Can a German citizen use tax-free shopping in Germany if he has a 6-month work visa outside the EU?
I am a German citizen with a German passport and I currently hold a J1 US Visa for 6 months. I am planning to buy a purse and import it into the US. Can I use Global Blue for this since my visa is more than 3 months valid? This page for Germany sounds like I can participate in Global Blue.
Shoppers eligible for Tax Free Shopping
● If you have a permanent residence in a non-EU country.
● If you have a valid long term Visa (more than 3 months) in a non-EU country.
● If you are older than 18 years.
customs-and-immigration germany duty-free german-citizens
edited Jan 8 '17 at 12:46
JonathanReez♦
50.1k41239515
asked Apr 20 '16 at 22:44
FreddyFreddy
1705
|
show 7 more comments
I am a German citizen with a German passport and I currently hold a J1 US Visa for 6 months. I am planning to buy a purse and import it into the US. Can I use Global Blue for this since my visa is more than 3 months valid? This page for Germany sounds like I can participate in Global Blue.
Shoppers eligible for Tax Free Shopping
● If you have a permanent residence in a non-EU country.
● If you have a valid long term Visa (more than 3 months) in a non-EU country.
● If you are older than 18 years.
customs-and-immigration germany duty-free german-citizens
edited Jan 8 '17 at 12:46
JonathanReez♦
50.1k41239515
asked Apr 20 '16 at 22:44
FreddyFreddy
1705
3
Do you satisfy the first requirement -- permanent residence outside the EU? Where is that?
– Henning Makholm
Apr 20 '16 at 22:56
Global Blue might be a bit self-serving in their description, it's not only a matter of staying longer than three months abroad, you must have your ordinary residence outside of the EU as described on official sources and you will need to convince a customs agent of that (as you need a stamp from the German customs).
– Relaxed
Apr 20 '16 at 22:57
Incidentally, in the Schengen area, a visa valid for longer than 3 months is usually a long-term visa and people who have such a visa from an EU country are not eligible for tax-free shopping in the EU, which might be the source of the confusion. But US visas work differently, visitors visas can be valid for up to 10 years and stays on a visitor visa can also last 6 months. And I doubt the German customs would accept a B-visa as a proof of foreign residence.
– Relaxed
Apr 20 '16 at 23:01
@HenningMakholm I thought there must be only one requirement fulfilled because if all the requirements need to be fulfilled it is almost impossible for US Americans to use Global Blue on vacation since they don't need a visa.
– Freddy
Apr 20 '16 at 23:02
3
@HenningMakholm I know. I find this very misleading. I think it is (1or2)AND3. Since why would a out of EU passport holder hold also a out of EU visa?
– Freddy
Apr 20 '16 at 23:12
|
show 7 more comments
I am a German citizen with a German passport and I currently hold a J1 US Visa for 6 months. I am planning to buy a purse and import it into the US. Can I use Global Blue for this since my visa is more than 3 months valid? This page for Germany sounds like I can participate in Global Blue.
Shoppers eligible for Tax Free Shopping
● If you have a permanent residence in a non-EU country.
● If you have a valid long term Visa (more than 3 months) in a non-EU country.
● If you are older than 18 years.
customs-and-immigration germany duty-free german-citizens
edited Jan 8 '17 at 12:46
JonathanReez♦
50.1k41239515
asked Apr 20 '16 at 22:44
FreddyFreddy
1705
I am a German citizen with a German passport and I currently hold a J1 US Visa for 6 months. I am planning to buy a purse and import it into the US. Can I use Global Blue for this since my visa is more than 3 months valid? This page for Germany sounds like I can participate in Global Blue.
Shoppers eligible for Tax Free Shopping
● If you have a permanent residence in a non-EU country.
● If you have a valid long term Visa (more than 3 months) in a non-EU country.
● If you are older than 18 years.
customs-and-immigration germany duty-free german-citizens
customs-and-immigration germany duty-free german-citizens
edited Jan 8 '17 at 12:46
JonathanReez♦
50.1k41239515
asked Apr 20 '16 at 22:44
FreddyFreddy
1705
edited Jan 8 '17 at 12:46
JonathanReez♦
50.1k41239515
asked Apr 20 '16 at 22:44
FreddyFreddy
1705
edited Jan 8 '17 at 12:46
JonathanReez♦
50.1k41239515
edited Jan 8 '17 at 12:46
JonathanReez♦
50.1k41239515
edited Jan 8 '17 at 12:46
JonathanReez♦
50.1k41239515
50.1k41239515
asked Apr 20 '16 at 22:44
FreddyFreddy
1705
asked Apr 20 '16 at 22:44
FreddyFreddy
1705
asked Apr 20 '16 at 22:44
FreddyFreddy
1705
1705
3
Do you satisfy the first requirement -- permanent residence outside the EU? Where is that?
