The 30-second answer
Foreign tourists can get back most of the 10% VAT on goods bought at Tax Free stores when a single receipt is KRW 15,000 or more. Purchases under KRW 1,000,000 can be refunded on the spot at stores that offer it (up to KRW 5,000,000 per trip); everything else is refunded at the airport after Customs confirms you are taking the goods out. Keep the passport, purchase certificate or refund document, receipt, and the unopened, unused goods accessible. If the goods will be checked, tell airline staff during check-in and follow the airport's tagged-baggage Customs sequence.
The one mistake that costs people their refund: checking the shopping bag into the hold, then arriving at the customs desk unable to show the goods. Airport sequence matters more than any other detail on this page.
The two refund routes
| Immediate refund (in store) | Airport refund | |
|---|---|---|
| When you get the money | At the till — tax not charged | At departure, after customs/kiosk steps |
| Passport needed | Yes, physically at purchase | Yes |
| Paperwork to carry | Minimal — receipt | Refund slips + receipts + the goods |
| Purchase limits | Under KRW 1,000,000 per transaction; KRW 5,000,000 total per trip | KRW 15,000 per transaction minimum (tax included) |
| Where it applies | Stores offering immediate refund (common in chains like Olive Young, department stores) | Any Tax Free–signed store |
| Airport step | Confirm the receipt shows the completed treatment | Allow extra time; kiosk selection or Customs inspection can still apply to departure records |
If a store offers the immediate refund, take it — it moves the entire hassle from the airport to a passport scan at the till.
The numbers: minimum spend, immediate-refund caps, and what comes back
These figures come from the Korean regulation on VAT refunds for foreign tourists and its enforcement rule.
| Rule | Figure | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum purchase | KRW 15,000 per transaction, tax included | Ring small items up together on one receipt; two separate KRW 10,000 purchases do not qualify. |
| Immediate (in-store) refund, per transaction | Under KRW 1,000,000, tax included | A single purchase of KRW 1,000,000 or more goes through the airport route instead. |
| Immediate refund, whole trip | Up to KRW 5,000,000 total since arrival | Once your immediate-refund purchases add up to this, later purchases use the airport route. |
| Export deadline | Within 3 months of purchase | If immediate-refund goods are not taken out within 3 months, later purchases lose the immediate option. |
How much comes back? Korean VAT is 10% of the pre-tax price, so the VAT inside a tax-inclusive price is 1/11 of it. That is the ceiling, not the payout: the regulation lets the refund operator deduct fees approved by the National Tax Service, so the amount on your slip will be somewhat lower.
| Hypothetical purchase | VAT inside the price (ceiling) | Route |
|---|---|---|
| KRW 12,000 lip tint alone | about KRW 1,090 | Not eligible (under KRW 15,000) |
| KRW 100,000 of cosmetics on one receipt | about KRW 9,090 | Immediate refund if the store offers it |
| KRW 500,000 jacket | about KRW 45,450 | Immediate refund if the store offers it |
| KRW 1,200,000 watch | about KRW 109,090 | Airport route (over the per-transaction immediate cap) |
Shopping: what to do at the store
- Look for the Tax Free logo on the door or till (multiple refund operators exist — Global Blue, Global Tax Free, and others — the process is the same shape).
- Carry the original passport requested by the participating seller. A photo is not a reliable substitute, and the passport alone does not make an otherwise ineligible purchase refundable.
- Ask "Tax free, please" before paying. For immediate refunds, the discount applies on the spot and you are done.
- For airport refunds, the store issues a refund slip — keep it stapled to the receipt, and keep the goods accessible, not buried in gifts-wrapping.
- Consumables (cosmetics, food) intended for export are expected to leave the country unopened — sealed bags stay sealed until you are out of Korea.
At Incheon Airport: the official sequence
- Arrive with extra time and keep the passport, refund documents, receipts, and goods together.
- Goods carried into the cabin: check in and receive the boarding pass, but keep the goods with you. Use the departure-hall kiosk; if selected, present the passport, unopened and unused goods, and purchase confirmation at Customs.
- Goods going into checked baggage: tell airline staff during check-in that the bag contains tax-refund goods. Have the bag tagged, reclaim it for the kiosk and any required Customs inspection, then place the cleared bag on the large-baggage belt beside Customs.
