Customs

Customs. What regulations are there?

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Find out what limitations there are for bringing products into Spain, depending on your country of origin, and find out how you can recover the value added tax (VAT) on the purchases you have made during your trip.

  • What can you bring into Spain and with what limitations?

    There are a number of products which have entry or exit limitations in Spain from outside the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. These include cultural goods, wild fauna and flora and products derived from these, vegetables and plant products, weapons and ammunition, medicines, tobacco and alcoholic beverages.

    Likewise, in the case of tobacco and alcoholic beverages, the amount must be declared and the corresponding taxes must be paid if you are carrying the following amounts or more: 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars, 250 grams of tobacco, 1 litre of alcoholic beverages with a strength of more than 22%, 2 litres of alcoholic beverages with a strength of less than 22%, 4 litres of wine and 16 litres of beer.

    You can only carry the medicines you need, and they must be accompanied by a copy of the prescription or medical report.

  • Customs and money. What is VAT and how to recover it? TAX-FREE

    VAT or value added tax is an indirect tax on the final consumption of products and services. All residents outside the European Union can request a refund of the amount derived from occasional purchases of items for personal use or for gifts.

    “To received a VAT refund, you must complete an online process, which is divided into several stages. First, at the time of purchase, ask the seller for the electronic tax-free form (called DER, ”Electronic Refund Form“ in Spain). This is an electronic message sent by the provider or collaborating entity on its behalf, which will be stored by the Tax Agency. The seller will ask you for your personal details before handing over the form, such as your full name or passport number, or the number of any other ID document. Before you leave Spain, and always before checking in your baggage at a port or airport, you must validate the DERs of your purchases at the kiosks, which will have signs or panels to identify them, or at the Tax Free validation offices. You will be asked for your passport, boarding card and the goods you purchased and for which you wish to request a VAT refund. You can then request the refund from the shop or through ”tax free“ purchase management entities. These may include:

    • Global Blue España SA (formerly European Tax Free Shopping Spain SA)
    • Planet Payment Spain SAU (formerly Cashback and Premier Tax Free)
    • Innova Taxfree Spain (formerly Spain Refund S.L.)
    • Caja de Ahorros y Pensiones de Barcelona
    • Open Refund S.L.
    • Comercia Global Payments Entidad de Pago S.L.
    • Financiera El Corte Inglés, E.F.C.
    • Travel Tax Free, S.L.U.
    • S21 TAX FREE, S.L.
    • KEEP SHOPPING TAX FREE, S.L.
    • HISPANIA TAX FREE, S.L.
    • B FreeTax Back S.L.
    • Safety Tax Free España, S.L.
    • Wiblink, S.L.
    • WOONIVERS SPAIN, SL (formerly Getrefund SL)
    • Traveleasy GmBH
    • Pucela Brain Storm, S.L.
    • Refundit, S.L.
    • Yourtaxback, S.L.
    • Upshop Tax Free España, S.L.
    • Pie Systems Spain, S.L.

     

    Remember that VAT refunds must be requested at the European Union airport or port of departure, and the purchase must have been made no more than three months before departure.