Whilst possible, getting a VAT refund in Poland can be complicated and expensive.
Once you’re registered for VAT in Poland, you can claim back input VAT via your Polish VAT return. If you have more VAT to reclaim than you have to pay, you can either:
- Carry the difference over to the next reporting period
- Have the difference refunded to you
TLDR: We recommend you carry the difference forward as credit, as getting a refund is a long, complicated and expensive process.
KAS (the Polish Tax Authority) will only pay refunds into Polish bank accounts. Opening a Polish bank account as a foreign entity has become increasingly difficult and expensive (it often involves multiple trips to Poland). There's no guarantee that a bank will approve your application.
To add to this, requesting a refund will likely trigger an audit. KAS will want to see your previous VAT returns and compare them to supporting documents like invoices to ensure you're paying the correct amount of VAT before granting the refund. Audits are time-intensive, so if you'd like help we're happy to do so for an extra charge.