Claim Your Tax Refund Without the Queue
At Charles de Gaulle and Orly, a greeter guides you to the customs point, helps present your tax-free forms and goods, and takes you to the refund desk, so the VAT refund on your Paris purchases is completed calmly before your flight.
The DBS EXPERIENCE Standard
What Customs & VAT Refund Assistance at Paris Airports Is
Customs and VAT refund assistance is a personal service that guides you through the tax-free formalities at Charles de Gaulle and Orly before your flight. Visitors who reside outside the European Union can reclaim the value added tax on eligible purchases made in France, where the standard rate is 20 percent, but the forms must be validated at customs before leaving the EU, and many travellers miss the step or lose time searching for the desk. Our greeter takes you to the right customs point, helps present the forms, the receipts and the goods for inspection, and guides you to the refund counter, so the refund is completed without a queue and without a missed formality. This page is part of our VIP airport meet and greet service.
What this is
Guidance through the customs validation and the VAT refund at Paris CDG and Orly, combined with a departure meet and greet and a chauffeur.
What you get
Your forms checked, presented at customs and the goods inspected, and the refund claimed at the desk, without a search or a missed step.
What to do next
Send your flight, your terminal and your purchases, and receive a plan with the greeter, the documents to prepare and the refund process, usually within the working day.
Why you can trust it
Founded in 2009, 25,000+ journeys, 98.9% on-time, Transport Licence No. EVTC075180190, issued by the French Ministry of Transport, rated 4.9/5 across 82 verified reviews.
Who we serve
For Those Who Shop in Paris and Fly Home
A refund on a significant purchase is worth having, but the process defeats many travellers: the form, the validation, the desk, all before a flight. This assistance removes the friction. We arrange it for the traveller and for the people who plan a departure that should reflect the quality of the stay.
Family Offices & Private Travellers
Discreet guidance for a principal or a family with significant purchases, so the refund is completed correctly and quietly, with the documents checked in advance.
Five-Star Hotels & Concierges
A brand-aligned close to a shopping stay, with a guest walked through the tax-free formalities and the refund, so the departure matches the care of the hotel.
Destination Management Companies
A dependable finish to a client's programme, with multilingual assistance through customs and the refund, and consistent standards that lower your operational risk.
Executive Assistants & PAs
The refund handled for an executive with purchases to declare, added to the departure with one confirmation, so a busy traveller does not lose it to a missed step.
What This Service Includes
The Refund, from Form to Desk
Documents Checked
Your tax-free forms, receipts, passport and boarding pass checked with you before customs, so nothing is missing at the desk.
To the Customs Point
The greeter takes you to the right customs office in your terminal, so you do not search for it with a flight to catch.
Validation Assistance
Help presenting the forms, the receipts and the goods for inspection, so the validation is completed correctly.
Refund Desk Guidance
Guided to the refund counter or kiosk, with the refund method explained, so the claim is made without confusion.
Multilingual Support
An assistant fluent in your language, so a process in an unfamiliar system is clear at every step.
Part of the Departure
The refund handled alongside check-in, fast-track security and the lounge, under one booking with a chauffeur.
The DBS Difference
Why the Refund Is Not Lost to a Missed Step
The refund is forfeited if the form is not validated at customs before departure, and that is the step travellers most often miss. The value of the assistance is in making sure the validation and the claim are completed correctly, in time, as part of a calm departure.
Nothing Missed at Customs
The forms validated before you leave the EU, so the refund is preserved rather than forfeited to a skipped step.
Documents Checked First
The forms, receipts and goods confirmed before customs, so there is no problem discovered at the desk with a flight to catch.
No Search for the Desk
Taken to the right customs point and refund counter in your terminal, so the process does not consume the time before the flight.
Multilingual and Clear
An assistant fluent in your language for a process in an unfamiliar system, so each step is understood.
Part of the Departure
The refund handled with check-in, security and the lounge, so it is one step rather than a separate errand.
