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At Duty Refunds, we help people in the UK claim back their customs duty on items they returned to countries abroad.
One country we see the most amount of returns to is Italy. The clothes, the watches, the handbags – you can’t doubt the craftsmanship and value.
But, when that item you’ve purchased doesn’t work out, you have the right to return it and – in most cases – the right to claim back your customs duty.
Here’s how it works, step-by-step.
Contact the seller and check the return policy
Firstly, check the store’s return policy. Since Italy is a part of the European Union, EU laws apply. You have the right to return the goods within 14 days of receiving them to get the full repayment.
This rule applies to all items, whether faulty or unfit for purpose, but different shops may allow more time.
Contact the store and notify them that you want to return your bought item.
Returning goods to the EU from the UK
Like the UK, most will have an online returns process, but it may be different for returns coming from the UK. This is because many EU retailers have changed their operations since Brexit.
Return the parcel in the original packaging, just the way it was delivered.
Tip: Save the paperwork from the original delivery and after shipping. You will need it later to claim back import VAT and customs duty.
Choose a courier (if you can)
Some shops require that you use a specific courier as part of their online returns process. For some returns, you can choose your courier. Note that this is something you will find out in your communication with the seller.
You should shop around for the best courier to drop off your parcels. Since you send parcels this time round, you don’t need to look for full tracking options or a quick delivery time. Focus on the cost instead.
For example, the cost of sending a parcel to Italy with Parcelforce or Royal Mail may be lower than FedEx.
Unless international shipping is included from the retailer, you will need to cover the shipping costs.
Fill out the customs information
When returning goods to Italy, you will need to fill out the necessary forms. You need to state what they are and mark the form as ‘returned goods.’ This is so the retailer you send a parcel to doesn’t have to pay customs duty.
If you accidentally forget this step, you also won’t be able to claim back any duty from HMRC, so it’s an important one.
Ask the retailer for proof they received the item and refunded the purchase
With most retailers, you should receive this automatically as part of the returns process — just like in the UK. The retailer will give an indication of when you will receive your money back, but it should be within 14 days.
Contact the seller if you don’t receive your refund in the allotted time. You will need proof that you received your money back in order to get your customs charges back.
Get a refund
Once you’ve returned the parcels and received a refund, you are ready to claim back customs fees.
You are eligible to reclaim the import VAT and customs duty for most items that you order from Italy.
The original delivery must have been worth over £135, and there are time limits on when the claim has to be made. Claims for unwanted items must be within 90 days of the date the item first entered the country. Damaged or defective items must be within a year.
It is worth noting that you can not reclaim excise duty (things like alcohol and tobacco) or courier handling fees.
There are two ways to get your money back.
- On your own
- With Duty Refunds
Reclaiming customs charges on your own
It is possible to reclaim fees on your own, though it takes quite a lot of chasing the right paperwork and answering some pretty complicated questions.
You will need to liaise with the shop where you bought the item and the courier. Depending on what courier was in charge of your delivery, you will need to track down between two and seven documents outlining the different charges and the proof you paid them.
There’s more to it:
You have to fill in HMRC’s C285 form, which contains approximately 40 questions. If Parcelforce is responsible for your parcel delivery, you will also need to fill out the BOR286.
Take the form with your seller’s refund confirmation and courier’s customs paperwork and send everything to the HMRC for review.
If you make a mistake, your claim will be rejected; unfortunately, they won’t give a reason for it.
Reclaiming customs charges with Duty Refunds
If you want to save time and effort, you can let us handle it instead.
Here’s how it works:
- Check eligibility
- Initiate the claim
- Give us your case
- Get paid
Check eligibility
We first need to see if you are eligible for a refund. We’ll make sure you hit the criteria for a refund and give you an estimate of what it could be.
Initiate the claim
To initiate the claim, you will have to enter the tracking number and choose a courier. Note that we need your permission to work on the claim and send the paperwork to HMRC. We do this through a signed authorisation letter.
Give us your case
From this point on, we will take over. If you have your paperwork handy, we’ll ask you to upload it. This speeds up the process. But if you don’t have it, we are happy to chase them down for you. Once we have everything we need, we send the claim to HMRC. All you have to do is wait to hear back from us.
Get Paid
Getting the money back to your account takes three to six weeks. After everything is over, we will take a 15% service fee, and you will become one of our happy customers.
Why choose Duty Refunds?
Reclaiming duties and taxes with Duty Refunds has multiple benefits.
Save time
It is your job to return the parcel to Italy, but we will make sure you get your duty and import VAT back. You can save a lot of time because our experts will deal with all the paperwork.
Pay upon completion
Reclaiming your import VAT and customs duty with Duty Refunds is risk-free. Our service fee will automatically come out of the total refund amount, which means we won’t charge you if the claim doesn’t go through.
Remember
If you are returning goods bought online from the UK to Italy, you will need to check the return policy and contact the seller first.
After that, you need to select a courier and mark the parcels as returned goods.
Lastly, ask the retailer to provide proof of refund so you can ask for the charges back.
Reclaiming import VAT and duties is best done with Duty Refunds. You can check if you are eligible and get started in five minutes.