Tax refunds for visitors: on the spot or at the airport

방문객 세금 환급: 매장 즉시 환급과 공항 환급

Reviewed 2026-10-04 · Written from the public sources listed below

Visitors staying in Korea for up to six months can get back the tax on goods from shops in the tax refund scheme. At shops with the immediate refund, the tax comes off at the till for a purchase of ₩15,000 or more and under ₩1,000,000, up to ₩5,000,000 per trip; otherwise you claim with a refund slip at a downtown counter or the airport. This follows the Korea Tourism Organization's refund guide (page dated Oct 2025).

Who qualifies

Foreign visitors staying in Korea for up to six months qualify. People working in Korea, diplomats and purchases made for a company do not. Bring your passport when you shop: the shop needs it.

The immediate refund at the shop

At shops that offer an immediate refund, the tax comes off at the till. It applies to a single purchase of ₩15,000 or more and under ₩1,000,000, up to ₩5,000,000 in total for your trip. The government doubled these limits from January 2024.

The steps: the shop checks your passport, you pay the price without the tax, and you pass customs when you leave Korea.

Other purchases: refund slips

For purchases outside the immediate refund, the shop gives you a refund slip. You can claim at a downtown refund counter with your passport, the slip and a credit card, and then confirm the export at customs when you depart. Or claim at the airport: show the goods, the slips and your passport at customs first, then go to a refund counter or kiosk.

The time limit

The goods have to leave Korea within three months of purchase. Keep them with you until customs has seen them.

What we show you

Where we have confirmed that a place takes part in the refund scheme, its details screen says so. Ask the staff before you pay if it matters to you.