15,000 Won Per Receipt — How Foreign Tourists Get Korea's VAT Refund

At a cosmetics shop in Myeongdong, a foreign tourist finishes paying, holds up the receipt, and asks the clerk if she can get a "tax refund." The clerk nods and asks for her passport. To get Korea's value-added tax back as a tourist, you need to get the conditions right starting at the register.

At a glance: minimum purchase for a refund is 15,000 won per receipt · instant refund requires each transaction to be 1 million won or less and total purchases of 5 million won or less · passport required · use the refund kiosk at the airport departure hall or a downtown refund booth.

To get a tax refund in Korea, a single receipt must total at least 15,000 won. Fall short of that threshold and the purchase doesn't qualify for a refund no matter how many items you bought — so it's worth adding up your total before you pay.

An "instant refund," paid back right at the store, is available when a single transaction is 1 million won or less and your total purchases for the trip don't exceed 5 million won. Go over that and you'll need to go through the refund process separately at the airport instead. Either way, you must bring your passport, and only foreign tourists staying less than six months qualify.

On departure day, leave yourself extra time before check-in. At the airport you may be asked to show customs the goods you bought, and in some cases you'll need to declare them before checking them in as luggage. Refund kiosks and counters can develop long lines when the departure hall gets busy, so it's safer to arrive with room to spare.

One easy-to-miss condition: the goods must be new and unopened. Use a tax-free item before you leave and customs can reject the refund at the check.

Kiosks inside the departure hall often process everything automatically once they scan your passport and receipts, so keeping your receipts in purchase order can get you through in a few minutes without a counter line. Lose even one receipt and that purchase drops out of the refund — keep them separate from your shopping bags.