Good afternoon. Can someone please clarify: When applying for tax free, is the store receipt enough? Or do you need to have something else filled out at the shop?
I did it some time ago — the store will fill out a special form together with the receipt. You take that form to the airport, and they keep it. They stamp it so you can then receive your refund. They give the refund in dollars, euros, manats, or lari.
Regarding Tax Free: not every store provides this service. You’ll need your passport or a copy of it. Make purchases only at shops displaying Tax Free stickers. The total value of goods under one electronic invoice (including VAT) must be at least 300 manats. The refund percentage depends on the store — usually around 10%–14%.
At the airport, allocate extra time because the process is slow and lines do happen.
They will ask to see all goods and documents, so keep everything in your carry-on, not in your checked luggage.
Tax Free — we processed ours on Saturday in Terminal 1. First, we went to the information desk downstairs; they sent us to the 3rd floor, to the customs post (from the left escalator). There we showed the customs officer the papers from the store and the purchase itself (perfume). They filled out the documents in about one minute, and we waited roughly three minutes for the officer to show up, since no one was there.
After that, we checked in and dropped off our luggage — theoretically, we could have put everything in the suitcase at that point.
After going through customs and border control, we went to the exchange counter marked “tax free,” handed over the papers, and got cash. We didn’t even specify the currency — they simply gave us dollars. They asked to see our passport and boarding pass.
