Tax-Free Shopping in Prague 2026: VAT Refund Rules and Minimum

Tax-free shopping in Czechia means getting back the Czech value-added tax (VAT, "DPH" in Czech: 21% or 12%, already included in shelf prices) on goods you carry out of the European Union in your own luggage. You qualify if you live outside the EU, for example in the United States or Great Britain. One receipt must total more than 2,000 CZK (about $92), so 2,001 CZK is the practical minimum. The goods must leave the EU by the end of the third month after the month of purchase, and you must ask for the money by the end of the sixth. No customs confirmation, no refund. Around Prague checked the VAT Act as in force since January 1, 2026, and the official websites of Czech customs, Prague Airport and the refund operators on November 10, 2026.

Dollar amounts use the Czech National Bank rate for November 10, 2026: 1 USD = 21.702 CZK. They are rounded.

What changed in 2026

The rules were rewritten on January 1, 2026. The conditions now sit in Section 66 of Act No. 235/2004 Sb., and the paperwork in Section 84. Many websites still describe the old version. What is new for shoppers:

The minimum is counted per sales document, not per day at one seller.
The law no longer lists goods that were shut out of the refund (fuel, tobacco, alcohol, food).
The store reports the sale to an electronic customs system called EvDPH. Czech customs moved its launch from January 1 to April 1, 2026.
A store may choose not to offer tax-free sales at all (Section 84, paragraph 14).

The conditions at a glance

Condition	What is required	Source
Who	Your home and the place where you usually stay are outside the EU. This is presumed if the place written in your travel document is outside the EU	Section 66(3)(a)
Goods	For personal, non-commercial use, carried in your personal luggage	Section 66(3)(b)
Minimum	Price including VAT on one sales document issued to one traveler is more than 2,000 CZK (about $92)	Section 66(4)
Export deadline	By the end of the third calendar month after the month of purchase	Section 66(3)(c)
Paperwork	On request, the seller issues a sales document right after the sale; you show your passport	Section 84(1)
Proof of export	Confirmation by customs in Czechia or in the EU country where the goods leave the EU	Section 66(5) and (9)
Refund deadline	Ask for the money by the end of the sixth calendar month after the month of purchase	Section 84(10)

Example: you buy on November 10, 2026. The goods must leave the EU by February 28, 2027, and you must claim the refund by May 31, 2027.

Who qualifies and who does not

The law looks at where you live, not at your citizenship.

You qualify if you live in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Switzerland, Ukraine or another non-EU country and are visiting.
You do not qualify if you live in Czechia or another EU country, even on a US passport. Prague Airport puts it plainly: the applicant must not have a registered residence in the Czech Republic.
Britain: since Brexit, residents of England, Scotland and Wales count as non-EU residents. Northern Ireland is different. German customs says travelers who live there cannot shop tax-free, and the Czech tax authority's Brexit notice treats Northern Ireland like an EU member for goods.
EU citizens living abroad: the European Commission says EU nationals who live outside the EU can qualify if they can prove it, for example with a residence permit.

How to claim: three steps

Step 1. In the store.

Before you pay, ask whether the store does tax-free sales, and have your passport with you. The form may come from the store itself or from an operator it works with, such as Global Blue or Planet (Section 84, paragraph 13).
One receipt must be over 2,000 CZK. Receipts from different stores cannot be added together.
Ask for the tax-free form. A paper document carries the words "VAT REFUND" or "TAX FREE". An electronic one needs your consent.
Sign the form and write in your home address. Prague Airport lists missing signatures and incomplete addresses as common mistakes.

Step 2. At customs. You get the confirmation at your last exit point from the EU. Show the goods, the receipt, the form, your passport and your ticket or boarding pass. Global Blue and Planet require the goods to be unused. If the conditions are not met, customs will not confirm the export (Section 66, paragraph 5).

Step 3. Getting the money.

Cash at Prague Airport: the Interchange exchange office in the Terminal 1 departure hall pays in Czech crowns or foreign currency.
To your card: through a kiosk or the operator. The airport warns this can take a long time.
By mail: send the stamped form to the operator in its envelope.
In the city before you fly: Planet lists three points in Prague, at Týn 638/5, Zamenhofova 440 (Fashion Arena outlet) and Jáchymova 27/4. You then must return the customs-stamped form to Planet within 21 days, or the credit card you gave as a guarantee is charged.

How much you get back: a worked example

This is our calculation. VAT inside the price = price × 21 / 121, which is 17.36% of what you paid. For goods taxed at 12%, it is price × 12 / 112.

