Yes, you can request VAT refund from Italy yourself. The Dutch Tax Authority's portal is open to every Dutch entrepreneur who meets the conditions of Directive 2008/9, and there is no legal obligation to engage a third party for this. You enter the data yourself, attach the receipts, and the Dutch Tax Authority forwards the request to the Italian tax authority.
Whether it is wise to do so depends on how much needs to be processed and how often. With a single invoice from a trade fair or a few hotel stays per year, self-submission is straightforward. With regular business activity in Italy, multiple expense categories and repeated submissions per year, the assessment shifts: not because it would not be possible, but because the time it takes then outweighs the amount that comes back.
What doing it yourself involves in practice
Submitting yourself means that for each request you select the correct expense category, verify whether Italy allows that category for refund, add up the amounts to exceed the applicable threshold, and attach the underlying invoices as readable documents. This is not a complicated task in itself, but it is one that requires precision: an incorrectly assigned expense category or an illegible scan is often the reason a request comes back with a request for clarification instead of being processed immediately.
The Italian tax authority also communicates in Italian, even when a request for additional information is made. Anyone unfamiliar with this loses time translating and correctly interpreting exactly what is being asked — and that time counts towards the window in which you must respond.
Where self-submission becomes complicated
The line between manageable and time-consuming usually does not lie at the first request, but in what happens afterwards. Some Italian requests receive a request for additional substantiation, and then it is up to you to respond within the set deadline with the right documents, in the right format. If that response is not provided, the request lapses for that part — even if the right to refund was substantively justified.
Additionally, what Italy does and does not allow varies by expense category, and those rules sometimes change. If you submit only once a year, you risk working with an assumption that has since become outdated. On the detailed situation per country this is worked out for each refund country, with the date it was checked.
When self-submission is sufficient
With occasional business activity in Italy — a single trade fair, a short trip — the chance that you encounter a request for clarification is smaller, simply because there are fewer items that could deviate. In that situation, the time self-submission takes usually weighs against what can be recovered.
When outsourcing yields more than it costs
As soon as there are multiple trips per year, different expense categories mixed together, or Italy alongside other countries, the calculation changes. Each country has its own threshold and its own rules about what is deductible, and it is the adding up and repeating that takes time — not the first form. An indication of what to expect for your situation you receive without obligation via the calculator that gives you an estimate in just a few questions.
If you choose to outsource this, you pay no subscription for it but a percentage of what is actually granted — never upfront, and never if nothing comes in. How that fee is structured is shown on the page with the rates.
Start yourself or have it investigated first
There is no obligation to have this handled by a third party, and the portal remains accessible for those who wish to try it themselves. For those wondering whether the time investment is worth the amount, the answer can usually be found by first checking how many items accumulate per year and how often Italy requests additional clarification — information that can be found per cost category in frequently asked questions on this subject.
Would you first like to know whether it is worth considering for your business, without any obligation? The quick scan and the knowledge base are free and can be consulted without an account.