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Tax refund at Schiphol
Planet & Epay·Departures 3
Accessible to all visitors and passengers.
Global Blue·Departures 3
Accessible to all visitors and passengers.
Are you visiting the Netherlands and have you been shopping? If you live outside the European Union, you can often reclaim the VAT on your purchases. At Schiphol, this process is fully digital from 1 January 2026.
You can request a VAT refund if you meet the following conditions:
The VAT refund process is handled entirely digitally. The shop registers your purchase directly in the system. You will no longer receive any paper forms.
To receive your VAT refund at Schiphol, there are two steps you should follow. First, you have your purchases digitally validated, then you choose how you want to receive your refund. You can read exactly how this works below.
When leaving the Netherlands, your purchases must be digitally validated. You can validate your purchases using the NL Customs VAT app for Android or Apple. This app replaces the old customs stamp. Your digital invoices* are displayed in the app. The app automatically confirms that you are at Schiphol and departing. The validation is then sent directly to the tax refund partner or straight to the retailer.
If you prefer not to use the app, or if it doesn’t work, you can go to the Customs desk in Departure Hall 3. A staff member will check your passport, your ticket, and your digital purchase details, and will ask you to show the goods.
* Provided the retailer has registered the invoices in the digital system.
After digital validation, you can choose how you want to receive your VAT refund:
