China tax refund at airports and ports
Before leaving for the airport or port, confirm that it supports departure tax refunds and check the terminal-specific order. Keep the unused goods, valid identity document, refund application information and invoice information available. Follow any Customs verification instruction before making the goods inaccessible, then use the authorized refund agency identified by the port. Do not assume every terminal has the same layout.
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Quick answer
Before leaving for the airport or port, confirm that it supports departure tax refunds and check the terminal-specific order. Keep the unused goods, valid identity document, refund application information and invoice information available. Follow any Customs verification instruction before making the goods inaccessible, then use the authorized refund agency identified by the port. Do not assume every terminal has the same layout.
Who this guide is for
- This applies to
- An overseas visitor who already purchased qualifying goods from a participating store and is preparing to depart from a supported air, land or water port.
- This does not apply to
- A live port map, a guarantee that a counter is open, or a decision that incomplete goods or records will be accepted.
- Supported port
- A publicly open departure port in a participating region with an authorized refund agency. The exact terminal and service arrangement still need current confirmation.
Choose the departure path in 30 seconds
Start with the item that can become inaccessible first.
The goods will be checked baggage
Find the current Customs inspection location and order before checking the bag so the goods remain available if requested.
The goods remain in carry-on
Keep them together with the identity document and refund records, then follow the port's Customs and security sequence.
I used refund-upon-purchase
In addition to the standard records, keep the agreement and follow the process needed to release the pre-authorization.
Before leaving your accommodation
- Confirm that the airport, land port or water port currently supports departure tax refunds.
- Confirm the correct terminal and find the official Customs and refund-agency locations.
- Check whether the relevant steps occur before or after baggage check, security or immigration at this terminal.
- Keep the original valid identity document used for the purchase and entry record.
- Keep the unused or unconsumed goods accessible for possible inspection.
- Keep the electronic or paper refund application and sales invoice information available.
- If refund-upon-purchase was used, keep the agreement and pre-authorization record.
- Allow time for inspection, agency review and an official-channel fallback.
Airport or port workflow
Use current official port or tax authority information, not an old travel post, to confirm the service and terminal.
Do not check baggage or pass a control point that makes the goods unavailable until the port's current Customs instruction is clear.
Have the valid identity document, goods, refund application information and sales invoice information ready in the form provided by the store.
If the system or Customs requests physical verification, present the required goods and records. If it indicates no physical verification, continue according to the official instruction.
Follow that terminal's baggage, security and immigration sequence without assuming another airport's layout applies.
Present the required identity and verified electronic or paper records to the agency identified by the port.
Ask which supported refund method applies, or confirm the completion step for a refund-upon-purchase transaction.
Retain the agency record or reference and contact the responsible refund agency or card issuer if account processing needs follow-up.
Current paperless and inspection rules
Swipe or scroll sideways to compare all columns.
| Current rule from 1 July 2026 | What to prepare | What not to assume |
|---|---|---|
| Application and invoice information can flow electronically | Valid identity document, goods and access to the electronic records | That every store or terminal has an identical traveler-facing process |
| Goods valued below RMB 10,000 use proportional random physical inspection | Keep all goods available until the official result is clear | That a low-value application can skip Customs instructions |
| Goods valued at RMB 10,000 or more receive item-by-item physical inspection | Allow time and keep each item available | That the threshold is the refund amount |
| Paper records remain available on request | Request them at the store if useful as a fallback | That paper is always required or never useful |
In short:
Customs, baggage check, security, immigration and the refund agency can be located in different zones. Never tell a visitor to pass security first or to check the goods first without a current official instruction for that terminal. Confirm the sequence before the goods become inaccessible.
Use the port's official information desk, Customs or refund-agency channel before continuing through restricted controls. Missing goods, identity records, application information, invoices, time or port support may prevent completion. ChinaReady cannot waive a requirement or move the refund to another port. Cross-region information-system processing scheduled for 1 September 2026 is not current as of 22 July 2026.
Common mistakes
- Checking the goods before finding Customs If physical inspection is requested, the goods must still be available.
- Assuming paperless means document-free Keep the identity document, goods and access to electronic records; paper copies can remain a useful fallback.
- Treating RMB 10,000 as the refund amount The inspection threshold concerns the value of the tax-refund goods.
- Following another airport's map Counter location and control order are terminal-specific and can change.
- Arriving without time for the official process Inspection and agency review can require additional time, and no completion is guaranteed.
Fixed port inquiry
Copy this fixed message into the airport, port, Customs or refund agency's official channel.
