Value Added Tax Refund – VAT

A person who does not reside in the European Union may apply for a refund of tax (VAT) paid in the price of goods purchased in the Czech Republic or abroad. 

To ensure successful processing of your tax refund request, submission of the following documents is required: 

• a completed form issued by the store where the goods were purchased, 

• receipts for the purchased goods, attached to the form. 

Additional information is available on the website of the Customs Administration of the Czech Republic.

Conditions for claiming VAT refunds:

• The person applying for a tax refund must not do business in the Czech Republic and must not have a registered residence in the Czech Republic. 

• The goods must be purchased on one day and in one establishment. 

• The goods must not be of a commercial nature; the price of the goods must be higher than CZK 2,000. 

• The applicant’s place of residence must be registered in a third country, which is stated in their passport or other identity document officially recognised as valid by the Czech Republic. 

VAT refund process for goods purchased in the Czech Republic: 

i.e., based on Czech forms – a refund for goods purchased in the Czech Republic can be requested electronically via kiosks in the departure hall of Terminal 1 at Václav Havel Airport Prague. 

1 - Electronic refund of funds via kiosk 

The form will be provided with an electronic stamp; the final processing of the form will take place in step 2 below. 
Kiosks are located only in the departure hall of Terminal 1.  

2 - The refund of funds is completed at the Interchange exchange office branch in the departure hall of Terminal 1.

PLEASE NOTE:  
If the electronic refund process was successful, the form is validated and contains an electronic stamp. If the electronic refund process was not successful, the form is not validated and does not contain an electronic stamp. In this case, please contact the customs office. The form must always be stamped – without a stamp, it is not possible to process the refund of funds. 

VAT refund process for goods purchased outside the Czech Republic

1 - Goods subject to VAT refund are to be checked by the customs office. The passenger is obliged to present the following documents to the Prague – Ruzyně customs officers: 

• their travel document, 

• their flight ticket, 

• purchased goods, 

• receipts for the purchased goods, 

• the relevant VAT refund form. 

The customs officers will check: 

• whether the goods are not of a commercial nature,  

• whether the price of the goods exceeds CZK 2,000, 

• whether the goods were purchased on the same day and in one establishment. 

PLEASE NOTE: The goods cannot be left in checked baggage; they must be available for inspection by the customs office.

2 - To complete a refund of funds at the Interchange exchange office branch, passengers must present the customs-stamped forms and travel document to the branch worker. The time needed for the VAT refund process is approximately three hours.  

How will the funds be paid out?
  

• At the Interchange exchange office branch in cash in Czech crowns or another foreign currency. 

• At a kiosk by way of refund to a credit card (the disadvantage of refunding funds to a credit card may be a long processing time. There is also no verification whether the form was filled out correctly, which increases the risk that the refund will not be granted).   

PLEASE NOTE: To refund funds to a credit card, the VAT refund form must meet the following criteria and contain:

• a customs stamp, 

• a receipt for the purchased goods, 

• your credit card number, 

• your name and surname and residential address, 

• your travel document (passport) number.

How to fill out a VAT refund form: 

• Tax Free shopping in Czech Republic - VAT Refund | Planet Tax Free (planetpayment.com)
• Discover How to Shop Tax Free | Global Blue 

PLEASE NOTE: Common errors include forgotten signatures on forms and incomplete home addresses of passengers.

Which goods are not eligible for VAT refunds