– Henning Makholm
Apr 20 '16 at 22:56
Global Blue might be a bit self-serving in their description, it's not only a matter of staying longer than three months abroad, you must have your ordinary residence outside of the EU as described on official sources and you will need to convince a customs agent of that (as you need a stamp from the German customs).
– Relaxed
Apr 20 '16 at 22:57
Incidentally, in the Schengen area, a visa valid for longer than 3 months is usually a long-term visa and people who have such a visa from an EU country are not eligible for tax-free shopping in the EU, which might be the source of the confusion. But US visas work differently, visitors visas can be valid for up to 10 years and stays on a visitor visa can also last 6 months. And I doubt the German customs would accept a B-visa as a proof of foreign residence.
– Relaxed
Apr 20 '16 at 23:01
@HenningMakholm I thought there must be only one requirement fulfilled because if all the requirements need to be fulfilled it is almost impossible for US Americans to use Global Blue on vacation since they don't need a visa.
– Freddy
Apr 20 '16 at 23:02
3
@HenningMakholm I know. I find this very misleading. I think it is (1or2)AND3. Since why would a out of EU passport holder hold also a out of EU visa?
– Freddy
Apr 20 '16 at 23:12
|
show 7 more comments
3
Do you satisfy the first requirement -- permanent residence outside the EU? Where is that?
– Henning Makholm
Apr 20 '16 at 22:56
Global Blue might be a bit self-serving in their description, it's not only a matter of staying longer than three months abroad, you must have your ordinary residence outside of the EU as described on official sources and you will need to convince a customs agent of that (as you need a stamp from the German customs).
– Relaxed
Apr 20 '16 at 22:57
Incidentally, in the Schengen area, a visa valid for longer than 3 months is usually a long-term visa and people who have such a visa from an EU country are not eligible for tax-free shopping in the EU, which might be the source of the confusion. But US visas work differently, visitors visas can be valid for up to 10 years and stays on a visitor visa can also last 6 months. And I doubt the German customs would accept a B-visa as a proof of foreign residence.
– Relaxed
Apr 20 '16 at 23:01
@HenningMakholm I thought there must be only one requirement fulfilled because if all the requirements need to be fulfilled it is almost impossible for US Americans to use Global Blue on vacation since they don't need a visa.
– Freddy
Apr 20 '16 at 23:02
3
@HenningMakholm I know. I find this very misleading. I think it is (1or2)AND3. Since why would a out of EU passport holder hold also a out of EU visa?
– Freddy
Apr 20 '16 at 23:12
3
3
Do you satisfy the first requirement -- permanent residence outside the EU? Where is that?
– Henning Makholm
Apr 20 '16 at 22:56
Do you satisfy the first requirement -- permanent residence outside the EU? Where is that?
– Henning Makholm
Apr 20 '16 at 22:56
Global Blue might be a bit self-serving in their description, it's not only a matter of staying longer than three months abroad, you must have your ordinary residence outside of the EU as described on official sources and you will need to convince a customs agent of that (as you need a stamp from the German customs).
– Relaxed
Apr 20 '16 at 22:57
Global Blue might be a bit self-serving in their description, it's not only a matter of staying longer than three months abroad, you must have your ordinary residence outside of the EU as described on official sources and you will need to convince a customs agent of that (as you need a stamp from the German customs).
– Relaxed
Apr 20 '16 at 22:57
Incidentally, in the Schengen area, a visa valid for longer than 3 months is usually a long-term visa and people who have such a visa from an EU country are not eligible for tax-free shopping in the EU, which might be the source of the confusion. But US visas work differently, visitors visas can be valid for up to 10 years and stays on a visitor visa can also last 6 months. And I doubt the German customs would accept a B-visa as a proof of foreign residence.
– Relaxed
Apr 20 '16 at 23:01
Incidentally, in the Schengen area, a visa valid for longer than 3 months is usually a long-term visa and people who have such a visa from an EU country are not eligible for tax-free shopping in the EU, which might be the source of the confusion. But US visas work differently, visitors visas can be valid for up to 10 years and stays on a visitor visa can also last 6 months. And I doubt the German customs would accept a B-visa as a proof of foreign residence.
– Relaxed
Apr 20 '16 at 23:01
@HenningMakholm I thought there must be only one requirement fulfilled because if all the requirements need to be fulfilled it is almost impossible for US Americans to use Global Blue on vacation since they don't need a visa.