Hello. Please confirm whether departure tax refunds are currently available at my departure terminal. Please tell me where Customs verification and the authorized refund agency are located, whether I must complete either step before baggage check or security, which electronic or paper records to prepare, and which refund methods are currently supported.
Fixed text only. Add identity, purchase or payment details only in the responsible Customs or refund-agency official channel. ChinaReady does not save, send or receive them.
Printable departure checklist
- Supported port and terminal confirmed
- Current Customs location confirmed
- Current refund-agency location confirmed
- Baggage, security and immigration order checked
- Valid identity document ready
- Goods unused and accessible
- Application and invoice information available
- Refund-upon-purchase agreement available if used
- Supported refund channel confirmed
- Official help fallback saved
Frequently asked questions
Should I check the goods before visiting Customs?
Do not assume so. Confirm the current terminal sequence before making the goods inaccessible, especially when they will be checked baggage.
Does paperless processing mean I need no records?
No. Keep the valid identity document, goods and access to the electronic application and invoice information. Paper materials remain available on request.
Will every application below RMB 10,000 skip inspection?
No. From 1 July 2026 those applications are subject to proportional random physical inspection, so the goods must remain available.
Can I move the refund to any other region if this port is unsupported?
Do not assume that. The national cross-region workflow is scheduled for 1 September 2026 and is not current as of 22 July 2026.
Official sources
Scope: Official English Q&A defining overseas visitors and departure ports and stating the additional own-credit-card, pre-authorization and designated-port conditions for refund-upon-purchase.
Limit: This concise Q&A does not list current participating stores, ports, counter locations, opening hours, supported cards or individual outcomes. Its use of 'tax-free store' must not be treated as proof that every duty-free or tax-free retailer participates in departure tax refunds.
Scope: Official-site news summary supporting the RMB 200 same-store same-day threshold, the RMB 20,000 cash-refund limit and the expansion of supported refund channels.
Limit: The article is a policy summary sourced to Xinhua, not the controlling administrative text. Exact eligibility and processing must be checked against the current STA rules, store, Customs and refund agency.
Scope: Controlling 2025 amendment and republished administrative measures supporting the overseas-visitor definition, valid-document definition, refund-store definition, RMB 200 threshold, 90-day condition, goods handling and RMB 20,000 cash-refund limit.
Limit: The amendment does not provide live store, port or counter availability and predates the 2026 paperless and inspection changes. Later effective measures must be applied where they change procedure.
Scope: Official English Q&A describing the store records, valid identity document, Customs verification and authorized refund-agency stages for the standard departure process.
Limit: The page predates the July 2026 paperless workflow and does not establish live terminal order, counter location, opening hours or supported payment channels. It must be read with the current paperless notice and port instructions.
Scope: Current bilingual official guide supporting the RMB 200 threshold, 90-day purchase-to-departure period, 183-day latest-entry limit, unused-goods condition, documents, Customs and agency roles, refund formula, RMB currency and cash or bank-transfer thresholds.
Limit: The guide is hosted by the Shanghai tax authority. Its national policy summary is used for the stated conditions, while its map, local merchant information and local counter details are Shanghai-specific and are not generalized to other regions or ports.
Scope: Official English Q&A supporting the VAT-inclusive invoice basis and the 11% and 8% refund rates used in the current calculation framework.
Limit: The page states that a refund-agency service fee is deducted but does not itself state the 2% fee. The 2% figure is therefore supported separately by the current bilingual official guide. This source does not calculate a visitor's final refund.
Scope: Official English overview of the 2026 upgrade, including the 1 July inspection and paperless changes and the nationwide 28-day promised departure period for refund-upon-purchase.
Limit: The overview describes policy measures at a high level and does not by itself establish that every store, port or cross-region agency connection is operational. The dated implementing notice controls the 1 September cross-region workflow.
Scope: Official English detail supporting proportional random physical inspection for tax-refund goods valued below RMB 10,000 and item-by-item inspection at RMB 10,000 or more from 1 July 2026.
Limit: The threshold concerns the value of tax-refund goods, not the refund amount. The page does not tell an individual visitor whether a specific application will be selected for inspection or provide live port procedures.
Scope: Official STA notice, hosted by the Zhejiang tax authority, supporting electronic transfer of application and invoice information, paper materials on request, current online verification handling and the cross-region refund-upon-purchase information-system workflow scheduled for 1 September 2026.
Limit: The paperless provisions are current, but the national cross-region workflow has an effective date of 1 September 2026 and is future as of this review. It also requires compliant handling and coordination between the relevant refund agencies; it does not promise universal store-to-port connectivity.
About this guide
ChinaReady editors prepared and reviewed this page against the sources above. Details can change; confirm current information with the responsible authority, venue or operator before you travel.