Duty Free Shop airport | AMS | Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

Netherlands

AMS | Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

European Union Arrivals and Departures duty free airport shopping: This is an EU Member State, Duty Free and Tax-Free sales are not permitted for intra-EU travellers, nor can you usually buy Tax-Free or Duty Free goods on arrival at an EU airport when arriving from outside The EU.

Airports in the EU have 'Travel Shops' where the goods are competitively priced for the passenger, these sales are often called 'Travel Value Shopping'.

Many EU airports now have arrival shops where you can buy goods in the baggage claim area, more are opening all the time. But, the stores located in this airport for arriving passengers, regardless of where you arrive from, are all tax and duty paid shopping conditions. Whereas, outbound passengers flying to a non-EU destination, can buy their duty free and tax-free goods from shops in the departure lounge. These goods must be exported to a non EU Country.

Occasionally domestic and some airports retailers advertise their goods as duty free or tax-free, but for EU travel or for shopping on arrival, this normally means that the prices are special promotional or discounted offers. The only tax free goods available in domestic shops throughout the EU, are those offered under the VAT/IVA Sales Tax Refund shopping scheme.

Airlines operating on routes within the European Community maintain a carry-on baggage limit and this could restrict your shopping in the airport. If you buy your goods on arrival at the airport and then pack them in your checked baggage for your return journey, this potential problem is resolved. The same applies for the transit of liquids, known as LAGS.

Airports in the Netherlands are particularly strict with their enforcement of the rules related to duty free liquids in transit. The rules can be extremely complicated and sometimes ambiguous. Simply, if you are connecting to another flight in Holland with duty free purchases from a non EU country, it is preferable to re-pack your liquids in your checked baggage, or where permitted, you can buy on arrival at your destination. Security at Dutch airports will permit some liquids through in a sealed 'STEB' bag, but only from certain countries.

You are allowed to bring these liquids on board if the liquids have been purchased at these locations: All airports in the United States, Canada, Kuala Lumpur, Croatia, Dubrovnik, Pula, Rijeka, Split, Zadar or Zagreb and also Singapore. Likewise, purchases made on European airlines, within the EU is permissible as are outbound purchases from Dutch airports for EU travel.

European Union member states also operate a tax-free shopping scheme where visitors to these countries can obtain a sales tax refund on the goods they purchase during their visit. Foreign visitors who are not resident of The EU and are returning to a non EU country have the facility to use the Tax-Rebate retail scheme where the local EU sales tax, otherwise known as VAT/TVA, is refunded to you when you depart from Europe.

The refund booths can be found in most major EU airports and more details are available in our tax free and downtown shopping section, under land travel searches.

Some airline and airport retailers are yet to publish their online duty free prices and catalogues, others have now started incorporating online pre-order facilities.

We will publish the details for this airport as soon as they are available and where relevant to this airport, publish the airline in-flight price list, enabling you to make a comparison of the available products and prices.

If no local sites are available, we will provide links to a site where you can best check prices.