Shopping in Korea · Tourist Tax Refund
Last updated: September 19, 2026 · Official refund limits and Incheon Airport procedures rechecked
Incheon International Airport · Photo: Sgroey / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Read the receipt before you leave the store. Your purchase should already tell you which refund path you are on.
→ Immediate Tax Refund
Paid the full price and received a refund receipt or voucher?
→ Refund later through the applicable operator / downtown / departure route
No refund record, voucher or participating-store process?
→ Do not assume the airport can turn the purchase into a tourist-refund transaction later
1. Eligibility and Current Limits
Current VISITKOREA guidance requires a purchase of at least KRW 15,000 per receipt. Eligible visitors generally include non-residents who do not earn income in Korea.
Goods must leave Korea under the applicable export conditions. Opened or used items are listed as ineligible for the tourist refund.
Visitors staying six months or more, people employed in Korea and several other categories fall outside the normal tourist-refund rules.
VISITKOREA — Comprehensive Tax Refund Guide →
2. Immediate Tax Refund
At a participating store, eligible tax can be deducted before you pay.
Single payment: KRW 15,000 or more and under KRW 1,000,000
Total immediate-refund purchases during the trip: KRW 5,000,000 or less
Passport verification is part of the process. Check the final receipt to confirm that the tax was actually deducted.
3. Refund After Paying the Full Price
VISITKOREA currently calls the broader later-refund route the General Tax Refund System. You pay the tax-inclusive price first and receive the eligible refund afterward.
Current routes include downtown, airport, mailbox and mobile processing.
For downtown refund counters, the current official limit is KRW 6,000,000 or less per receipt. Passport, refund voucher and an international credit card may be required.
Receiving money downtown does not necessarily finish the export-confirmation requirement. Keep the goods and documents until the departure process is complete.
4. Checked Baggage: Complete the Customs Sequence First
If refund-eligible goods are inside a suitcase you plan to check, follow the current Incheon Airport sequence.
2. Have the baggage tagged for customs inspection and receive it back temporarily.
3. Process the refund record at the departure-hall tax-refund kiosk.
4. If the kiosk requests Customs inspection, present your passport, the unopened/unused goods and the purchase confirmation.
5. After Customs clearance, place the baggage on the large-baggage conveyor next to the customs desk.
This is the part worth checking before the suitcase disappears into the normal baggage system.
Incheon Airport — current tax-refund procedure →
5. Carry-On Goods and Airport Kiosks
For goods staying with you, complete airline check-in and use the kiosk with the required passport and refund record.
Read the kiosk result. If Customs inspection is requested, take the actual goods and documents to the indicated customs area.
Incheon Airport currently lists 24-hour automated tax-refund kiosks in both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Staffed refund desks have separate operating hours.
6. Refund Amount and Documents
A 10% VAT rate does not mean that exactly 10% of the receipt will always arrive back in your account. The eligible tax amount, refund operator, method and fees can affect the final amount.
Refund receipt / voucher
Related purchase receipt
Any purchase confirmation or export document required for your route
If you are deciding whether to use this system or shop through duty free instead: Duty Free vs Tax Refund in Korea: Final Price, Pickup & Airport Steps →
BLACKPINK — “Pink Venom”
A Normal Day Around Seoul
Factual checks: VISITKOREA and Incheon International Airport. Refund limits, participating stores, kiosk locations and staffed hours can change.