Spanish VAT refund rejected with zero explanation - what now?

I've helped several clients with international VAT refund issues, and Spain can be particularly frustrating. When a Spanish VAT refund is rejected with no reason given, it's usually one of several common issues: 1. Your forms might have been incomplete - even a missing signature or date can trigger a rejection. 2. The customs stamp might have been unclear or partially smudged. 3. The retailer might not have properly processed their end of the paperwork. 4. Your purchases may have included non-eligible items (certain services or foods). 5. You might have exceeded the submission timeframe (usually 3 months from purchase date). The good news is you can absolutely appeal this decision. Contact the VAT refund service provider directly (Planet, Global Blue, etc. - should be listed on your paperwork). Request a specific explanation for the rejection and inform them you want to appeal. Be persistent - sometimes it takes multiple attempts. Also, check if your credit card offers purchase protection that might cover VAT refund rejections. Some premium travel cards actually have this benefit.

After dealing with a nightmare VAT refund situation from Italy, I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it literally saved me hours of confusion. My Spanish VAT refund was initially rejected too, but their document analysis tool helped me identify why - turns out my customs stamp was applied on the wrong section of the form (which no one told me). Their system can scan your rejection notice and VAT paperwork and pinpoint exactly what's wrong, plus generate the proper appeal letter in Spanish. Way better than trying to figure out Spanish tax codes myself! If you still have copies of all your documentation, it might be worth having them analyze it.

Just wanted to update that I tried taxr.ai after seeing this thread and WOW. My Portuguese VAT refund that was rejected actually had a fixable problem! The system identified that the store had entered the wrong tax code on one of my forms, and I was able to get documentation from them to prove the correct category. It generated an appeal letter in Portuguese (which I obviously couldn't have done myself), and I got confirmation yesterday that my appeal is being processed! Definitely worth it for anyone dealing with rejected VAT refunds.

Having worked in retail tourism in Barcelona, I can tell you Spanish VAT rejections are frustratingly common. After helping hundreds of tourists with their paperwork, I discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) when I had my own refund rejected after a trip to Germany. Instead of waiting 2+ hours on hold with the Spanish tax office (which I tried first), Claimyr got me connected to an actual human at the tax office in under 6 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent I spoke with was able to look up my refund status in their system and give me the specific reason for rejection (in my case, the retailer had entered the wrong date). They even helped me start the appeal process on the spot instead of having to mail everything.

I'm actually shocked to report that Claimyr worked perfectly. After my skeptical comment I decided to try it because I was desperate (had a €280 Italian VAT refund rejected last month). Got connected to an Italian tax office representative in 7 minutes, which is absolutely unheard of. The person explained my rejection was due to a missing export validation code that should have been on my customs form. They guided me through submitting the appeal documentation and even gave me their direct extension for follow-up. Never thought I'd be writing this, but I've already recommended it to my brother who's fighting with a French VAT refund issue.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - check if your purchase amounts match exactly with your receipts. I had a Spanish VAT refund rejected because the amount I claimed was €0.50 different from what the retailer reported (due to a currency conversion issue). Seems trivial but their system flagged it as a discrepancy.

Has anyone here successfully appealed a Spanish VAT refund without using a paid service? I'm in the same boat (€320 rejection with no explanation) but wondering if there's a DIY approach before I spend more money.

Don't forget to check the deadline for appeals - I believe for Spanish VAT refunds you only have 30 days from the rejection date to submit your appeal. After that you're basically out of luck no matter how valid your claim.

Keisha, I'd act fast given your tight deadline! Since you only have 2 days left to appeal, I'd recommend doing both approaches simultaneously: 1. Send an immediate email to devoluciones@aeat.es with "URGENT: VAT Refund Appeal - [your reference number]" as the subject line. Include all your documentation and explicitly state you're submitting this appeal within the 30-day window (mention the rejection date from your email). 2. Given the time crunch, also try one of the phone services mentioned above to get direct contact with the Spanish tax office. Even if it costs a bit, €400 is worth the investment to save your appeal rights. The €3 discrepancy Isabella mentioned could very well be your issue - make sure to address that specifically in your appeal and provide a detailed breakdown showing exactly how your receipts total €2,703, not the rounded €2,700 you may have originally claimed. Don't panic, but definitely don't wait until tomorrow. Spanish bureaucracy moves slowly but the deadlines are rigid. Once you get the appeal officially submitted today, you'll have breathing room to provide additional documentation if needed.

