Originally Posted by David-A

To be refunded? Or to first obtain the customs stamp?
Two very different parts of the process.

At LHR T3 you have the traditional options for refund, plus the special travelex way.

Traditionally how it works is you take you reclaim form (which I will discuss in a minute) and show it with your goods to a customs officer - who then stamps the form, allowing the refund company to subsequently refund your money (customs have no role in actually paying the refund).

Now, if the goods are traveling with you in your carry on bags, then you would show the refund form at the customs point AFTER you have passed through departures security into the departure lounge. And you would do this at the last airport you transit on your way out of the European common customs area (so if you connected in Madrid, or Paris, etc, you would need to show it there.).

If the goods will go in your checked in hold bags, you would show them to a customs officer before you checkin/bag drop. You would do this at the last point at which you check your bags inside the customs area. So if you 'connected' at Madrid, etc, with your bags through checked, you would do this at LHR. If you did an unofficial connection or one that for some reason required you to recheck at point of connection, then you would do it at that airport.

Those are the traditional methods to getting your form stamped by customs, you can then either mail it back to the refund company (few shops still process their own refunds, most have outsourced to 'global blue' etc), or - if the airport you were departing from (or another one you are going through) had a refund point for that company, you could present the form there for their agents to process.
In LHR T3, you can take stamped customs forms to a Travelex booth just past security in the departure lounge to get the form processed. (they usually offer you the options of cash (at a premium - further fee charged), cheque mailed to you (at a premium), and refund onto the payment card (at no premium).

That is the 'traditional way'.

What there is also at LHR T3 - is a landslide Travelex refund service. They have a special dispensation from UK customs to approve and certify themselves some refund forms. This is designed to be done before people check in.
I've often seen long queues out the door for this service, I've never used it. It doesn't look appealing to me.

I've used the landslide customs officers very occasionally, but I've done LOADs and LOADs of refunds at the T3 airside customs point.

In terms of getting the forms stamped airside, while occasionally there are queues, I've never seen anything as bad as landslide. There are windows for two customs officers to work, but sometimes only one is present. (There is a bell to call them if they are not there).

Do allow 30 minutes to do this (in case there is a queue). Make sure you have the goods ready to show them.

Important note: They can not part certify a form. So if goods will travel in a mix of cabin and hold luggage they would need to be on different refund forms. (Which would each acquire their own fee - see below).

Important note: If there is a queue and you are pushed for time, as long as you have got your reclaim form stamped by customs, you can just fly. You can always mail the forms back to the refund company to process (selecting refund to card - no premium, or mailed currency cheque - for a premium).

In terms of taking your stamped form to travelex airside to then process, I've seen 20+ minute queues for this, I've also done it in 2 minutes.
Sometimes I've been pushed for time and not waited, just mailed it back or presented it elsewhere / on another occasion.



I've seen long queues in early morning at travelex landside. But I've never used them.
Airside, you can get queues, but they don't seem anything like as long.



Important: Not all shops offer VAT refunds.

In the UK the scheme is called the 'Retail Export Scheme' - but some staff don't recognise its official name. If asking, make sure you get across the idea that it is a "vat refund for TOURISTS and VISITORS" that you are after.
This is a special form they will print/complete. Again not all shops offer it.

Make sure they DON'T just give you a 'VAT receipt' - virtually all shops can issue these, they are used by businesses to reclaim VAT from business expenses. That is NO USE when you get to customs.
It must be a tax refund form. Some are A4 sized and printed or carbon copies filled in by hand. Many are generated now on till receipt type paper.

There will be a fee charged - virtually everyone charges these days for the admin work (although I did find one shop last year who still were not charging for it!).

Make sure you factor this in.
Internet prices can sometimes be cheaper than VAT free prices, when the refund fees is factored in.



Whether you open it is not that important. You must not have USED (i.e. CONSUMED) it at all.

What you must also have is a VAT reclaim form (NOT a VAT receipt) - as discussed above.



Up to you.

If you have time, get it out the way rather than mailing the form back.
I would do the refund to card.
- assuming your card will not sting you for nasty foreign ccy fees. I use a GBP card. But even if it did charge, might be cheaper than taking cash.
(Travelex will try to push cash - be clear how much fee they will charge, and keep in mind they will make profit to in the exchange rate for the currency they give you).

Refund to card will be cheaper in most cases.