VAT refund on Goods from Europe

We operate throughout the European Union, helping to optimize taxes and logistics for both retail buyers and commercial companies.

Below is the current list of European countries and their standard VAT rates:

In each country of the European Union, an internal value-added tax is included in the goods. Its base rate ranges from 17% to 27% depending on the state. Certain categories (food, medicines, children's goods) are subject to a reduced rate — on average 5–8%.

Methods of European VAT refund

Let's look at the main options for VAT refund in Europe. We'll consider what Tax Free is (for personal purchases) and export declaration (for commercial cargo). We'll also identify what difficulties buyers face in the tax refund process and how our service solves these problems.

VAT refund for individuals: Tax Free — what is it and what's the difficulty?

Tax Free — is an international system for refunding VAT to foreign citizens for goods purchased outside their permanent residence, provided these purchases are officially exported outside the EU.

Self-shipping or exporting goods under the Tax Free system has a lot of hidden pitfalls:

• Bureaucracy when purchasing: it is necessary to provide passport data to the store to issue a special receipt.
• Strict limits: strict restrictions apply both in amount (usually up to 3000 €) and in the quantity of identical goods (you won't be able to buy several units of equipment for relatives — customs will consider this a commercial batch).
• Personal presence at the border: you need to physically stand in line at the EU customs post, present the goods in original packaging, passport and Tax Free form to obtain a stamp.
• Difficulty receiving money: to get the tax back, you either need to personally return to the same store in Europe with a stamped form, or use the services of intermediary operators (e.g. Global Blue), who take up to 50% of the refund amount as commissions.

How our service solves this problem:

• Without paperwork: no more collecting receipts, providing personal data, standing in queues at the border. We personally handle these processes.
• Minimal losses: you get an instant VAT refund directly during the ordering process with us. We can optimize parcels by weight and value, so you are protected from unnecessary customs duties in Ukraine.

VAT refund for business: export declaration and its risks

For commercial consignments of goods, a different system applies. European suppliers are ready to sell products immediately at the net price, but the law obliges them to obtain proof that the goods have left the European Union. The main document here is the EX-1 / EX-A declaration (also called SAD — Single Administrative Document).

EX-1 / EX-A — is an international export declaration that is issued when goods of European origin are exported outside the EU. It confirms the closure of the export operation and exempts the seller from paying internal tax.

Arranging delivery on your own often turns into problems for Ukrainian companies:

• Supplier refusals: far from all European sellers know how, want to, or have a license to open export declarations (especially for small wholesale batches).
• VAT amount as a deposit: often a European warehouse requires leaving the full VAT amount as a deposit and returns it only months later, when the export is officially confirmed in the electronic system. This freezes your working capital.
• Customs bureaucracy: any mistake in the invoice, packing list or product code leads to the cargo being stopped at the border, large fines and complete loss of the right to zero VAT.
• Border downtime and customs clearance: the need to pass internal European customs terminals and mandatory cargo clearance when entering Ukraine.

How our company solves such problems:

• Brokerage assistance: we completely remove the documentary burden from you and your supplier. If the European seller cannot open the export — our brokerage agency will do it independently.
• Comprehensive approach: we provide our own transport, take responsibility for crossing the border, guarantee the successful closure of the declaration and take control of customs clearance in Ukraine without hidden overpayments.

For whom: for private customers buying goods in retail chains for their own needs.

How it works: you choose a product in the online catalog of a European store (those located in Poland close to the border with Ukraine) and send us the link. You make an advance payment, and our employee physically goes to the store, buys the goods and fills out a Tax Free form at the checkout. We already have a ready List of border stores working under the Tax Free system. You receive the order from us in Ukraine already minus the tax and without unnecessary surcharges at customs.

👍 Pros of the scheme:

• Maximum benefit: you get back almost the entire tax amount. Retail stores take a minimal fee for paperwork, which is many times more profitable than working through large intermediary operators (like Global Blue).
• Instant discount: you don't have to wait for the store to receive the form stamped at the border and return the money. Using our service, you receive the goods immediately minus the tax.
• Product inspection: our employee can physically inspect the equipment (e.g. a TV) for defects right in the store at your request.
• Savings on Ukrainian customs: goods under Tax Free are not considered commercial cargo. If the cargo does not exceed 50 kg and the value is 500 €, you are completely exempt from Ukrainian duties. Exceeding limits is optimized by agreement with the manager.
• Speed: the entire process from purchase to delivery takes only 2–5 days.