Purchase	21% VAT inside the price	What is deducted
2,001 CZK (about $92)	347 CZK (about $16)	operator's fee
5,000 CZK (about $230)	868 CZK (about $40)	operator's fee
10,000 CZK (about $461)	1,736 CZK (about $80)	operator's fee; by Global Blue's "up to 17%", at most 1,700 CZK (about $78)
30,000 CZK (about $1,382)	5,207 CZK (about $240)	operator's fee

Global Blue advertises "up to 17%" for Czechia and says the refund is the VAT minus its service fee. Neither Global Blue nor Planet publishes a fee table for Czechia. The exact refund is printed on your form. Planet also charges for cash payouts at the airport: 49 CZK (about $2) on refunds up to 2,249 CZK, rising to 78 CZK (about $4) on refunds up to 4,499 CZK. Above that, the fee is a percentage of the purchase, between 90 and 400 CZK (about $4 to $18). Planet pays out at most 25,000 CZK (about $1,152) in cash.

Where to get the stamp at Prague Airport

Customs and the validation kiosks are only in Terminal 1, in the public part of the departure hall, before security. The airport lists the spot on the "first floor"; in Europe that means one floor above street level (Americans would say second floor). The customs counter is next to the Interchange exchange office.
If your flight leaves from Terminal 2, which handles flights within the Schengen area, go to Terminal 1 first.
For Czech forms there are kiosks that give the form an electronic stamp. If the kiosk does not validate it, go to the customs counter. Without a stamp, nobody pays.
Planet pays cash on stamped forms at the Interchange offices in Terminal 1 and also in the Terminal 2 departure hall (6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.).
If the store is not yet connected to the system and gave you a paper document, customs stamps it by hand. Czech customs describes this as a temporary procedure.
Do not check the bag with your purchases before customs has seen them.
The airport lists the refund point as open daily from 12:15 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. Planet lists Terminal 1 customs as open from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Customs asks travelers to come early. For forms issued in other countries the airport estimates about three hours for the whole process.

Flying home with a connection, or leaving from another country

Many travelers fly home to the United States with a connection. Czech sources do not spell out the rule for connections. German customs explains it this way: goods in checked bags are confirmed at the first airport, before check-in; goods in carry-on bags are confirmed at the last airport in the EU.

Connection in Frankfurt, Amsterdam or Paris with purchases in a checked bag: get the stamp in Prague, in Terminal 1, before you check the bag.
Purchases in your carry-on: the stamp comes at the last EU airport, so allow time there.
Connection in London: Britain is outside the EU, so Prague is your exit point.
River cruise or onward trip: if you leave the EU from Germany, Austria or Hungary, customs there confirms the export. Czech law accepts a confirmation from another EU country (Section 66, paragraph 9). The law describes the electronic stamp only for exits from Czechia (Section 84, paragraph 8), and Czech customs advises asking the store for a Czech-English document.

Czechia has no land border with a non-EU country. If you leave by train or car, for example to Switzerland, the stamp comes from German or Austrian customs at the EU's outer border.

What is not refunded, and common mistakes

Services: hotels, restaurants, transportation, tours.
Goods for equipping or supplying a private vehicle, boat or aircraft (Section 66, paragraph 2). Books carry no VAT at all.
Fuel, alcohol and food: the law has had no such list since 2026, but the airport customs page and Global Blue still show one. Ask the store before you pay.
No customs confirmation, or a missed deadline.
Several small purchases at different stores, each under the minimum.
A bag with the goods checked in before customs.
Goods already in use.

This is not legal advice: customs decides whether to confirm the export.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

What is the minimum purchase for tax-free shopping in Prague?

More than 2,000 CZK (about $92) including VAT on one sales document. Operators list it as 2,001 CZK.

Can US citizens get a VAT refund in the Czech Republic?

Yes, if you live outside the EU. Americans who live in Czechia or another EU country do not qualify.

How much VAT do I get back?

VAT is 17.36% of the price at the 21% rate. The operator takes a fee out of that, so expect less.

Where is the VAT refund desk at Prague Airport?

In Terminal 1, in the departure hall before security: kiosks, the customs counter and the Interchange exchange office.

I connect in Frankfurt. Where do I get the stamp?

For goods in a checked bag, in Prague before check-in. For goods in your carry-on, at the last EU airport, according to German customs.

Can I get VAT back on my hotel or restaurant bill?

No. The refund covers only goods you take out of the EU in your luggage.

Sources: Act No. 235/2004 Sb. on VAT, Sections 66 and 84 (in Czech), Czech customs: VAT refund (in Czech), Prague Airport customs office: VAT refund notice, Prague Airport: VAT refund, Planet: Czech Republic, Planet: refund locations, Global Blue: Czech Republic, German customs: tax-free shopping (in German), Czech tax authority: Brexit and VAT (in Czech, PDF), European Commission: VAT refunds, Czech National Bank exchange rates. Checked on November 10, 2026; confirm the conditions in the store before you buy.

Photo: a building on Pařížská Street in Prague, with shops at street level. Jerzy Strzelecki, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

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