Shopping in Riga: tax free, discounts and sales, the best places. Shop wisely: Tax Free in Poland, Lithuania and Latvia Tax free in Riga
For many travelers, the term Tax Free is associated with the possibility of purchasing while traveling in a free economic zone, usually in shops at the border or at the airport. But in fact, if you are not a permanent resident of the EU, then when making purchases in a number of stores in the Baltic countries, you have the right to a VAT refund. In the Baltics, many stores work with the well-known Global Blue Tax Free system.
How to use it for you:
1) Look for the Global Blue TAX FREE Shopping logo on store windows or ask sellers about the service. 
When purchasing the product you need, do not forget to ask the store employee to issue you a TAX FREE FORM. You need to enter your personal data into the document. Fill in the required fields in block letters of the Latin alphabet. The goods must be exported by the person indicated in the TAX FREE form. 
3) Allow enough time for the tax refund process before your departure at the airport.
Before checking in for your flight, go to the customs counter with your completed Tax Free Form, passport, receipts and purchases to have your receipt stamped. Make sure all items have price tags and tags. Do not put your purchases in your luggage as you will need to show them to the customs officer. The customs officer will stamp your Tax Free forms, after which your purchases can be checked in as luggage. The tax refund will be issued after passport control at the international departure hall at the Global Blue Tax Free refund points. 
When leaving the country by train, a representative of the Latvian Customs passing through the carriages will stamp your Tax Free forms. Have your passport, receipts and sealed purchases ready to present to the customs officer. Upon arrival in your country of residence, go to your nearest payment office to receive your tax refund.
When leaving the country by car, contact the Latvian customs representative at the border checkpoint to have your Tax Free forms stamped. It is also necessary to prepare your passport, receipts and sealed purchases for presentation to the customs officer. Upon arrival in your country of residence, go to your nearest payment office to receive your tax refund.
You can also mail your completed, stamped receipt in a special Global Blue envelope and receive your tax refund on your credit card.
The minimum purchase amount in one store to issue a receipt is 30.25 Ls. If you make small purchases in different departments of the same store, you can receive a receipt for the total amount of such purchases. Using the TAX FREE Shopping service, you can return up to 15% of the total purchase price.
When exporting goods purchased in Riga or Latvia, you have the opportunity to return part of the VAT (value added tax), the value of which in Latvia is 21%.
Please note the following requirements regarding VAT refunds.
You must be permanently resident outside the European Union.
- You can return about 12% of the purchase amount.
- The minimum purchase amount must exceed 30 lats (43 euros).
- Purchases must be exported from the EU within 3 months from the date of purchase.
- The Tax Refund check is valid for 6 months from the date of registration. After this period you will not be able to return the tax.
- You must not use the purchased items until they are removed.
- You will not be able to return tax on purchased services
And if everything is clear with stores located in Duty Free zones, then with purchases in regular stores you must follow the following registration sequence.
Procedure for refunding value added tax (Tax Free) in Latvia
1. Make sure the store offers a tax refund service.
In this case, there should be a sticker with the logo on the store window Global Blue TAX FREE Shopping. You can also check with the retailer about the availability of this service.
The total number of retail outlets in Riga offering tax refund services is about a thousand stores. The service is offered by almost everyone, and so on.
2. When purchasing, ask the seller to issue a Tax Refund check.
To do this, you need to present your passport and also fill out a special form that is available in the store. Your purchases will be sealed; you should not open the package until you cross the border.
3. At the border when leaving the EU, present your Tax Refund receipt, purchases and passport to the customs officer.
The official must put a mark on the export of the goods - without such a mark it will not be possible to claim a tax refund.
Please note that the Tax Refund check indicates the buyer’s passport details, and he must present the goods at the border.
4. You have one of the following tax refund options available: cash, credit card or bank check.
When traveling by plane, you can get your tax refund right on the spot in the departure area.
You can also request a tax refund in cash (subject to the registration procedure) at payment points located in cities such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk and Vladivostok (more details - www.global-blue.com/ru/ traveler-services/tax-free-shopping/tax-free-shopping-faq).
In addition, checks can be sent by mail and you can receive money on a bank card or by bank check.
