Value-Added Tax Refunds

Non-EU residents can request a refund of value-added tax paid on goods they purchased in Austria.

All of the following requirements must be met:
a) The invoiced amount must exceed EUR 75.00.
b) Your passport must indicate a domicile / residence outside the European Union (EU).
c) You must export the item(s) with your personal luggage within three months of purchase.
d) You must show the item(s) to customs officials and obtain a stamp before leaving the EU.

Note to d):When leaving Austria to travel to Switzerland or Liechtenstein, you must obtain your customs stamp from Austrian customs officials either at the airport or at the border crossing.
When leaving Austria to travel to any of its other neighboring states (which are all EU members), you must obtain the customs stamp from the custom authorities of the last EU country you visit before leaving the EU.
Example: If you fly into Munich, travel by car / train to Austria for a skiing vacation and then fly back to the U.S. from Munich, you should get your stamp from the German customs officials. If you fly to Budapest, travel to Vienna by boat (cruise on the Danube River) and then return to Budapest to fly back to your home country outside the EU, you should get your customs stamp from the Hungarian customs authorities.

Please note: An endorsement can be issued at a later date only in exceptional circumstances (e.g. traffic accident on the way to the airport; no time to get customs stamp). Please be aware that the burden of proof is yours. If for any reason you do not get a customs stamp, it is recommended that you have the items inspected at U.S. customs and get a stamp from U.S. customs officials. However, you must still have very good reasons why you were not able to obtain an EU customs stamp.

Final remark: The Austrian Consulate General in Chicago is not authorized to stamp your receipts and invoices.