Just wanted to share my experience since I went through something very similar last year. I had a Spanish VAT refund rejected with no explanation for €380, and it turned out to be a combination of issues that weren't obvious at first glance. The main problem was that one of my receipts was from a store that had recently changed their VAT registration number, but they were still using old forms with the previous number. This created a mismatch in the Spanish tax system that automatically triggered a rejection. Here's what worked for me: I contacted the original stores directly and asked them to provide updated receipts with their current VAT registration details. Most were surprisingly helpful once I explained the situation. Then I resubmitted with a detailed cover letter explaining the discrepancy. For your timeline issue, Keisha - definitely get that appeal email sent today! Even a basic "I hereby formally appeal the rejection of my VAT refund claim [reference number] dated [rejection date]" email will preserve your rights while you gather the proper documentation. Also, double-check that all your purchase dates were actually within the eligible timeframe. Spain requires purchases to be made within 3 months of your departure date, and if any single receipt falls outside that window, they'll reject the entire claim rather than just processing the eligible portions. The €3 discrepancy Isabella mentioned is absolutely a real possibility - their system flags ANY mathematical inconsistency, no matter how small. When you appeal, provide a line-by-line breakdown showing exactly how you calculated the total.

I went through a very similar situation with my Spanish VAT refund last year - €450 rejected with absolutely zero explanation. After weeks of frustration, I discovered that Spanish VAT rejections often happen for surprisingly minor technical issues that aren't immediately obvious. In my case, it turned out the rejection was due to two problems: first, one of my receipts had a barely legible customs stamp (the ink was smudged), and second, I had included a purchase that was technically a "service" rather than goods (a tailoring alteration fee that was bundled with a clothing purchase). Given your extremely tight 2-day deadline, here's what I'd recommend doing immediately: 1. Send that urgent appeal email to devoluciones@aeat.es TODAY - even a basic statement preserving your appeal rights will stop the deadline clock. 2. Check every single receipt against your departure date to ensure all purchases were within the 3-month eligibility window. 3. Verify that your claimed total of €2,700 matches your actual receipt total of €2,703 exactly - that €3 difference could absolutely be the culprit. 4. Look for any services, food, or non-eligible items that might have been included in your claim. The good news is that once your appeal is properly submitted, Spanish authorities are actually quite reasonable about processing legitimate corrections. My refund was approved within 6 weeks after I resubmitted with the corrected documentation. Don't lose hope - €400 is definitely worth fighting for, and most Spanish VAT rejections are fixable once you identify the specific issue!

Quick update for everyone following this thread - I just sent my urgent appeal email to devoluciones@aeat.es with the subject line "URGENT: VAT Refund Appeal - [my reference number]" and included a basic statement preserving my appeal rights within the 30-day window. After reading through all the helpful advice here, I've identified several potential issues with my original claim: 1. My claimed total was €2,700 but receipts actually total €2,703 (thanks Isabella for catching this!) 2. I need to verify all purchase dates fall within the 3-month window before departure 3. Going to contact the stores to check if any had recent VAT registration changes (great point Mei!) 4. Double-checking that I didn't accidentally include any services or ineligible items I'm also going to try one of the phone services mentioned to get direct contact with the Spanish tax office, given the tight timeline. At this point, spending a bit on professional help is worth it to save the €400 refund. Really grateful for all the detailed experiences shared here - this thread has been more helpful than hours of googling! Will update once I hear back from the appeal.

Reading through this entire thread has been incredibly educational - I had no idea Spanish VAT refunds could be rejected for such technical reasons! I'm planning a trip to Barcelona next month and want to make sure I don't run into these same issues. Based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like the key things to watch out for are: 1. Keep exact receipt amounts and don't round numbers when filing 2. Make sure all purchases are within 3 months of departure date 3. Double-check that customs stamps are clear and legible 4. Avoid including any services or food items in the claim 5. Verify store VAT registration numbers haven't changed recently For Harmony and anyone else dealing with rejections - it's really encouraging to see that these issues are often fixable once you identify the specific problem. The fact that multiple people here have successfully appealed gives me hope that the Spanish system, while strict, is at least fair when you provide the correct documentation. Does anyone have tips for ensuring you get clear customs stamps at the airport? I've heard Spanish customs can be rushed and sometimes the stamps end up smudged or incomplete.

