Re- Claiming Vat At Airport

[needforspeed]

Yo!

I'm buying a camera, phone and a laptop and will apply for the VAT-refund. I dont wanna bring the goods back to home, because dont wanna fight with my customs officers back at home, and I will return quite quickly in just a couple weeks anyways.

As I've read this thread, one needs to get the stamp, and sometimes show the goods, before checking in. After this, can I give the goods to my wife and go to the check in counter and continue through check-in, immigration and go to the refund counter at the tax-free zone? I guess they wont/cannot check the goods at the refund counter after the check-in, as obviously the passengers could have checked the goods in with their luggage?

Am I right? has anyone done this? I guess it should work ok, no hazzle..

Did it 2 weeks ago no problem.

You have the yellow documents?

After the checked the goods and papers you go through customs and at VAT-refund (they have two of them) you only show your passport , VAT document (yellow) and original invoice and collect the money.

Edited November 23, 2010 by needforspeed

[Xircal]

I did the refund thing twice, without any hassle.

first time I brought a camera and a video camera home that I had purchased at Carrefour. They have a service counter where you fill in a form with your details and passport number, and they print the documents that are necessary at the Tax office near the Check-in area at Suvarnabumi.

In the Tax office you have to show them the documents and the purchased goods that you plan to reclaim VAT for. After they stamp the documents, and after you check in, you can claim the money at a counter near the Duty free area.

Second time, 6 months ago, I bought a nice high end laptop in Pantip Plaza.

Brought it home same way: documents filled in at the counter of the shop; before departure I took it out of the box and in to a rucksack on departure. The box i filled it with other stuff and brought it separately in my main luggage.

This time, the officer at the Tax office just stamped the form without asking to see the goods. It would not have been a problem to do that anyway, but I was in and out in minutes.

Did I make a profit? Yes. The laptop with the same configuration would have cost me 800 euro in my home country. We have 19% VAT

I bought it for 28500 THB; roughly speaking 570 euro, and with 2 GB extra RAM added to it in the shop.

The Tax refund was around 2200 THB, so another 40 euro discount on my laptop purchase. Coool...

However, at the arrival airport, don't forget to go through the 'green', nothing to declare gate

You were lucky then. 28500 THB six months ago was more like 700 Euros. Since the maximum value of goods you can bring into the Netherlands tax-free is 430 Euros, Customs would very likely have confiscated the laptop and arrested you had you been caught.