EU VAT Refund Calculator for Tourists — How Much Will You Get Back?
If you live outside the EU, you can claim back the VAT on goods you buy on your trip and take home. This calculator shows how much VAT is inside your purchase, and how much of it actually reaches you once a refund operator has taken its fee.
Calculate Your VAT Refund
Section titled “Calculate Your VAT Refund”VAT inside your purchase · 20% rate
€166.67reclaimable
- Typical refund desk~70% of the VAT€116.67
- GoodVat app90% of the VAT€150.00
Minimum spend in France: €100.01, same store, same day. France refund rules
Keep €33.33 more of this refund.
The GoodVat app handles your tax-free claim automatically, with no refund-desk queue, and pays out 90% of the VAT. 1,300+ refunds issued so far. It's in private beta, and you can request access now.
Private beta members get their first refund fee-free. We'll only email you about the beta. Privacy
See how the app worksEstimate only. Uses the standard tax rate and a typical operator commission; your refund depends on the goods, the retailer and the refund operator.
How the Calculation Works
Section titled “How the Calculation Works”Shelf prices in the EU include VAT, so the tax is a share of the pre-tax price, not of what you paid. The formula is:
VAT = price × rate ÷ (1 + rate)
At France’s 20% rate, a €1,000 handbag contains €166.67 of VAT, which is 16.67% of the shelf price. That is the most you could ever get back.
You then lose part of it to commission. Refund operators such as Global Blue and Planet keep a cut for processing the claim, and a typical payout is around 70% of the VAT. Cash at an airport desk usually pays less than a refund to your card.
Worked Example
Section titled “Worked Example”You spend €1,000 on clothes in Paris.
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Shelf price | €1,000.00 |
| VAT inside the price (20%) | €166.67 |
| Typical refund desk payout | €116.67 |
| GoodVat app payout | €150.00 |
The calculator also covers Japan and Dubai (UAE), where the rules and fees differ: see the Japan tax refund guide and the Dubai (UAE) VAT refund guide.
VAT Rates and Minimum Spend by Country
Section titled “VAT Rates and Minimum Spend by Country”| Country | Standard VAT rate | Minimum spend |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | 20% | EUR 75.01 (per receipt) |
| Belgium | 21% | EUR 50 (per receipt) |
| Bulgaria | 20% | EUR 125 (per receipt) |
| Croatia | 25% | EUR 100 (per receipt) |
| Cyprus | 19% | EUR 50 (per receipt) |
| Czech Republic | 21% | CZK 2,001 (per receipt) |
| Denmark | 25% | DKK 300 (per receipt) |
| Estonia | 24% | EUR 38 (per receipt) |
| Finland | 25.5% | EUR 40 (per receipt) |
| France | 20% | EUR 100.01 (same store, same day) |
| Germany | 19% | EUR 50.01 (before VAT, per receipt) |
| Greece | 24% | EUR 50 (per receipt) |
| Hungary | 27% | HUF 74,000 (per receipt) |
| Ireland | 23% | EUR 30 (set by the refund operator) |
| Italy | 22% | EUR 70.01 (per receipt) |
| Latvia | 21% | EUR 40 (per receipt) |
| Lithuania | 21% | EUR 55 (per receipt) |
| Luxembourg | 17% | EUR 74 (per receipt) |
| Malta | 18% | EUR 100 (per receipt) |
| Netherlands | 21% | EUR 50 (per receipt) |
| Poland | 23% | PLN 200 (per receipt) |
| Portugal | 23% | EUR 50 (per receipt, mainland) |
| Romania | 19% | RON 250 (per receipt) |
| Slovakia | 23% | EUR 100 (per receipt) |
| Slovenia | 22% | EUR 50 (per receipt) |
| Spain | 21% | None |
| Sweden | 25% | SEK 200 (per receipt) |
| Japan | 10% | JPY 5,000 (before tax, same store, same day) |
| Dubai (UAE) | 5% | AED 250 (before VAT, per receipt) |
The calculator uses each country’s standard rate. Some goods, such as books or food, carry a reduced rate, and the refund on those is smaller.
What the Calculator Doesn’t Cover
Section titled “What the Calculator Doesn’t Cover”- Eligibility. You must live outside the EU and take the goods out, unused, within three months.
- Customs validation. No validation at your EU exit point means no refund, whatever the form says.
- Services. Hotels, restaurants and car rental don’t qualify.
The EU VAT Refund Guide walks through the whole process.