did not get processed properly.  I thought I did the same for all three.  

[alserrod]

Hello

As far as I know
- you must pay for the items and have an invoice stating the value with VAT included
- before leaving the country you must ask the "tax agency" (tax administration) to stamp the invoice. They will check that you have not used the item before leaving Spain (i.e. if you buy a mobile phone, it must be intact before leaving Spain for it to be stamped)
- if in your country that item is taxed you may have to pay it. It's a matter of what you buy and what it is. If you buy a mobile phone, take it out of Spain intact and use it on the boat you say it is for personal use. If you buy ten phones it may not be so easy.

But the key point is where the item goes through the "tax agency". To get an idea, it's like "nothing to declare / goods to declare" but the other way around. It's voluntary, when leaving the country but they are the ones who have to stamp it for you.

I don't understand much about taxes, but right now I wouldn't know where to stamp it if I were travelling to another EU country (you go through without customs control) or if I were travelling by car through any border crossing in Portugal or France (it's easy to guess if you're going to Andorra, Gibraltar or Morocco).

In other words... wherever you see a customs control you should do it. Of course, I don't know if it would be in Barcelona, in Malaga or it could be in both.

Regarding Tenerife, no way. There is no VAT in the Canary Islands (there is a specific tax that is much cheaper). For tax purposes it is like moving outside the European Union (for many small companies it is easier to export to Lithuania and Cyprus than to the Canary Islands themselves because of the mess of taxes).
What you buy in Tenerife can also be exempt from taxes. The process is the same but the taxes are lower so I don't know if it will be worth it.

If it helps, a friend who lives in the Canary Islands tells me that he never asks for a VAT refund. When you buy something in mainland Spain, if you return to the Canary Islands, you should pay the taxes there and ask for a refund. The easiest way is to order it from a company, which is not worth it and which almost no one does

A lot of work for little money

But of course you can try to ask for it!!

[ollienbertsmum]

I agree alserrod.  The app does help - so I got a few pounds back.  Son in law was also doing it so it was worth stopping off at our exit point from Spain and getting the stamp on the paperwork, which, as I said before worked for two of the three transactions.  It is a lot of work for little recompense.