What is the Tax Free and what are its benefits?

Barcelona is a cosmopolitan and international city that welcomes every year many visitors and students from around the world. Many of them remain in the capital for months and even years, benefiting from such important services as its efficient public transport, able to move from one point to another of the city within minutes. And in this sense, there are many residence halls in Barcelona hosting students from countries outside the European Union can benefit from the advantages of the so called Tax Free. In case you do not know, non-EU residents may request a refund of VAT on purchases, which is especially useful for those international students living in student accommodations. To do this, it would be necessary on purchases exceeded the € 90.16, only then could request a check tax free with which returned to them the percentage of the value of those related to indirect taxes assets.

This system allows, presenting a passport at any store before making the payment of a product, travelers can enjoy the discount on the total purchase they make. A common formula in many businesses is to make the payment for the purchased product and then go to a specific counter where we reimburse indirect taxes. Another option is that the shop give us a voucher with the amount of tax and before the flight back, go to the airport counter to deliver vouchers and redeem them for the value corresponding to that tax. This option is widely used by Erasmus licving in univeristy residences in Barcelona, ​​which are not normally in the office to make the change. Therefore, to expedite this process, they have enabled in the center of Barcelona tourist offices for that purpose, as the Tourist Information Office Plaça de Catalunya or Headquarters Barcelona Tourist in the Passatge de la Concepció.

Among the services covered by this service Tax Free would be the sector of gastronomy, but not dinners in restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels and campsites, lodges or food purchases are included, as spending would be made to direct and immediate consumption. This would represent an economic opportunity in cases of purchases at stores, especially those in airports, ports, terminals or stores attached to this system.