– Freddy
Apr 20 '16 at 23:02
@HenningMakholm I thought there must be only one requirement fulfilled because if all the requirements need to be fulfilled it is almost impossible for US Americans to use Global Blue on vacation since they don't need a visa.
– Freddy
Apr 20 '16 at 23:02
3
3
@HenningMakholm I know. I find this very misleading. I think it is (1or2)AND3. Since why would a out of EU passport holder hold also a out of EU visa?
– Freddy
Apr 20 '16 at 23:12
@HenningMakholm I know. I find this very misleading. I think it is (1or2)AND3. Since why would a out of EU passport holder hold also a out of EU visa?
– Freddy
Apr 20 '16 at 23:12
|
show 7 more comments
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
Have you de-registered (Abmeldung) yourself? If yes, then you can do tax-free shopping, since that is what Germany considers as not living in Germany anymore. I'm a German citizen living in Switzerland since 6 months, and a few months ago I got tax reimbursements for my shopping.
answered Jan 16 '17 at 21:38
ElchinElchin
1,328919
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function()
var channelOptions =
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "273"
;
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
createEditor();
);
else
createEditor();
);
function createEditor()
StackExchange.prepareEditor(
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader:
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
,
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
);
);
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2ftravel.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f66970%2fcan-a-german-citizen-use-tax-free-shopping-in-germany-if-he-has-a-6-month-work-v%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
Have you de-registered (Abmeldung) yourself? If yes, then you can do tax-free shopping, since that is what Germany considers as not living in Germany anymore. I'm a German citizen living in Switzerland since 6 months, and a few months ago I got tax reimbursements for my shopping.
answered Jan 16 '17 at 21:38
ElchinElchin
1,328919
add a comment |
Have you de-registered (Abmeldung) yourself? If yes, then you can do tax-free shopping, since that is what Germany considers as not living in Germany anymore. I'm a German citizen living in Switzerland since 6 months, and a few months ago I got tax reimbursements for my shopping.
answered Jan 16 '17 at 21:38
ElchinElchin
1,328919
add a comment |
Have you de-registered (Abmeldung) yourself? If yes, then you can do tax-free shopping, since that is what Germany considers as not living in Germany anymore. I'm a German citizen living in Switzerland since 6 months, and a few months ago I got tax reimbursements for my shopping.
answered Jan 16 '17 at 21:38
ElchinElchin
1,328919
Have you de-registered (Abmeldung) yourself? If yes, then you can do tax-free shopping, since that is what Germany considers as not living in Germany anymore. I'm a German citizen living in Switzerland since 6 months, and a few months ago I got tax reimbursements for my shopping.
answered Jan 16 '17 at 21:38
ElchinElchin
1,328919
answered Jan 16 '17 at 21:38
ElchinElchin
1,328919
answered Jan 16 '17 at 21:38
ElchinElchin
1,328919
answered Jan 16 '17 at 21:38
ElchinElchin
1,328919
1,328919
add a comment |
add a comment |
Thanks for contributing an answer to Travel Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2ftravel.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f66970%2fcan-a-german-citizen-use-tax-free-shopping-in-germany-if-he-has-a-6-month-work-v%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
3
Do you satisfy the first requirement -- permanent residence outside the EU? Where is that?
– Henning Makholm
Apr 20 '16 at 22:56
Global Blue might be a bit self-serving in their description, it's not only a matter of staying longer than three months abroad, you must have your ordinary residence outside of the EU as described on official sources and you will need to convince a customs agent of that (as you need a stamp from the German customs).
– Relaxed
Apr 20 '16 at 22:57
Incidentally, in the Schengen area, a visa valid for longer than 3 months is usually a long-term visa and people who have such a visa from an EU country are not eligible for tax-free shopping in the EU, which might be the source of the confusion. But US visas work differently, visitors visas can be valid for up to 10 years and stays on a visitor visa can also last 6 months. And I doubt the German customs would accept a B-visa as a proof of foreign residence.
– Relaxed
Apr 20 '16 at 23:01
@HenningMakholm I thought there must be only one requirement fulfilled because if all the requirements need to be fulfilled it is almost impossible for US Americans to use Global Blue on vacation since they don't need a visa.
– Freddy
Apr 20 '16 at 23:02
3
@HenningMakholm I know. I find this very misleading. I think it is (1or2)AND3. Since why would a out of EU passport holder hold also a out of EU visa?
– Freddy
Apr 20 '16 at 23:12