Claiming VAT back

Duty free Calais

Claiming the VAT back – an easy process

We are here to help our BRITISH customers. We can provide you with a tax-free voucher that allows you to reclaim the VAT as soon as you embark in Calais, thanks to our partnerships with Global Blue and Skiptax. Offering a significant saving of 15 percent VAT that can be reclaimed on purchases from our superstores, we forged these partnerships to enable you to reclaim VAT upon boarding at the Eurotunnel and ferry terminals in Calais. By simply scanning a bar code at the kiosks at the Calais port terminals, the refund process is activated. 

How the duty-free works when buying wine, Champagne or beers in Calais?

We have set up a simple back-office system that takes just five minutes.

French people pay the VAT in France.  But you, as British citizens, are going to enjoy your wine, champagne, spirits and beer in the United Kingdom, that is to say outside the European Union. You are therefore entitled to claim back the VAT you paid in France provided you can prove that you are leaving the European Union territory. This is where we come in. We have teamed up with customs to process this for you and joined forces with SkipTax and Global Blue to facilitate the transaction.

How to get the refund on VAT?

As you would expect, you browse the vast selection of wines, beers and spirits, and pay at the cash desk as usual. And we then take care of providing the tax-free voucher so you can claim the VAT back. We generate this Tax-Free form for you in store on all of your purchases.

This document certifies your purchases and the amount of VAT you can claim back. This amount will be credited to a payment card within 3-5 days.

The procedure at the ferry port or Eurotunnel terminal

The only thing you need to do is scan the barcode on the Tax-Free form. By scanning this document, it proves to the French authorities that you (and the wine you bought in Calais!) are actually leaving the European Union.

With Global Blue

Collect your Tax-Free Form from the store.

Scan the bar code on the form at the kiosks located at the PABLO terminal in the ferry port; located in the main building after the customs. Or in the passenger building for Eurotunnel.

With Skiptax

Download the free app and scan your passport.

Shop and then scan your receipt.

Scan the bar code generated by Skiptax at the departure terminal. Receive your refund within 48 hours.

UK Duty free allowances: 

Beer - 42 litres

• Wine (not sparkling) - 18 litres (24 Bottles of 75 cl)

• Sparkling wine 9 litres (equivalent to 12 bottles of 75 cl)

You can also bring in either: 

• spirits and other liquors over 22% alcohol - 4 litres 

• fortified wine (for example port, sherry), sparkling wine and alcoholic drinks up to 

22% alcohol - 9 litres 

You can split this last allowance, for example you could bring 4.5 litres of fortified wine and 2 

litres of spirits (both half of your allowance).