Do not forget, a tax refund is not a good service of the state or a store, but a completely legal procedure. You just need to follow the order of paperwork and there shouldn’t be any problems with tax refunds!
If you permanently reside outside the EU, then when making purchases in a number of stores in the Baltic countries, you are entitled to a VAT refund. In addition to shopping at Duty Free shops at borders and airports, you can use the TAX FREE Shopping service and get back up to 17% of the total purchase price.
How to use TAX FREE in Latvia:
Look for the TAX FREE Shopping sticker on store windows or ask sellers about the service.
Make purchases worth at least 43 Euros. If you make small purchases in different departments of the same store, you can receive a receipt for the total amount of such purchases. Attention! The tax refund does not apply to purchased services.
Show your passport to the store clerk and ask for a TAX FREE check. You need to enter your personal data into the document.
Your purchases will be packed and sealed. Do not open the package until you have cleared the border and received a customs stamp.
When leaving the European Union, you MUST present your receipt, purchases and passport to the customs officer to receive a stamp for the export of purchases. Without a customs mark, you will not be able to receive a tax refund. The goods must be exported by the person indicated on the TAX FREE receipt.
You can choose how to receive VAT: cash, credit card or bank check. If you are traveling by plane, you can receive money in cash directly at the departure airport.
Please remember to follow the following rules:
Purchases cannot be unpacked and used before being exported from the EU.
Purchases must be exported from the EU within 3 months from the month the purchase was made.
The Tax Free check must be stamped at the border of the last European Union country you are leaving.
The receipt is valid for 1 year from the date of purchase. Be sure to cash your check or mail it in before the expiration date.
If you follow these rules, rest assured that getting your money back for tax-free purchases is a very real and easy procedure.
If you permanently reside outside the European Union, you have the opportunity to reclaim VAT. At the same time, you can return up to 17% of the total cost of your purchase.
VAT refund stages
- At the very beginning, you need to find stores that have a Tax free shopping sticker on their windows. The possibility of providing this service should be checked with sellers.
- The total purchase amount should be from 43 euros. Keep in mind that making small purchases in various departments of one shopping center allows you to receive a check for the total amount, as a result of which a VAT refund becomes possible. Tax free does not apply to services.
- The store seller must present a passport in order to receive a special check and process it. You will need to enter current personal data into the document, avoiding any typos or errors.
- Store employees will pack and seal the purchased goods. The package cannot be opened until the border has been passed and the mark has been received.
- At customs when leaving the EU you must present a receipt, passport and packaged, sealed goods. As a result, a customs export mark will be placed.
- Without obtaining a customs mark, it will not be possible to return VAT. In this case, the receipt procedure can only be completed if the goods are exported by the person indicated on the receipt.
- You have the opportunity to choose the best method of returning funds: cash, bank check, transfer to a credit card.
What rules should you follow?
When using the tax free system in Latvia, you need to remember several rules:
- Purchases must be exported from the European Union within three months after they were made.
- The customs stamp must be obtained not in Latvia, but in the last country of the European Union where you will visit.
- The check can be used for one year, during which time it must be cashed or sent by mail.
Compliance with these rules and understanding the specifics of the procedure guarantees that the VAT refund will take place and you will be able to appreciate all the benefits of this system. By giving preference to shopping in Latvia, you will be able to appreciate the diversity of the offered assortment and the ideal quality of all goods.
- a popular service of Belarusian travel agencies. This is understandable, when literally in a day you can dress and put on shoes for the whole family, and even get a VAT refund on purchases made, it would be a sin not to take advantage of this opportunity! Many people prefer to travel to neighboring countries on their own - you can get around in your own car in just a day by taking an express shopping tour. Today we’ll figure out how to shop profitably “using the Tax Free system” in neighboring countries - Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
So, to begin with your actions in any store that has a sign that says Tax Free:
1. When purchasing a product, contact the seller with a request to issue Tax Free. You will need a passport. The Tax Free form must be accompanied by a cash receipt.
2. When leaving the EU, ask the customs officer to put a stamp on the Tax Free check. At the same time, remember that you need to present unpacked purchases, a passport and, of course, the receipt itself.
3. Cash a Tax Free check in one of three ways - at the border at special return points, by returning money to a bank card or at Technobank in Minsk.
Tax Free in Poland