Discretion for Principals
Significant purchases handled with confidentiality, NDAs on request, and a low-profile passage for principals.
How It Works
Send the Details
Give us your flight, your terminal and your purchases. We advise on the documents to prepare and the refund process.
We Check the Documents
The greeter confirms the forms, receipts, passport and boarding pass with you before customs, so nothing is missing.
We Validate at Customs
You are taken to the customs point and helped to present the forms and goods for inspection and validation.
You Claim the Refund
Guided to the refund desk to complete the claim, then on to security and the lounge until the gate.
In practice
How DBS EXPERIENCE Works in Real Life
A Guest After a Shopping Stay
A concierge arranges the departure for a guest with several tax-free purchases. A chauffeur brings her in, the greeter checks the forms, takes her to customs for validation and to the refund desk, then through fast-track security to a lounge. The refund is completed without a queue, and the stay ends as it began.
A First-Time Traveller and a Missed-Refund Risk
A visitor unfamiliar with the system has forms from several boutiques. Our multilingual greeter confirms the documents, guides the validation at customs and the claim at the desk, and the refund a first-time traveller might have lost is secured before the flight.
An Executive with Purchases to Declare
A PA books the departure for a director with a significant purchase. The greeter handles the customs validation and the refund alongside check-in and security, so the director completes it without leaving the flow to the gate, and the PA has one confirmation.
Authority
Why Travellers and Their Teams Choose DBS EXPERIENCE
In Summary
DBS EXPERIENCE is a Paris-based private chauffeur service founded in 2009, providing customs and VAT tax refund assistance at Charles de Gaulle and Orly, guiding travellers through the customs validation and the tax-free refund, combined with meet and greet and a chauffeur. From its base at 320 rue Saint-Honoré, it runs 25-plus vehicles and 30-plus bilingual chauffeurs, 24/7, with 98.9% punctuality over 25,000-plus journeys.
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I would have missed the refund entirely. They checked every form, took me straight to customs and then the desk, and it was done before we even thought about the gate.
Private Client · Departure from Charles de Gaulle
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for a VAT refund in France?
Travellers who reside outside the European Union can generally reclaim the value added tax on eligible purchases made in France, subject to the minimum spend and the conditions in force. France applies a standard VAT rate of 20 percent on most goods. We confirm the current requirements for your purchases and guide you through the process, but the refund itself is granted by the customs authorities and the operators, not by us.
How does the customs and VAT refund process work at CDG and Orly?
The tax-free forms issued by the retailer must be validated at customs before you leave the European Union, and the refund is then claimed at a refund counter or kiosk. Our greeter takes you to the right customs point in your terminal, helps present the forms, the receipts and the goods for inspection, and guides you to the refund desk, so a process that many travellers miss is completed calmly before the flight.
What documents do I need for the refund?
You need the tax-free forms issued by the retailer at the time of purchase, the original receipts, the goods themselves available for inspection, and your passport and boarding pass. We advise on the documents when we plan the booking and check them with you before customs, so nothing is missing at the desk. Where a form is not validated at customs, the refund cannot be granted, which is why the assistance is valued.
Can the refund assistance be combined with a departure and a chauffeur?
Yes, and this is the natural way to use it. A chauffeur brings you to the airport, a greeter walks you through check-in, the customs validation and fast-track security, and settles you in a lounge until the gate. The refund is one step in a seamless departure, and the chauffeur car can be electric or hybrid on request within our fleet of 25-plus vehicles.
How long does the refund take, and how is it paid?
Once the forms are validated, the refund can be taken in cash at the airport where available, or by card or bank transfer, which may take a period of weeks depending on the operator. The method and the timing are set by the refund operator, not by us; we make sure the validation and the claim are completed correctly before your flight so the refund is not lost to a missed step.
Ready to Complete Your Paris Tax Refund with Ease?
Send your flight, your terminal and your purchases, and our team returns a plan with the greeter, the documents to prepare and the refund process. See the full VIP meet and greet service or our departure assistance.