Do you reside outside the European Union and would like to export a product purchased from us yourself from the EU?

Under certain conditions, the VAT calculated at the time of purchase can be refunded retrospectively.

Direct delivery to a country outside the EU

If we ship your order directly to a delivery address outside the European Union, the procedure for retrospective VAT refund described here is generally not required.

In this case, the export is carried out directly by us or by the shipping service provider we commission. The required export and customs clearance is carried out as part of the shipment.

Please note that upon import into your destination country, import VAT, customs duties, and other fees may apply. These may be collected by the relevant authorities or the shipping service provider and are not part of our invoice.

Delivery within the EU and export by yourself

The following information applies if:

• You reside outside the European Union,
• You initially have the goods delivered to an address within the EU or take delivery of the goods within the EU and
• You subsequently export the goods yourself in your personal luggage from the EU.

Example: You live in Switzerland, have your order sent to a delivery address in Germany, and then take the goods with you to Switzerland yourself.

In this case, your order will initially be calculated including the applicable VAT. A refund can only be issued after the export has taken place and the required evidence has been submitted.

How the VAT refund works

1. Place an order

Order the desired goods normally in our online shop.

For delivery within the EU, the order will initially be calculated including the applicable VAT and paid in full.

Your actual residence must be outside the European Union and can be proven accordingly.

2. Export the goods yourself from the EU

You must export the purchased goods personally in your luggage from the European Union.

When leaving the EU, present the goods together with the invoice and your passport or border crossing document at the relevant border customs office.

In principle, the goods must be in your possession when leaving the EU and can be shown to the customs office upon request.

3. Have the export confirmed by customs

Please have the export of the goods confirmed by the relevant border customs office.

Usually, the confirmation is made directly on our invoice by a corresponding customs note or customs stamp.

Alternatively, a properly completed and confirmed "Export and recipient certificate for VAT purposes for non-commercial travel" can be used.

If you need an export and recipient certificate completed or signed by us, please contact us before leaving the EU.

4. Send the original export certificate to us

After successful export, please send us the original export certificate with the confirmation of the border customs office by post.

This is usually:

• our original invoice with the corresponding customs confirmation, or
• the originally confirmed export and recipient certificate.

Order confirmations, delivery notes, or other documents without a corresponding export certificate cannot be used as a substitute.

Please also send us:

• Your order or invoice number,
• The name of the account holder,
• Your IBAN and
• for payments outside the SEPA area, your BIC/SWIFT if applicable.

An additional copy of your passport is generally not required, provided that the required recipient details have already been properly confirmed by the border customs office.

Since these are original documents, we recommend sending them by registered mail.

Requirements for the VAT refund

We can only process a VAT refund if the statutory requirements for a tax-free export delivery in non-commercial travel are met and we have the required evidence.

In particular, the following requirements must be met:

• Your residence is outside the European Union.
• The purchased goods are intended for private purposes.
• You export the goods yourself in your personal luggage from the European Union.
• The goods are exported within the legally prescribed period.
• The total value of the delivery including VAT exceeds the legally prescribed minimum threshold.
• The export of the goods is properly confirmed by the relevant border customs office.
• The required information about the recipient or their residence outside the EU can be proven accordingly.
• We are subsequently presented with a proper export certificate.

In principle, the export must take place before the end of the third calendar month following the month of delivery.

Important

Delivery to an address within the EU does not automatically lead to a VAT refund.

The VAT is initially calculated normally. A refund is only issued after you have exported the goods yourself from the European Union and we have the required export evidence.

Even a customs confirmation alone does not automatically mean that all tax law requirements for a refund are met. We therefore check the submitted documents before every refund.

A refund before the export has taken place or without sufficient export evidence is not possible.

Please also note that a retrospective VAT refund is only possible for transactions that meet the statutory requirements for a tax-free export delivery.

Where do I send the documents?

Please send the original export certificate together with your order/invoice number and your bank details to:

Joscha Arndt
KBC Shop
Marienberg 7
41844 Wegberg
Germany

VAT ID: DE366749894

When will I receive my refund?

As soon as we have received your complete documents, we will check the requirements for the VAT refund.

If the statutory requirements are met and the required evidence is complete, we will refund the corresponding VAT amount to the account you have specified.

Please note that processing can only take place after receipt and review of the complete documents.

In short

Direct delivery by KBC Shop to a country outside the EU:
The export is handled as part of our shipment. A retrospective tax-free refund using the procedure described here is generally not required.

Delivery within the EU + You subsequently take the goods abroad yourself:
Present the goods, invoice, and passport at customs when leaving → Have the export confirmed → Send the original export certificate to KBC Shop → We check the documents → If the requirements are met, the VAT refund is issued.