👎 Cons:

• Limited choice: only a small number of European stores offer to issue Tax Free.
• Retail restrictions: stores strictly combat commercial activity disguised as personal purchases. Limit — no more than 2 identical items per person per month.
• Document limits: one Tax Free form can contain a maximum of 10 items for a total amount of up to 3000 €.
• Transport costs: the trip of our employee to a specific store is paid separately (on average 50 € per trip). One trip allows combining up to 9 documents with a total weight of up to 450 kg.

Terms and cost of the service

• Price of the service: purchase commission 0%. You pay the travel costs to the specific store (about 50 €) + the standard tariff for transporting cargo across the border, which can be calculated in the Interactive calculator.
• Limits: orders from 400 € net up to 3000 € and weighing up to 50 kg per one Tax Free document are accepted. If the limits are exceeded, the terms are discussed individually.

Paperwork regulations

1. Request: you send us a link to the product that needs to be purchased in the store.
2. Processing: our employees will check the availability of the goods and agree with you on the final cost of services.
3. Payment: you send us an advance payment in the amount of the net price of the goods.
4. Receipt: we deliver the goods to Ukraine, and then send them by domestic postal operators to your address.

For whom: for private customers and entrepreneurs importing wholesale consignments of goods.

How it works: you independently pay for the goods to the European supplier directly from your account. When placing the order, specify the address of our transit warehouse in Poland. We accept the cargo and deliver it to Ukraine (or pick it up with our own transport directly from the supplier's warehouse).

What to do if the supplier doesn't know how to arrange export: our customs agency will do it for them. The supplier will only need to sign a customs power of attorney for our Polish broker (Upoważnienie / Customs Authorization). We will provide a ready template. The seller signs it, sends us a scanned copy by email, and sends the original by registered mail to the address of our agency in Poland.

👍 Pros of the scheme:

• The most economical format: the ideal solution for medium and large wholesale consignments. You get the maximum possible VAT refund.
• Direct settlements: you don't risk money by sending an advance payment to intermediaries — you pay directly to the factory or dealer, and pay for our logistics services upon receiving the cargo in Ukraine.
• Customs optimization for private customers: if the consignment consists of many boxes on a pallet, but no individual box weighs more than 50 kg — we can optimize customs payments in Ukraine.
• Fast terms: delivery to Ukraine takes about 1 week.

👎 Cons of the scheme:

• VAT deposit: European suppliers, especially for the first transaction, often require leaving the VAT amount as a deposit until we close the export at the border. At the same time, they may return the deposit strictly to the account from which the payment was made, or (as often happens) count it as a balance for the next purchase, which is inconvenient for one-time deals.
• Waiting for payments: in some cases, sellers set the condition that the VAT refund will only be made after they receive compensation from the state (the process can take from 60 to 180 days).
• Supplier error risk: the broker is only responsible for the declaration. If your supplier made mistakes in the invoice or packing list, this can lead to border delays or loss of the right to a 0% rate.
• Cargo travels sealed: since the goods are handed over immediately with ready export documents, we do not have the right to open them at the warehouse. You can check the real condition and completeness of the goods only after transportation to Ukraine.

Terms and cost of the service

• Price of the service: for private customers — commission 3% of the net price of goods + standard border crossing cost, which can be found in the Online calculator. For entrepreneurs — without commissions, only official freight transport services at individual rates.
• Limits: orders from 400 € net are accepted.

Paperwork regulations

1. Request: send us the cargo parameters (weight, dimensions, value) and clarify whether ready export documents will be provided or they need to be arranged on behalf of your supplier.
2. Processing: our specialists agree with you on the final cost of services.
3. Transfer of cargo: you deliver the cargo to our transit warehouse or provide the supplier's address for pickup.
4. Export paperwork: if export documents are already prepared by the supplier, send their scan to our email, and attach the originals to the cargo: invoice (addressed to our driver), packing list and the main declaration (indicating the data of our driver, vehicle, and the border checkpoint through which the cargo will exit).
5. Receipt: we deliver the goods to Ukraine and hand them over to domestic courier services (for door-to-door delivery) or deliver by our own transport as agreed.

