Spanish VAT on Celebrity cruises.

[Scot at Sea]

I depart on a Celebrity cruise from Lisbon to Barcelona next week. The cruise calls at one non EU port Gibraltar. Will I have to pay the new Spanish VAT which seemingly will apply to cruise ships? I have A drinks package included in the price I've paid for the ten day cruise.

[steamboats]

You have to pay the Spanish VAT as long as you are in Spanish waters/ports (usually within the 3 miles zone) as Gibraltar is a non EU port (therefore you don´t have to pay it for the full cruise).

 

With a drinks package you shouldn´t pay any VAT on an ordered drink. If you do order a drink which is not included in the package and therefore you have to pay the difference, then you have to pay the VAT on the upcharge/difference.

 

steamboats

[hrhdhd]

Just a note: having to pay the VAT under certain conditions isn't new.

[WestLakeGirl]

Another thread here

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2966697-vat-tax-in-spanish-waters/#comment-66205014

[cruisestitch]

I’m confused because we are on a Rome to Barcelona cruise with a stop in Malta and I thought that solves the VAT issue but no

[ElmaLee]

46 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

I’m confused because we are on a Rome to Barcelona cruise with a stop in Malta and I thought that solves the VAT issue but no

Italy, Spain and Malta are all members of EU.

[cruisestitch]

29 minutes ago, ElmaLee said:

Italy, Spain and Malta are all members of EU.

I misunderstood.  I had been thinking Malta was not in EU yet. 

[Redrobo]

EU countries

The EU countries are:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

The European Economic Area (EEA)

The EEA includes EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. It allows them to be part of the EU’s single market.

Switzerland is not an EU or EEA member but is part of the single market. This means Swiss nationals have the same rights to live and work in the UK as other EEA nationals.

[steamboats]

5 hours ago, cruisestitch said:

I misunderstood.  I had been thinking Malta was not in EU yet. 

 

Malta is in the EU since May 1st, 2004 ;-).

 

steamboats

[hcat]

We were happy we had Gibraltar as a port.. too much work to keep track and get VAT back! I bet many  people just let it go!