Korea Duty-Free Shopping Limit 2026: $800 Per Person, and What Happens If You Go Over

Bottom line: If your K-beauty haul in Korea adds up to more than $800 on your receipts, US citizens and permanent residents have to declare it to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on the way home. Stay in Korea more than 48 hours and carry the goods in with you, and the first $800 per person comes in duty-free.

If you didn't know: Packing your bags thinking "I kept all the receipts, so I'm fine" doesn't help once you're over $800 — duty is charged on the amount above that line regardless. Get caught without declaring and you risk a fine or having the goods seized, and once you use up the exemption, you can't use it again for 30 days. On the flip side, cosmetics you ship home separately don't count toward this $800 limit at all, so if you bought a lot, shipping it instead of carrying it is one legitimate way to avoid the tax.

This article summarizes official guidance and is not legal, medical, or financial advice.

Fill a basket with sheet masks, sunscreen, and tinted lip balm at an Olive Young in Myeongdong, and the receipts pile up fast. Every time a cashier asks "would you like the tax refund?", hang onto that slip — it makes adding everything up later far easier. The total has to include duty-free purchases, items from regular city stores, and even gifts you received, so the more shopping bags you accumulate, the more it pays to keep a running note or a dedicated envelope for receipts, rather than scrambling to add it all up at the airport.

Journey stage: Going home · Verified 2026-10-19 · Source US Code of Federal Regulations (19 CFR § 148.33)