Easier VAT refund for travelers in the Tax-Free system in Poland

The Ministry of Finance has introduced a new convenience for travelers who use the Tax Free system to get a VAT refund. In the mTAX FREE PL mobile application, they can create a Unique Number (UN) from the traveler's identity document, which can be used when shopping. In addition, e.g., QR codes have been placed at border customs offices to make it easier for travelers to check the status of the tax-free document. The reason for this is that, in order to reduce errors in the data of travelers using TAX FREE, which may be the basis for refusing to confirm TAX FREE documents at border customs offices, the possibility of using the Unique ID Number created in the mTAX FREE PL mobile application has been introduced.

When the traveler provides his Unique ID Number to the seller, his details will be automatically checked against the data provided in the mobile application. This will avoid, e.g., errors when entering data manually. This is a convenience for both travelers and sellers.

In order to use the full functionality, the traveler must confirm his account once at the tax-free check-in at the border. Authorization is made, at the traveler's request, by an officer of the Customs and Tax Service during the check-in.

To make it easier for travelers to manage their tax-free documents, the Ministry of Finance has placed QR codes to be scanned on a mobile device in:

• border customs offices,
• places where tax-free documents are handled for travelers,
• near border or airport information kiosks and bulletin boards

After scanning the QR code, the traveler goes to the TaxFree website, where, after entering the unique system number of the TaxFree document (UNS), he can check the status of the TaxFree document on an ongoing basis and download the mTAX FREE PL application. It facilitates access to the electronic form of the tax-free document issued by the seller and gives him the ability to easily manage his documents.