On our recent trip to Milan, I had a plan to purchase two luxury items. One for myself and another that my sister asked for. Buying these items outside the United States is more affordable, especially in Europe. The prices are usually lower due to no overseas shipping, the VAT refund, and the exchange rate when favorable to the US dollar. Read more about my purchases in this blog post.
VAT, or value added tax, is a tax on most products and services sold by VAT-registered businesses. Many countries outside of the US, that levy a tax, use the term VAT. To save on luxury goods in Milan, you usually obtain your VAT refund at the airport when you leave the European Union (EU), which Italy belongs to. Once the customs officer reviews your paperwork and stamps your form, you can receive the refund in cash or by credit card. Details on the process can be found here: Guide to VAT Refund for Visitors to the EU.
For this trip, we would spend a few days in Milan and then a few days in Zurich, traveling to Zurich by train. While in Milan, I shopped for my luxury goods at Rinascente Milano Piazza Duomo. On the sixth floor of this mall, there is an area where you can start the process at a kiosk. There is a customer service team on hand to help and answer questions. You present your receipts and passport to obtain the Tax Free Form. Some stores, like Gucci, will do this for you before you leave their store.
This is the moment I realized that I could have a problem getting my refund! I didn’t consider that Switzerland is not a part of the EU. Customer service told me not to worry because I could get the VAT refund at the airport. However, I knew that would be impossible because we were leaving Milan by train. I feel defeated until I’m told that the train stops in Chiasso, Switzerland, where there’s a customs office. I still had a problem…our train from Milan to Zurich was direct – no stops! It was simpler than I expected to cancel the direct train for one that had a stop in Chiasso. Because these were now regional trains, the tickets had a window of time to be valid versus set times. I checked the schedules to ensure we had a 20-30 minute stop in Chiasso. Now, I was all set!
Here are the steps once you arrive in Chiasso.
Arrival in Chiasso on Platform 1.
Arriving on any other platform, you will take a ramp down to a tunnel. After walking through the tunnel, you take an elevator or stairs to enter the station.
You will see an orange line on the floor, with blue arrows labeled “per I’Italia”. Follow it to get to the customs office.
There is no line here, but continue walking down the long hallway.
The customs office is the door with the flag of Italy above it. Ring the doorbell or knock on the door.
This is the inside of the customs office. The official takes your passport, looks at your purchased goods, and processes the paperwork to issue you a digital stamp, which leads to your VAT refund. You will then take this to the airport on your way out of the country and submit it at a Travelex counter or similar service.
There is a Global Blue Refunds Mailbox next to the door. You don’t have to use this if you fly back to the US. It is faster to submit your paperwork at the airport. However, the easiest way to expedite your refund is to download the Global Blue app once you get your Tax Free Form for a credit card refund. Once downloaded, enter the necessary information. Everything is handled electronically, with no need to stop once at the airport. I did this and used the app to check the status of my VAT refund, which I received in a couple of days.
Mission complete…now off to Zurich! Safe and Happy Travels, Tamara