What Sets Us Apart From Other VAT Refund Providers?
In Romania, Ask for Tax Free is the country’s first specialized service of this kind, and the differences from other providers show up not just in the fee, but in how the entire process is built, from the store shelf all the way to the airport.
1. We are Romania’s first specialized service, with the deepest local experience
Ask for Tax Free was the first Romanian company to implement the international “VAT Refund” concept in Romania, helping introduce and popularize the Tax Free system locally. While many international providers run standardized procedures designed for dozens of markets at once, we know Romanian legislation in detail — in place since 2004 and updated after Romania’s EU accession in 2007 — and we work directly with ANAF (Romania’s tax authority) on store authorization and settlement of refunded amounts.
2. One clear, transparent fee — no hidden costs
Our fee is a flat 6% of the invoice value, communicated upfront, and it covers the entire process: document verification, validation, the refund itself, and settlement with the store. With many international operators, the final amount a traveler receives is chipped away by stacked extra fees — processing fees, card-issuance fees, cash-withdrawal fees — which is why the net refund often ends up well under half of the VAT originally paid. With us, what you see is what you get: a 6% fee, no surprises at the counter.
3. Romania’s most diverse partner network — not just luxury stores
Our network includes more than 800 local partners across Bucharest, Cluj, Brașov, Timișoara, Iași, and Constanța. The key difference from providers that focus almost exclusively on premium brands is that our partner list spans electronics (Altex, Flanco, iStyle), fashion and sportswear (Nike, Decathlon, Hugo Boss), jewelry, and even grocery retail, such as Lidl — meaning a non-EU shopper can reclaim VAT on everyday supermarket purchases, not just on luxury goods.
4. Flexible refunds — no need to go back to the store
Many traditional Tax Free providers require the traveler to physically return to the store’s checkout to collect the refund, an option that simply doesn’t work for tourists who won’t be coming back to Romania. Ask for Tax Free removes that obstacle entirely: you can collect your cash refund directly at Henri Coandă Airport, at the Siret border crossing, or at our Bucharest headquarters, or you can mail your stamped documents from your home country and receive the refund by bank transfer.
5. Real human support, not just automation
We offer direct consulting by phone and email, for both tourists and partner stores, meaning any question about documents, minimum thresholds, or customs procedures gets answered quickly and personally — not through a generic online form. That closeness to the customer, combined with deep knowledge of the local context, is why so many travelers and stores choose to work with us instead of an impersonal international operator.
The bottom line
What sets Ask for Tax Free apart from other providers isn’t a single percentage point on a commission line — it’s an entire ecosystem built for the Romanian market: over a decade of local experience, full transparency on costs, a far more diverse partner network than a handful of luxury boutiques, multiple refund options, and human support whenever you need it. For non-EU tourists and expats who want to reclaim their VAT correctly and quickly in Romania, that’s the difference between a frustrating process and a simple, few-minutes one.
You can learn more about our partner network and current requirements on the Ask for Tax Free website.