- After the outbound confirmation, pass immigration and use the refund desk or automated kiosk assigned to the refund operator. Available payout methods and desk hours vary, so follow the document and current airport directory.
Incheon timing: where the refund desks are and when they close
After Customs confirmation and immigration, the refund itself is paid airside (the area past security and passport control). Incheon Airport lists these locations.
| Terminal | Staffed refund desk | Automated kiosk | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal 1 | 07:00–22:00 | 24 hours | Near Gate 28, 3rd floor, duty-free zone |
| Terminal 2 | 07:00–21:30 | 24 hours | Near Gate 253, across from Gate 250, 3rd floor, duty-free zone |
If your flight leaves late at night, the staffed desk may already be closed, so plan on the kiosk. It processes the approved refund when you scan your passport, and if the amount is large or you do not want cash, you can have it credited to your own credit card. The airport gives no fixed number of minutes to add; it only asks passengers to arrive with enough time for congestion. The step that actually costs time happens before security: the departure-hall kiosk, plus a Customs inspection if the kiosk selects you, and for checked bags, the extra trip back to the large-baggage belt next to the Customs desk.
When things go wrong
- You already surrendered the bag without the tax-refund tag/Customs sequence: ask the airline and Customs immediately whether retrieval or another verification route is still possible. Do not assume the refund can be completed without the goods.
- The kiosk rejects your passport scan: join the human-staffed customs line; machine-unreadable passports and name-mismatch slips get handled manually.
- You forgot the refund slip at the hotel: the receipt alone is usually not enough at the airport. Immediate-refund purchases are unaffected — another reason to prefer them.
- Your departure is not from Incheon: do not assume an identical facility or sequence. Check the departure airport or port and the refund operator before travel.
- The refund has not reached your card: use the operator and reference number printed on the refund document to request the current status; processing time depends on that operator and payment route.
Korean phrases to show
| Korean | Romanization | When to show it |
|---|---|---|
| 택스프리 되나요? | Taekseupeuri doenayo? | Do you do tax free? |
| 즉시 환급으로 해 주세요. | Jeuksi hwangeubeuro hae juseyo. | Immediate refund, please |
| 여권 여기 있어요. | Yeogwon yeogi isseoyo. | Here is my passport |
| 환급 창구가 어디예요? | Hwangeup changguga eodiyeyo? | Where is the refund counter? |
| 이 물건들 보여 드릴까요? | I mulgeondeul boyeo deurilkkayo? | Should I show you the goods? |
FAQ
Who qualifies for tourist tax refunds?
You must be a non-resident under Korea’s foreign-exchange rules. For a foreign national, that means you are not doing business or working in Korea and have been in the country for less than 6 months. Diplomats posted in Korea and UN or US forces personnel stationed here are excluded, and so are companies. Korean citizens who live abroad follow separate rules.
Do restaurant meals and hotel bills qualify?
Refunds are for goods you export, not services you consume in Korea. Meals, transport, and attraction tickets are out; hotel VAT has its own separate scheme with limited participating hotels — check the official page rather than assuming.
Can I claim refunds on online purchases delivered to my hotel?
Only if the seller participates in the tax-free scheme and issues proper refund documentation — uncommon for Korean domestic online shops. Treat tax refunds as an in-store benefit.
How is the refund paid out?
Immediate refunds: you simply pay less at the till. Airport refunds: cash in KRW on the spot, or to a credit card (slower, in your home currency). Cash is the certain option if your itinerary can absorb leftover won — or spend it airside.
Official sources
- National Tax Service (English): https://www.nts.go.kr/english/main.do (새 창 / opens in a new window)
- Korea Customs Service (English): https://www.customs.go.kr/english/main.do (새 창 / opens in a new window)
- Korea Customs Service — Tax Refund procedure: https://www.customs.go.kr/english/cm/cntnts/cntntsView.do?cntntsId=5504&mi=10803 (새 창 / opens in a new window)
- Incheon International Airport — Domestic Tax Refund Procedure: https://www.airport.kr/ap_en/1425/subview.do (새 창 / opens in a new window)
- Korea Tourism Organization — shopping/tax refund: https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/ (새 창 / opens in a new window)
Last verified: 2026-09-30. Thresholds and procedures are set by law and revised; the official pages above are the final word.