Buy your wine in calais and get your VAT back !! So easy !!

- Categories : The Wine Calais Blog

So, finally the United Kingdom has left the EU

This is the reality of Brexit. Whether you like it or not, the rules have changed.

The booze cruise has had its days, and now it’s time to move on. Which is why, here at Calais Vins and Olivier Vins et Cie ( Formerly Franglais Vins) we’ve introduced …..

The Grape Escape Experience in Calais

With us you will discover an exciting selection of wines, at lower price than in the UK and we will explain you why it is so !!

Let’s explain how this all works….

Following Brexit, British customers can now claim back the VAT when returning to the UK after a visit at Calais Vins or Olivier Vins & Cie.

How can I recover the VAT I paid in calais on my wine ?

Us French have to pay the VAT, but you, dear British citizens, are going to consume your wine, champagne and beer in the United Kingdom, that is to say outside the EU!

You are therefore entitled to claim back the VAT you paid in France ( “I want my money back” Margaret Thatcher Nov 30 th 1979 !!!) .... provided you can prove that you are leaving the European Union territory ....

This is where we come in. We have reached a way with customs to do this process for you.

You wonder how does it work? (Here a big Gallic Shrug !!!)

Well, you won’t get the usual ‘Gallic Shrug’, for an answer.

We are here to help and provide a smooth transaction. Thinking of our British customers, we have a system to help you. And this doesn’t mean you have to be a geek. It just takes 5 minutes.

It's a piece of wine, well sorry, we meant a piece of cake!

You just do your shopping as usual, fill your cart respecting the new duty-free limitations.

How much wine, beer, champagne and spirit can I brig back in the UK from Calais?

How much you can bring depends on the type of alcohol .

You can bring in:

  • beer - 42 litres

  • wine (not sparkling) - 18 litres ( 24 Bottles of 75 cl)

You can also bring in either:

  • spirits and other liquors over 22% alcohol - 4 litres

  • fortified wine (for example port, sherry), sparkling wine and alcoholic drinks up to 22% alcohol - 9 litres ( equivalent to 12 bottles of 75 cl)

You can split this last allowance, for example you could bring 4.5 litres of fortified wine and 2 litres of spirits (both half of your allowance).

Have a look on gov.uk 

How can I get the Tax free Form to get the VAT back after buying my wine in Calais ?

So, you do your shopping normally and pay for your purchases at the cash desk.

And then!

We take care of providing the tax-free voucher to claim the VAT back. We generate this Tax Free Form for you in store.

We give you this document certifying your purchases and the amount of VAT you can claim back. This amount will be credited to a payment card within 3 to 5 days.

The only thing you need to do is to scan the barcode on the top right hand side of your paper receipt .

You scan this document at the Pablo terminal located in the passenger terminal of the port of Calais or the passenger terminal at Eurotunnel.

It is imperative that you scan this document as it proves to the French authorities that you ...... and your wine and sparkling wine!  are

actually leaving the European Union.tax free form to get VAT on wine back

The goods that you will sip smoothly once you’re safely back home.

Calais Vins and Olivier Vins & Cie the best wine shops in Calais for The Grape Experience

We guarantee that we will come up with some great tips, suggestions and advice to make the most of your shopping experience here at Calais Vins and Olivier Vins et Cie.

And this is properly The Grape Escape experience we want to share with you.

The Grape escape is the unique experience we provide to our customers. Here we take care of you, we sort out the Tax, but most importantly, here you will discover some of France’s finest wines, for example Chablis, Sancerre, Fleurie, Pomard, Nuits Saint Georges Saint Emilion, Saint Julien, Pomerol, Médoc, Côtes du Rhone, Côtes Rotie, Vacqueyras, Gigondas from the best wine names like Jaboulet, Guigal, Louis Latour, Joseph Drouhin, Gérard Bertrand and many more....

A great part of the Grape Experience is that we welcome you in our Free Tasting bar where our profesional sommeliers will welcome you and advice you.

And the wine on the cake, sorry the cherry on the cake ….. !!!!

Here at Olivier Vins et Cie and Calais Vins we speak ‘zee’ English!

OK, we admit with a French accent, but then again, nobody’s perfect!

Ain’t that right.

Cheers and see you soon…

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