Tax Free Shopping

In order to provide the ability of tax refund to customers outside the European Union through POS.

What it is

Tax Free Shopping service provides you the ability of automated issue of documents for tax refund to customers coming from countries outside the European Union.

The procedure is conducted through the POS terminal and concerns the purchases of the following products over 50€. The service is supported for Visa, MasterCard and Maestro cards.

Tax Free Shopping is provided in cooperation with INNOVA, one of the most recognized companies in the provision of tax refund services with presence in many European countries.

Which customers it concerns

Tax Free Shopping concerns the permanent residents of countries outside the EU, as they are entitled to tax refund for the products they purchase within the EU. Such refund may be completed through a procedure that starts at the time of purchase and it is completed at the customs office (within 90 days from the day of purchase).

With high VAT tax rate, Greece gives great incentive to tourists coming from countries outside the European Union. These customers are aware of the tax refund service Tax Free Shopping and they choose where they will make their purchases in order to benefit the most from them.

The minimum limit of purchases has been set at 50€, a fact that makes the service accessible to customers, in order to make use of it in most of their purchases in Greece. The number of Tax Free transactions is constantly increasing, as a result also of the increased tourism outside the European Union.

Sectors that may benefit from the use of Tax Free Shopping service

The service concerns the sale of physical goods and not of services. Some of the items that tourists prefer to purchase are the following:

  • Souvenirs/ Handmade products
  • Jewelry/ Watches
  • Leather products/ Furs
  • Clothing/ Footwear/ Sports goods
  • Cosmetic products/ Perfumes
  • Optical articles
  • Toys/ Musical instruments

Upon the use of the service, your customers receive a refund of more than 50% of VAT, easily and quickly, while your business also benefits.

What you gain

  • Free availability of the service
  • New source of revenue, which increases the profitability of your business. For each completed tax refund, you will receive a commission resulting from the remaining amount after the tax refund to the consumer
  • Increased sales and larger number of visits to your store
  • Double benefit, since by combining Tax Free Shopping with Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) , you turn every transaction by card to a profitable procedure with zero commission
  • Access to INNOVA Partner Portal, through which information is provided regarding:

    • Supply invoices
    • Copy for every completed refund
    • Detailed statistics on completed refunds (transactions, turnover, nationalities, etc.)
    • Information on the market trends
    • Educational material

Competitive advantage

Through the POS terminal, we provide you with a fully automated procedure, which is completed directly, without the employee of the cash desk being involved.

  • Automatic information from the POS for transactions that are eligible for tax refund
  • Automatic issue of the pre-filled Tax Free form from the POS, without the filling of the classic tax refund form being required

Methods of VAT tax refund to consumers

Consumers can choose in which way they will receive the tax refund.

  • In a credit card (they must fill in the number of the card on the Tax Free form)
  • In cash at the airport, at the Tax Free service points
  • In an Alipay/ Paypal account

Which is the Tax Free Shopping procedure

  • Upon completion of the transaction, the POS displays a message for Tax Free Shopping.
  • By choosing “YES”, the Tax Free document is printed together with the receipt of the transaction.
  • You provide customers with the receipt/document and you inform them that in order for the tax refund to be made, they must fill in and sign the document and when they leave Greece (or the EU), they must request for the stamp of the customs office.
  • Customers shall fill in the document: full name, residence address, country, passport number, phone number, email and card number (if they wish the refund to be made to their card).
  • When leaving Greece, the customers shall have the document stamped at the Customs Office.
  • Customers shall use the envelope with pre-paid posting fee that they will receive from the business and they shall send the stamped receipt/Tax Free form to INNOVA.
  • Upon completion of the procedure, your customer will receive the tax refund and at the same time your business will benefit.