1. When shopping in Europe, if you see a tax free sign, you will need a tax refund form and invoice. The store will ask for your passport number and domestic address. Keep the documents and items so that they can be issued within three months. Tax refund at customs time. If you have a lot of receipts in one store, you can open a master receipt in that store before leaving to ensure that the tax refund is done within three months before leaving the country. Each store has a different tax refund threshold. Ask the corresponding store for the specific tax refund threshold. 2. Go to Heathrow Airport Customs (before security check) to get your tax refund stamped. Tax refunds are available at several terminals. You can choose a terminal with fewer people for tax refund. You can get a cash refund in US dollars and British pounds, but a high handling fee will be charged, which is about one-third of the tax refund amount. You can also refund the tax directly to your credit card, but the waiting period is usually relatively long (at least one month, as long as half a year, usually 1-3 months). There are also cases where the credit card does not receive the tax refund in the end, so it is recommended to refund the tax in cash (although the handling fee higher). If the tax refund amount is less than 20 pounds, you can choose to have it refunded to your card to reduce the handling fee. If you do not choose to refund your tax in pounds, please note that the exchange rate used by the tax refund office is often not good, so it is recommended to refund your tax in pounds.

3. When you get a tax refund, show your passport, boarding pass, tax refund form, invoice, and the items you purchased. You won’t look at the items carefully, just glance at the bag. But check your boarding pass and visa type carefully. If it is not a short-term visa (tourism and family visit), you must prove that you will leave the UK for more than one year (such as a one-way ticket back home, proof of completion of studies, etc.). After the tax is refunded, go check in your luggage. Valuable items such as jewelry, watches, laptops, iPhones, iPads, and luxury bags can only be tax refunded after security check. They must be regarded as hand luggage because they need to be checked. There is also a tax refund counter after security check. Only the valuables mentioned above that cannot be refunded at the tax refund window before security check can be refunded at the tax refund counter after security check. For tax refund forms with a cash tax refund amount exceeding 1,000 pounds, the store where you purchased the goods needs to send a fax to the airport at least 24 hours in advance for confirmation. Without a fax, the airport can refuse the tax refund.

4. The tax refund office opens at 6:30 in the morning and seems to be open until 8:30 in the evening.

5. Note that you can only get a tax refund when you leave an EU country (I went to Norway). If you go to multiple EU countries, you can get a tax refund in the last EU country.

6. The waiting time for tax refund is generally long. If you want to get tax refund, arrive at the airport at least 3 hours before boarding, and allow at least 1 hour for tax refund.