Originally Posted by
Land-of-Miles
You have to be more than a non-EU citizen you have to not be a resident. So if you have residency rights (as per your passport) you are not entitled to VAT refunds.
Let's get this straight, you can use the scheme if you are an EU citizen, but you must be able to demonstrate you will be staying outside the EU for more than twelve months. (I'm not sure if 'staying' allows for temporary visits back to the EU).
http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsP...cument#P14_724
So it's all about the actual place of residence, not the citizenship, nor the permitted places of residence.