Printemps Paris VAT Refund Guide: How to Claim Your Refund with Zapptax
Planning to shop for luxury goods, fashion or beauty products at Printemps Haussmann in Paris? If you live outside the European Union and meet the eligibility requirements, you may be able to reclaim part of the French VAT paid on your purchases.
You can use the VAT refund service offered directly by Printemps, but you can also choose to claim through Zapptax. This second option is particularly useful if you plan to shop at several different stores in Paris or elsewhere in France.
If this is your first time claiming VAT back in France, start with our complete France VAT refund guide to check your eligibility and understand the overall process.
Key takeaways
- When shopping at Printemps Paris, you can use the tax-free service offered directly by the department store.
- However, if you plan to shop at several stores across France, Zapptax gives you more flexibility. Simply request a compliant invoice made out to Zapptax and upload it to the app. You can then combine eligible purchases made at different stores and on different dates.
- Once your total eligible purchases in France exceed €100, you can generate your digital tax-free form.
- With Zapptax, you can get back up to 90% of the VAT paid, equivalent to up to 15% of the VAT-inclusive price for goods subject to the standard 20% French VAT rate.
- The final step is to complete customs validation when leaving the European Union.
Printemps Haussmann: one of Paris’s iconic department stores
When people refer to Printemps in Paris, they usually mean Printemps Haussmann, located at 64 Boulevard Haussmann, 75009 Paris, just a short walk from the Palais Garnier and Galeries Lafayette.
This iconic Paris department store brings together luxury fashion, leather goods, beauty, jewellery, accessories and a wide range of French and international brands.
For many international visitors, it is an essential stop on a Paris shopping itinerary.
Who can claim a VAT refund at Printemps Paris?
Tax-free shopping in France is not available to every shopper.
In general, you must:
- normally live outside the European Union;
- be at least 16 years old;
- stay in the European Union for less than 6 months;
- purchase goods for personal use that you will take with you outside the EU.
In France, your total eligible purchases must exceed €100 to reach the minimum tax-free shopping threshold.
With Zapptax, eligible purchases made during your trip in France can be combined, so you do not need to meet the minimum threshold separately in every store.
Option 1: use Printemps’ in-store VAT refund service
The most traditional option is to use the VAT refund service provided directly by Printemps.
Eligible travellers who live outside the European Union can request a VAT refund on qualifying purchases. Printemps generally offers a refund of around 12%, although the exact amount may vary depending on the value of your purchases and the conditions in place at the time.
Printemps Haussmann has a dedicated tax-free service area inside the department store, so if most of your shopping is concentrated there, you can handle the process directly on site.
The main advantage is simplicity: if most of your purchases are made at Printemps, everything can be processed through the department store’s own system.
However, this option becomes less flexible if your shopping itinerary includes several different stores.
If you later shop at luxury boutiques, pharmacies, concept stores or other department stores, you will generally need to follow the VAT refund process offered by each retailer separately.
Option 2: use Zapptax for your Printemps purchases
If Printemps is only one stop on your shopping trip in France, Zapptax offers more flexibility.
Zapptax is a VAT refund app that allows travellers to manage the tax-free shopping process digitally in one place.
With traditional tax-free shopping, each retailer usually handles its own refund. With Zapptax, you can instead combine eligible purchases made at different stores and on different dates in France.
The applicable refund rate is then calculated based on your total eligible spend in the country.
For example, you could buy clothes at Printemps today, a pair of shoes in Saint-Germain tomorrow and beauty products at another store a few days later.
As long as you obtain invoices that meet Zapptax requirements, all of these purchases can be added and managed within the same app.
This means you can shop according to your own travel plans rather than concentrating all your purchases in one department store just to make VAT refund admin easier.
How to claim a VAT refund on Printemps purchases with Zapptax
The process is straightforward, but the most important step is to get the correct invoice at the time of purchase.
1. Download Zapptax and create your account
First, download the Zapptax app, create your account and complete the required information.
The app shows the Zapptax billing name and address to use for purchases made in France.
As these details may change, the easiest option is to show the latest information displayed in the app directly to the salesperson when requesting your invoice.
2. Ask for a VAT invoice when paying at Printemps
At checkout, ask the salesperson for an official invoice made out to Zapptax’s name and address and showing the required VAT information.
This is essential: a standard receipt or bank-card payment slip may not include all the information required to process your VAT refund.
If you choose to claim this purchase through Zapptax, you do not need to request a separate Printemps tax-free form for the same transaction.
3. Check the invoice before leaving the counter
Do not put the invoice away immediately.
Take a moment to check that the Zapptax name and address are correct and that the store details, date, products, amounts and VAT information are all included.
Printemps includes many brands and different counters, so the exact invoicing process may vary slightly.
If there is a mistake, it is usually far easier to have it corrected immediately than to contact the store again later.
4. Add the invoice to the Zapptax app
Once you have the correct invoice, take a photo and upload it to Zapptax.
If you continue shopping at other stores in France, you can follow the same process and keep adding eligible invoices to the app.
