Live in the UK? Get 15% of the price back on your Calais wine run.
As a UK resident, you are leaving the European Union with your purchases, so you can claim back the French VAT you paid in our shops. Thanks to our partnerships with Global Blue and Skiptax, we prepare your tax-free form at the till, and you validate it at the port of Calais or the Eurotunnel terminal before you leave France.
Once the operator's fees are deducted, you get back around 15% of the price you paid. On a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Brut at €48.90, that is €41.57 tax free, or about £7 back per bottle.
Who can claim the VAT refund in Calais?
You can claim the VAT back if:
- you live outside the European Union, for example in the UK: the rule depends on where you live, not on your nationality;
- you spend more than €100, VAT included, in the same shop on the same day;
- you show your passport at the till when you pay;
- you take the goods out of the EU within three months, unopened.
How to get your VAT refund on wine, Champagne, spirits and beer
Browse our wines, beers and spirits and pay at the till as usual. Show your passport, and our staff prepare a tax-free form covering all your eligible purchases. It takes about five minutes.
This form lists what you bought and the amount of VAT you can claim back. Once it has been validated at the border, the refund goes back to the payment card of your choice.
To save even more, pre-order €300 or more online: with our click and collect service, your order waits for you in the shop, and your P&O return crossing from Dover is free.
Validate your form at the ferry port or Eurotunnel terminal
Before you leave France, scan the barcode on your tax-free form. This proves to French customs that you, and the wine you bought in Calais, are leaving the European Union.
With Global Blue
1. Collect your paper tax-free form at the till.
2. Scan its barcode at a PABLO kiosk: in the main building of the ferry port, after customs, or in the passenger building at the Eurotunnel terminal.
With Skiptax
1. Download the free app and scan your passport.
2. Shop, then scan your receipt in the app.
3. Scan the barcode generated by Skiptax at the departure terminal. Your form is digital, with no paper to keep.
How does the PABLO kiosk work?
1. Choose your language on the touch screen.
2. Scan the barcode on your form with the reader.
3. Wait for customs approval: a green screen shows "OK form valid". This approval counts as a customs stamp. If the screen turns red, follow the instructions shown.
Your UK personal allowances for alcohol, per traveller aged 17 or over
Since 1 October 2026, Champagne and other sparkling wines share the 18 litre wine allowance with still wine. Instead of 4 litres of spirits, you can bring 9 litres of fortified wine such as Port, or a proportional mix of the two. If you go over an allowance, UK duty applies to everything in that category, not just the extra bottles. Source: GOV.UK.
Attention!
If you open or drink a product in France or elsewhere in the EU, the VAT refund is cancelled. If you want to enjoy part of your purchase before you board your ferry or train, pay for it in a separate transaction: we only prepare the tax-free form for the products you take out of France.
Our tax-free partners
Planning your Christmas run? See our guides to Christmas gifts for dad, whisky gifts for men and the French wine and food hamper.
