Globus VAT Form Process: Get Your German Groceries Tax Free!

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I finished my first official month shopping as much as possible at the Globus grocery store in Kaiserslautern. I used my VAT form and here’s the process and the amount saved! this will be a great addition to your family’s shopping if you’re in the KMC and looking to get some good German groceries!

VAT Form Process

Here’s the step by step process to get everything ready to use your VAT form at the Globus.

1. Go shopping and get your items.
2. Go to the check out line and get everything scanned and pay. I didn’t use the self checkout line so I don’t have info on using that but you’ll need to talk to the cashier regardless.
3. After you pay, make sure to ask the cashier for a second receipt for your VAT form.
4. You’ll show your military ID and the person will give you a second receipt and it will have a VAT stamp.
5. Keep your receipts in a safe place.
6. As the end of the end of month nears, get your current VAT form.
7. Take your receipts and the VAT form into Globus during the last 2 days of the month normally. There is a new schedule and the Facebook page “Friends of Globus KL” has regular updates and people will answer questions.
8. Go to the VAT form line which is usually the last cashier line and there is a sign showing where to go.
9. Get all your receipts out and be ready to sign the VAT form.
10. The cashier will add up all the receipts and keep one receipt and then give you the second receipt
11. They will fill out the majority of the VAT form and add everything up.
12. Once it’s all added up, you’ll get your tax back in cash, the pink and white VAT form, and a raffle ticket for gift cards.
13. Return your white VAT form to the VAT office and check the Facebook page to see if you won’t the raffle.

No one was concerned about different credit cards or who bought what. The cashier just added up all the receipts and checked my ID. It was all cash back so it worked well for my family which uses a few different credit cards.

There is also 2 different tax rates you will see on your receipt. There will be subtotals at the bottom and you’ll want to add up all the “Steuer” (tax in German) in the 19% and 7% rows.

Savings from using your VAT Form

We went to Globus for the majority of our grocery shopping last month and here are some of the numbers. I spent €439 and the USD equivalent was $478. We then went in and completed the Globus VAT form process and got back €47 in cash. Don’t forget to subtract the $10 VAT form cost!

With all this math and everything added up, I saved about €38 or about $42 net savings. This comes out in USD to 8.7% savings. Is that worth it to you?