VAT refund in Southampton

Does anyone have recent experience in claiming a VAT refund in Southampton? I've searched the boards but the last thread is five years old. Are the UK customs people still around when all the disembarking passengers are gone?

You'll be very lucky to find HMRC at the terminals 'on Transatlantic's' ...now before anyone disagrees ;) it's mostly on 'cruises from the Canaries' that HMRC are more often than not visible (so many of us Brits are still unsure if some parts of the Canaries are in the EU )

There is a wall telephone that one has to make a call from if... A) have anything to declare or... B) need to contact HMRC.

Hope this helps :)

I may be wrong, but I'm sure I've read in the onboard programme, the procedure for VAT refunds ..check with the Purser's desk

The government website suggests posting your refund claim into the Customs postbox if there are no customs officers around.

Tax Free shopping

Hopefully when you arrive at the terminal somebody can show you where it is (if you don't get some first hand advice before then).

You'll be very lucky to find HMRC at the terminals 'on Transatlantic's' ...now before anyone disagrees ;) it's mostly on 'cruises from the Canaries' that HMRC are more often than not visible (so many of us Brits are still unsure if some parts of the Canaries are in the EU )

 

There is a wall telephone that one has to make a call from if... A) have anything to declare or... B) need to contact HMRC.

 

Hope this helps :)

 

I may be wrong, but I'm sure I've read in the onboard programme, the procedure for VAT refunds ..check with the Purser's desk

Gosh, we must have been very lucky then - or unlucky as the case may be :D We have had Customs officials at Southampton on every Transatlantic we have done - at least 8-10 of them, and the end of a couple of World Cruises.

On our 2011 and 2013 transatlantic crossings there was a place to drop off your already filled out VAT forms in the Southampton terminal. I just asked one of the ladies and she showed me where. It was easy.

On our 2011 and 2013 transatlantic crossings there was a place to drop off your already filled out VAT forms in the Southampton terminal. I just asked one of the ladies and she showed me where. It was easy.

Thanks - it turned out that nothing has changed and that's still the case in 2015. The only down side is that had I known that was still the procedure, I could have packed some of that stuff rather than hand carrying it for possible UK inspection.

The box at the terminal works very well with purchases made throughout the EU. I have had less success mailing in the forms even after having it properly stamped by a customs official.

I'm curious - what type of items are you claiming the VAT refund on ?

Anything, jewelry, clothing, VAT in Europe can be as high as 25%:

http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/resources/documents/taxation/vat/how_vat_works/rates/vat_rates_en.pdf