My IVA refund

I completed my tax refund from the Spanish government for that camera I bought in Barcelona a couple weeks ago. They made it as difficult as possible so that you really have to want it to get it. My purchase was rather small, and so I will only get $20 from it, but here's what I had to do:

I checked in and received my boarding pass. I asked the lady where I should go for my tax refund. She told me at the arrivals area of terminal A. I was at terminal B. So I walked a half km. I found the arrivals for terminal A but I couldn't find a tax refund booth like she had directed me. I found an information booth though.

I asked the person at the booth where the tax refund booth was, she told me on the other side of the arrivals door there is a small white window that says tax refund on it. I said thank you and walked around to the other side. There was a tax refund window, but this window was a rectangle about 50cm high and 30cm wide, and the sign was very hard to see. I could see why I had missed it the first time.

Why did they put a tax refund service that you would use at the arrivals and not the departures area? Who knows?! Seriously. I sure don't get it. Interesting logic for sure.

I wait in line for 5 minutes, then show the man the receipt I had gotten from El Corte Ingles, the store I bought the camera from. This was also a special receipt by the way. I stood in line at the store with my passport the day after I bought the camera to get this one.

The man asks for my passport and my boarding pass to prove that I'm really leaving the EU. He then stamps the paper and then give it back with no further direction. I asked him what I should do next and he tells me to go to the bank that is on the other side of the arrivals door.

I walk over to that side again. There are several people in line. I wait 10 min and the lady tells me that I need to fold up the stamped receipt, place it into a stamp free envelope and then drop it off at the post office drop off box at the other end of the building. It took me 5 minutes to find the little tiny mailbox in the corner area of the building.

It's a good thing I came to the airport early to do this. I actually did that to lounge in the lounge while waiting for my flight, even though that idea didn't work out. What a pain in the butt but I got some exercise out of it.