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Get up to 21% back on Netherlands purchases over €50. Validate BTW refund at Amsterdam Schiphol kiosks before your flight departs.
21% standard
12-15% back
€50
3 months to validate at departure
Clothing, watches, jewelry, electronics, cosmetics, designer accessories, and home goods. Items must be unused, for personal use, and exported within 90 days of purchase.
Services (hotels, restaurants, museum tickets, transport), tobacco, food eaten in the Netherlands, fuel, and consumables already used before leaving the EU.
Customs validation at Amsterdam Schiphol airport, plus self-service kiosks operated by Global Blue and Planet near the customs office in Departures 3. Validate before bag drop and then visit the operator desk for payout.
P.C. Hooftstraat luxury mile, Kalverstraat and Nieuwendijk high street, and de Negen Straatjes for boutiques near the canals
RotterdamLijnbaan and Koopgoot pedestrian streets plus Markthal area for design and food retail
The HagueNoordeinde and the Passage arcade for higher-end boutiques and antiques
UtrechtHoog Catharijne mall connected to the central station, plus Steenweg and Oudegracht boutiques
MaastrichtStokstraat and Wolfstraat luxury boutiques, popular with cross-border shoppers from Germany and Belgium
Based on Netherlands's 12-15% typical net refund range after operator fees.
The Netherlands' standard VAT (BTW) is 21%, applied to most tourist goods including fashion, electronics, and jewelry. A reduced rate of 9% applies to food, books, and certain cultural services.
Yes. BTW (Belasting Toegevoegde Waarde) is the Dutch term for VAT. Tax-free forms in the Netherlands typically refer to BTW, but the refund process is the same as elsewhere in the EU.
€50 per invoice from a single retailer on the same day. The retailer must participate in a tax-free scheme and issue a tax-free form referencing your non-EU passport.
Customs validation is in Departures Hall 3 at Amsterdam Schiphol, with self-service kiosks for Global Blue and Planet alongside a manned customs counter. Validate before checking in any luggage that holds your purchases.
Yes, but you must get the tax-free form stamped by customs at your final EU departure point. For Eurostar, that means validating at Brussels-Midi or another EU exit, since the train continues into the EU before reaching the UK.
Cash refunds at Schiphol are immediate after customs or kiosk validation. Credit card refunds typically take 2 to 6 weeks depending on the refund operator and your card issuer.
Services like hotels, restaurants, tours, museum entries, and public transport are not refundable. Tobacco, fuel, and any goods already consumed in the Netherlands are also excluded.
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