This whole thread has been an absolute goldmine of information! As someone who works in tax compliance, I wanted to add a few additional insights that might help with Spanish VAT refund appeals. One thing I've noticed that hasn't been mentioned yet is that Spain's AEAT system sometimes flags refunds when there are inconsistencies in how store names appear on different documents. For example, if your receipt says "El Corte Inglés S.A." but the VAT form shows "El Corte Inglés" without the corporate designation, this can trigger an automatic rejection. Also, for future travelers - Spain has been increasingly strict about electronic vs. paper receipts. If you received any email receipts during your trip, make sure to print them on regular paper (not thermal paper) before getting customs stamps. Their scanning system sometimes can't properly read thermal printed receipts, especially if they've faded over time. Harmony, given that you're within your appeal window, I'd also recommend checking if any of your purchases were made using contactless payments under €20. Spain has specific rules about these small transactions that sometimes require additional documentation that isn't always provided at point of sale. The community advice here about exact amount matching and clear stamps is spot-on. Spanish VAT processing is highly automated, and any discrepancy that requires human review dramatically increases rejection likelihood. Best of luck with your appeal!

I've been following this thread closely as someone who's dealt with multiple European VAT refund rejections, and I wanted to share a few additional points that might help with your appeal, Harmony. One issue I haven't seen mentioned yet is that Spain sometimes rejects refunds when the departure stamp on your passport doesn't clearly match your VAT refund processing date. If there was any delay between when you got your customs stamps and when you actually departed, or if your passport stamp is unclear, this can cause system mismatches. Also, double-check that none of your purchases were made at duty-free shops or airport retailers - these are automatically ineligible for VAT refunds since they're already tax-exempt, but tourists sometimes accidentally include them in their claims. For your immediate appeal, I'd recommend being very specific about acknowledging the €3 calculation error and providing a detailed reconciliation. Something like: "Upon review, I acknowledge that my original claim amount of €2,700 was incorrect. The actual total from receipts is €2,703. Please find attached itemized breakdown showing exact amounts from each qualifying purchase." The fact that you got your appeal submitted within the deadline is huge - that was definitely the most critical step. Spanish tax authorities are actually quite fair once you provide proper documentation, it's just their automated screening system that's extremely rigid about technical details.

As someone who's been through the Spanish VAT refund nightmare myself, I feel your pain! Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly insightful - it's clear that Spain's system is particularly rigid about technical details. One additional issue I encountered that hasn't been mentioned yet is related to currency conversion timing. If you paid with a credit card, the exchange rate used by your card company on the transaction date might differ slightly from the exchange rate the Spanish system expects based on ECB (European Central Bank) rates for that day. This can create small discrepancies even when your math is perfect. For your appeal, I'd suggest including both the original receipt amounts in euros AND the converted amounts if you paid in a different currency, along with a note about which exchange rates were used. This level of detail shows you're being thorough and helps prevent any currency-related flags in their system. Also, make sure to keep copies of everything you submit - Spanish tax authorities sometimes request the same documentation multiple times during the appeals process, and having everything organized and ready to resend immediately can speed up resolution significantly. The good news is that once you get past their automated screening system with proper documentation, the actual human reviewers are quite reasonable. Your €400 refund is definitely worth fighting for, especially since you've already gotten that critical appeal submitted within the deadline!

This thread has been absolutely invaluable for understanding Spanish VAT refund issues! As someone who's never dealt with international tax refunds before, I had no idea how many technical details could cause a rejection. Reading through everyone's experiences, it seems like the most common issues are: - Exact amount mismatches (even €3 can cause rejection!) - Unclear or smudged customs stamps - Including ineligible services or food items - Store VAT registration number changes - Currency conversion discrepancies - Missing or incorrect documentation For anyone planning future trips to Spain, this thread is basically a complete guide on what NOT to do. The key seems to be meticulous attention to detail and keeping perfect records of everything. Harmony, I really hope your appeal works out! You've done everything right by getting it submitted within the deadline, and with all the specific issues identified in this thread, you should be able to address whatever caused the original rejection. €400 is definitely worth fighting for, and it sounds like the Spanish authorities are actually reasonable once you get past their automated screening system. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community knowledge is so much more helpful than any official government website!