Korea Tax Refund Calculator 세금 환급
Korea refunds VAT to tourists, but the amount is smaller than the "10% tax" sign suggests and the rules decide whether you get it at the till or at the airport. Put in your receipt and see.
The rules in plain words
You qualify if you are a foreign visitor staying under six months (Korean nationals living abroad for two years or more also qualify) and you take the goods out of Korea within three months of buying them. Only shops with a Tax Free sign take part, which in practice means department stores, Olive Young, big fashion and electronics chains and most tourist-area shops.
Each receipt must be at least ₩15,000. For receipts up to ₩1,000,000 you can take the refund straight off the price at the till by showing your passport; the shop-level limit is ₩5,000,000 of instant refunds per person per trip. Above that, or at shops without instant refund, you keep the receipts and claim at the airport.
At the airport
Before check-in, if your refund goods are in checked luggage, go to the Customs desk with the goods, receipts and passport, then drop the bag. After security, the refund kiosks and counters (Global Tax Free, Global Blue, Easy Tax Refund and others) pay out in cash or to your card. Under ₩750,000 per receipt the kiosk usually skips the customs inspection. Give yourself thirty extra minutes; the queue is real in the evening.
Questions people ask
Why is my refund less than 10 percent?
VAT is 10 percent of the pre-tax price, which is 9.1 percent of what you paid. Refund companies then keep a handling fee that grows with the amount. Expect 5 to 8 percent back.
Does food or a hotel count?
No. Restaurants and hotels are not refundable. Cosmetics, clothes, electronics, souvenirs and packaged food from a Tax Free shop are.
Can I use the goods before I leave?
Officially they should be unused and sealed for airport claims. Instant refunds at the till are more relaxed in practice, but do not open a phone box you plan to claim at customs.
Rules last checked: September 2026 (Ministry of Economy and Finance, Korea Customs Service). Thresholds change; the refund kiosk has the final word.