Customs stamps and VAT when departing Europe on QM2

[avalon1025]

I'll be spending some time in the UK and sailing back to the states onthe QM2. How does one get the required customs stamp for a refund of VAT on purchases made abroad? is there a facility in the Ocean Terminal?

[Cats2010]

I'll be spending some time in the UK and sailing back to the states onthe QM2. How does one get the required customs stamp for a refund of VAT on purchases made abroad? is there a facility in the Ocean Terminal?

 

Hi,

The Purser's desk on deck 2 has forms available for you to fill in. You may also ask them any questions you may have in this respect.

:)

[PvTraveler]

Getting your papers stamped for a VAT refund is always an iffy proposition at best. The place to have it done is the Purser's desk. Make sure you have the proper English stamps on the forms if any are needed.

 

Sometimes it works other times the papers get lost. One year I handed in forms on the QE2 that came back to me in the States, "unable to process because of no custom stamp". Since I live 10 minutes away from the Port of Los Angeles I waited until the QE2 came into port on her World voyage and went down to the port and found the assistant purser checking in new guests. He carried my forms back to Soton and had them properly stamped and I eventually got my refund. Since it was for a couple of hundred dollars it was worth the effort.

 

If you do hand your papers in make sure the person knows that they must be stamped before the ship sails. Good luck

[Gittel]

You may be able to get a VAT refund from the shops if they participate in the VAT refund scheme for overseas visitors. I know Marks and Spencer do this. No doubt other large department stores such as Selfridges and Harrods do as well. Maybe John Lewis as all these stores are a large attraction to our overseas visitors. Just ask when you purchase and keep on asking because a lot of the shop assistants are a bit dim on tax matters. If in doubt try customer services.

[pepperrn]

You may be able to get a VAT refund from the shops if they participate in the VAT refund scheme for overseas visitors. Just ask when you purchase and keep on asking because a lot of the shop assistants are a bit dim on tax matters. If in doubt try customer services.

 

The rules may have changed, but about 10 years ago when I was escorting two American visitors around part of Britain they had to look out for two things;

1. Not everything they bought carried VAT (they had assumed the opposite).

2. Each purchase had to be over £50 in value.

So, many shops (selling small items of food for example) had little interest in VAT refunds for visitors.

They rapidly became aware that not all shops had regular visitors who could claim back VAT, esp when away from the usual tourist traps (and many tourists come from within the EU) hence the lack of knowledge on occasions, but we sorted things out eventually.

As I said, the rules may have changed, this was a little while ago.