Money back

Tax refunds for foreign visitors, plainly

How the departure tax refund works in 2026: the ¥200 threshold, refund-at-purchase, the 28-day window, and the three documents that decide whether you get anything.

Time: Read once, keep it open
Best: Before your first big purchase

Foreign visitors can claim back the VAT on goods they take out of China. The scheme was overhauled twice in two years and is now genuinely straightforward — but it is still a paperwork process, and the paperwork happens at the till.

Everything below is the process as it stands after the July 2026 changes. Confirm the current threshold at the counter before you rely on it.

The four things that matter

One, the shop must be a registered tax-refund shop. Around 14,000 now are, and they say so on the door. If it is not, nothing else applies.

Two, the minimum is ¥200 of goods from that shop, on that day. It was lowered from ¥500 in 2025, which is why small purchases now qualify at all.

Three, you need your passport at the counter. Not a photograph of it — the physical passport, because they read it.

Four, the goods have to leave the country with you, unused, and be available to show at the airport if you are selected for inspection.

Refund at purchase ("即买即退")

Many shops can process the refund in store: they take a card pre-authorisation, and you walk out with the money, on the condition that you complete the departure formalities.

The window was standardised to 28 days, and it is now recognised across cities — so you can buy in Shanghai and fly out of Beijing without the arrangement falling apart. This was the single biggest complaint before the change.

If the shop offers it, take it. The airport alternative means a queue.

At the airport

Allow extra time. Go to the refund desk before you check in if you have goods to show, because once a bag is on the belt it is gone.

Since July 2026, claims under ¥10,000 are randomly sampled rather than inspected one by one, so most travellers are not opened at all. Being selected is still possible — keep the purchases accessible and the receipts with them.

How much you actually get

The statutory rate is 11% of the invoice for most goods, with a lower rate on some categories, and the refund agency deducts a handling fee. In practice travellers report landing close to 9%.

Treat 9% as a working number and 11% as the ceiling. On a large purchase it is real money; on a ¥250 purchase it is roughly a coffee, so do not reorganise your day around it.

The three ways it fails

You bought from a shop that is not registered. You did not have your passport with you at the till. Or you checked the bag before the inspection.

All three are avoidable at the moment of purchase, and none of them can be fixed afterwards.

Verdict

It works, it is much easier than it was, and it fails for exactly one reason: paperwork not done at the counter, at the moment of purchase.

FAQ

Questions

Everything on this site is written and re-checked on the ground. When something changes, this page changes.

Do I need to spend a lot for it to be worth it?

The threshold is ¥200 per shop per day, so a single modest purchase qualifies. Whether it is worth your time at the airport is a separate judgement — under about ¥500 of total spend, most people skip it.

Can I claim from several shops on one form?

Each shop issues its own documentation. At departure they are processed together, which is why keeping the receipts in one envelope matters.

What if I am leaving from a different city than the one I shopped in?

That is exactly what the 2026 cross-city recognition fixed. Buy in Shanghai, depart from another port, and the refund still completes.

Does it apply to things I already used?

Goods should be unused and taken out with you. A worn jacket or an opened bottle is not a clean claim, and inspectors do look.

Where do I get the form?

At the counter, at the time of purchase. It is not issued afterwards and it is not issued by the airport. Ask for it before you pay.