The short version
If you live outside the EU, France refunds the VAT on purchases you take home — the French call it “détaxe”. But first, customs must confirm your refund form before you fly. At CDG you do this at a PABLO electronic kiosk or with a customs officer. If your purchases go into checked baggage, do it before bag check.
Do you qualify?
- You live outside the EU;
- You are at least 16;
- Your personal purchases total more than €100 including VAT, within 3 days in a row;
- You are visiting France for less than 6 months;
- You carry the goods yourself in your personal luggage.
The 3 steps
- At purchase: ask the shop for the VAT refund form (official name: bordereau de vente). It carries a barcode, or the words “procédure de secours” (a backup procedure used when the barcode system does not apply).
- Confirm the form: scan it at a PABLO kiosk to confirm the form, or get a customs officer’s stamp. Do this when leaving France, and no later than the end of the 3rd month after the month of purchase. Goods in checked baggage: confirm before bag check (customs may want to see them). Hand baggage only: confirm after check-in, at the kiosks after security.
- Refund: take the confirmed form to a refund counter — cash on the spot, or to your credit card.
The official desk list covers terminals 1, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F and 3 — some before security, some after. Terminal 2G is not on that list; the airport’s FAQ separately mentions cash refunds at 2G, so treat that one as unconfirmed. The official list:
| Operator | Location | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Cash Paris Tax Refund | Terminal 1, Level 2 | Before security checks |
| Cash Paris Tax Refund | Terminal 1, Level 4 | After security checks |
| Cash Paris Tax Refund | Boarding area 2A–2C, Level 1 | After security checks |
| Cash Paris Tax Refund | Terminal 2E, Level 2 | Before security checks |
| Cash Paris Tax Refund | Terminal 2E, Gate K, Level 2 | After security checks |
| Cash Paris Tax Refund | Terminal 2E, Gate L, Level 1 | After security checks |
| Cash Paris Tax Refund | Terminal 2E, Gate M, Level 1 | After security checks |
| Global Exchange | 2BD, Level 1 | After security checks |
| Global Exchange | Terminal 2F, Level 2 (two desks) | After security checks |
| Global Exchange | Terminal 3, Level 0 | After security checks |
Desk hours: the official list does not publish per-desk opening hours — call ahead (Cash Paris: +33 1 74 29 02 30) rather than trusting third-party listings.
Getting the cash back, by terminal
- Terminal 1 & 2E: cash at a Cash Paris office in the public area, or from a cash machine after security.
- Terminal 2A/2C: cash at the Cash Paris office after security.
- Terminals 2B/2D & 3: cash at a Global Exchange office. (2G: the airport FAQ mentions cash refunds there, but the terminal is not on the official desk list — confirm before heading to 2G.)
- Anywhere: card refund instead of cash — processed within 4–6 weeks.
The classic failure: checking a bag full of purchases before the customs stop, then discovering customs wants to see the goods. If your refund items are in a checked bag, the customs stop comes before bag check — allow time for it.
Timing advice that holds regardless
- Allow real extra time on departure day — the customs stop is a queue you cannot predict.
- Early and late flights face limited desk hours; arriving with ample time is genuinely what it takes.
- Keep purchases, forms and receipts in one accessible place for the whole journey — including at the border, where checks happen.