Tax Free Shopping at Westfield London
Do you know that when you visit the UK on holidays or business trips, you may be able to recover the Value Added Tax (VAT) paid on many purchases?
When shopping in the UK, you will pay VAT on many of the goods that you purchase. Non European Union (EU) residents may be entitled to claim this VAT back when they take those goods home with them.
How to shop tax free
Step 1 - When making a purchase in a participating store, ask the sales assistant for a tax refund voucher / receipt and complete the form. You must remember to keep your receipts as you will need to present the goods, receipts and completed documentation to border officials on leaving the EU.
Step 2 - Upon exiting the EU, present the goods, your passport, shop receipt and tax free form to Customs and have the refund form stamped.
Step 3 - Stamped forms may be mailed to the tax refund services provider in an envelope for a refund direct to credit cards or a bank account. The refund agent at the airport will be able to arrange mailing your form.
The Guest Services team have multilingual copies of guidance produced by the tax refund service providers for you to take away. Copies of HM Revenue & Customs notice 704/1 which contains detailed guidance on the refund process can be downloaded as PDF documents as well as obtained from the Guest Services team.
Important notes:
You must live outside of the EU to be entitled to a VAT refund and leave the EU by the third month following the month of purchase E.G. items purchased in January must be exported by the 30th April that year. In order to be eligible for a VAT refund in Europe you must reside outside the European Union. The following countries are members of the EU: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions may vary between retailers and tax refund service providers and some retailers may set their own conditions, for example that you spend a minimum amount in one store on the same day. Please check individual retailers in advance.
Refunds are subject to status and cash refund and tax refund provider terms and conditions. Other refund methods and locations are available outside Westfield London. The information contained in these web pages is, to the best of our knowledge, true and accurate at the time of publication, and is solely for informational purposes. Westfield accepts no liability for any loss or damage howsoever arising as a result of use of or reliance on this information, whether authorised or not.
Currency Exchange
You will be able to exchange money at the ICE Bureau du Change, located on Level 1.