Auxiliary stages are provided for business customers:

1. Contract: conclusion of an agreement for cargo delivery to Ukraine.
2. Customs clearance: this stage is especially relevant if you plan to officially import European goods into Ukraine and put them on the company's balance sheet.

We understand that buying and transporting expensive goods or commercial consignments across the border is always an exciting process. That's why our company offers a transparent monitoring system.

1. Movement of goods within the European Union:
   • If you buy yourself: when placing an order in a European store to our warehouse address, you receive a tracking number from the seller. With it, you can see the movement of the parcel to our transit hub in Poland.
   • If we purchase: in the case of pickup from a factory or supplier's warehouse by our transport, we record the cargo pickup and provide you with an internal tracking number.
2. Processing of documents: we send you a notification when the paperwork is complete, the export declaration is successfully opened (it is precisely this that gives the right to refund VAT) and the cargo is ready to be dispatched to the border.
3. Crossing the European-Ukrainian border: you will know exactly when the vehicle with your goods queued at the customs post on the European side and when it successfully passed the neutral zone, entering the territory of Ukraine.
4. Customs clearance in Ukraine (relevant for B2B clients): for official import, we inform you about the arrival of the vehicle at the Ukrainian customs terminal, and also send a notification about the completion of the customs clearance procedure and the release of the goods into free circulation.
5. Final delivery within Ukraine:
   • By courier services: if the cargo is sent within Ukraine by local carriers (e.g., 'Nova Poshta'), we send you the waybill number for tracking.
   • By our transport: if delivery to your address is carried out by our company's vehicle, the logistician will contact you in advance and agree on the exact time of arrival.

Calculate our commission for purchasing goods at a net price: select the country of origin, price type, amount, client type and paperwork format. And to get a preliminary calculation of the delivery of your order to Ukraine, additionally specify the weight and dimensions.

Please note:

• the European VAT refund service is available for orders with a total value starting from 400 € net;
• all customs costs are accounted for private customers. No hidden payments at the border!
• domestic delivery within Europe (from the seller to our transit warehouse), as well as final dispatch to an address in Ukraine by third-party postal services are not included in the base rate and are calculated separately.

Which European online stores can I order goods from with VAT refund?

We purchase goods from almost any online platforms, marketplaces (including Allegro, Ceneo, Idealo, Zalando), official brand stores, as well as directly from European factories, dealers and wholesale suppliers. The main condition is that the seller must be within the legal jurisdiction of one of the EU countries and accept cashless payment.

Can I get a VAT refund on purchases from private sellers?

Unfortunately, no. A tax refund is only possible if the seller is a legal entity (company, warehouse or store) that is registered as a VAT payer in the EU and can issue an official invoice. Private individuals on European flea markets do not include tax in the price, so there is nothing to refund on such purchases.

Is there a minimum order amount for purchasing goods with VAT refund?

Yes, we accept orders from 400 € net from one store (on one invoice). Refunding VAT on smaller amounts is not financially viable. Also, there is no point in combining small orders from different stores into one to get a total tax refund, since each store is a separate counterparty, which leads to lengthy bureaucratic procedures for processing documents with each of them. We can easily pay for and deliver cheap goods from any European sellers to Ukraine at favorable rates, but without export clearance (i.e. without tax refund).

How to order a purchase if the store I need is in Germany, France or Italy, and your warehouse is in Poland?

There are no customs borders within the European Union, and logistics between countries works perfectly. You simply send us a link to the goods from any EU country. We purchase them, the seller sends the order by an internal courier service ('DPD', 'DHL', 'GLS') to our transit warehouse in Poland, from where we deliver it to Ukraine. We can also arrange cargo pickup with our own transport if it is appropriate.

How to arrange pickup of goods from a European supplier's warehouse?

We work with many European courier services, which allows us to pick up goods throughout the EU — both parcels and palletized cargo. The main condition: the cargo must already be packed, and loading into the vehicle is provided by the supplier. To arrange cargo pickup in Europe, send us the supplier's address and contacts and indicate the cargo characteristics.

Do I need to clear through customs in Ukraine goods from Europe that have been processed with VAT refund?

For private customers — no. All customs costs, if any, are already included in the final rate of our services, which we announce before placing the order. When crossing the border and upon receipt in Ukraine, customers pay nothing extra, except for domestic delivery within Ukraine. For business customers, customs clearance issues are resolved individually — independently or through our brokers.