5. Build up more than €100 in eligible purchases
This is one of the biggest differences between Zapptax and traditional in-store VAT refunds.
You do not need to meet the minimum threshold separately at Printemps, then again at the next luxury boutique, and again at another store.
With Zapptax, eligible purchases can be combined at country level.
In other words, you can think about your VAT refund across your entire shopping trip in France rather than recalculating everything every time you enter a new store.
6. Validate your tax-free form when leaving the EU
Once you have finished shopping and generated your tax-free form, you still need to complete customs validation.
If your final point of departure from the European Union is in France, you can usually scan the barcode on your tax-free form at a PABLO kiosk.
If the system requests a manual inspection, you will need to visit a customs desk.
If you have never used a PABLO kiosk before, read our guide to validating your VAT refund with PABLO.
The French authorities also explain the main validation requirements in their PABLO information notice for travellers.
Even though Zapptax digitalises invoice management, form generation and refund tracking, customs validation when leaving the European Union remains a legal requirement.
How much can you get back with Zapptax?
Zapptax uses a progressive refund structure: the higher your total eligible spend in a single country, the higher the share of VAT you may get back.
Zapptax currently offers refunds of up to 90% of the VAT paid.
For goods subject to the standard 20% French VAT rate, this is equivalent to a refund of up to 15% of the VAT-inclusive purchase price.
The current refund tiers are:
| Total eligible spend in France | Share of VAT refunded | Refund as % of VAT-inclusive price at 20% VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Up to €500 | 70% | 11.66% |
| Over €500 to €1,000 | 75% | 12.50% |
| Over €1,000 to €5,000 | 80% | 13.33% |
| Over €5,000 to €10,000 | 85% | 14.16% |
| Over €10,000 | 90% | 15.00% |
Why does a 20% VAT rate not mean you get 20% of the final purchase price back?
Because the 20% VAT rate is calculated on the price before tax. In the final VAT-inclusive price, VAT actually represents around 16.67%.
Your refund is then calculated according to the Zapptax tier that applies to your total eligible spend.
You can find more details in the latest Zapptax refund rates.
Estimate your refund before you shop
If you already have a rough idea of how much you plan to spend in Paris, you can estimate your refund before you even visit Printemps.
Use the France VAT refund calculator, enter your expected shopping budget and quickly see how much you could get back with Zapptax.
This is particularly useful if you are planning to buy a luxury item at Printemps and then continue shopping at other stores.
Because the Zapptax refund rate can increase based on your total accumulated spend, it can be useful to look at your shopping budget across your entire stay in France.
Printemps or Zapptax: which VAT refund option is right for you?
Both options allow eligible travellers to claim back VAT. The main difference comes down to how you plan to shop.
| Criteria | Printemps in-store VAT refund | Zapptax |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Travellers mainly shopping at Printemps | Travellers shopping at multiple stores |
| Combining purchases | Mainly based on eligible Printemps purchases | Eligible purchases can be combined across different stores and dates in France |
| Document management | Follows the department store’s process | Centralised in the app |
| Minimum threshold | According to Printemps’ applicable conditions | Based on total eligible spend in France |
| Digital experience | Printemps tax-free process | Invoices, forms and refund tracking managed in one place |
| Customs validation | Required | Required |
If you only plan to buy one high-value luxury item at Printemps, using the department store’s own VAT refund service can be a very convenient option.
But if your trip includes several shopping stops, Zapptax’s biggest advantage is that it lets you combine eligible purchases from different stores instead of starting a new VAT refund process every time you shop somewhere new.
Ready to start shopping at Printemps Paris?
If you choose Zapptax, remember to open the app before paying at Printemps so you can show the correct billing details to the salesperson.
Then check your invoice carefully before leaving the counter.
Haven’t started shopping yet? Use the France VAT refund calculator first to estimate how much you could get back, then enjoy your shopping trip in Paris.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Zapptax if I leave the EU from a country other than France?
Yes, but the validation process will be different.
If you shop in France and then travel to another EU country before finally leaving the European Union, your tax-free form must be validated at your last point of departure from the EU.
In this situation, you will generally need to print your tax-free form in advance and present it to customs in the country where you leave the EU.
It is therefore important to check your complete travel itinerary and the relevant document requirements before departure.
Can I use Zapptax for online purchases?
Yes. Some online purchases can also qualify for a VAT refund with Zapptax, provided the relevant conditions are met.
One of the key requirements is being able to obtain a compliant invoice made out to Zapptax.
The delivery location and the applicable VAT rules must also meet the required conditions.
If you plan to order before arriving in France or have online purchases delivered to your accommodation during your stay, it is best to check before paying that the retailer can provide the correct invoice.
Where should I validate my tax-free form if I have a connecting flight within the EU?
It depends on your full itinerary and how your luggage is checked through.
For example, if you leave Paris, connect in another EU country and then fly to a destination outside the EU, the correct validation point may depend on your connection and the final destination of your checked luggage.
If your tax-free goods are packed in checked baggage, you also need to consider when customs may need to inspect the items.
If your itinerary includes an EU connection, check your actual EU exit point and baggage arrangements before heading to the airport.
