Tax refund in Korearules, calculator and airport counters

Show your passport at a Tax Free shop and you get part of the VAT back. Here's who qualifies, roughly how much you'll get, and how to claim it in store or at the airport.

Refund calculator

Amount on one receipt (₩, VAT included)

Korean VAT is 10%, so the VAT inside a price is 1/11 of it. What you actually get back is that minus the refund operator's fee. The estimate below uses the refund table published by CubeRefund; other operators' amounts differ slightly. Each receipt is calculated separately.

Who can claim

Foreign visitors staying in Korea for less than 6 months (also Korean nationals who have lived abroad 2+ years and are in Korea 3 months or less)
Spend at least ₩15,000 per receipt at a shop showing a Tax Free sign
Take the goods out of Korea within 3 months of purchase — new, unopened and unused
Bring your actual passport — you need to show it when you pay

How to get your refund

Instantly in storeAt shops offering instant refund, show your passport at the till and you pay the price minus the tax. It works for purchases of ₩15,000 up to under ₩1,000,000 each, up to ₩5,000,000 in total per trip. Above that, claim at the airport.
At the airport when you leaveKeep the refund receipts the shop gives you and scan your passport at a tax refund kiosk at the airport. If the kiosk asks for an inspection, show your passport, the unopened goods and the receipts at the customs desk. If the goods go in checked luggage, tell the airline at check-in and get the kiosk/customs check done before your bag goes on the belt. Collect the money at a refund counter or kiosk in the duty-free area after security.
In advance at a downtown refund counterDowntown refund counters (e.g. in Myeongdong) pay out in advance for receipts of ₩15,000 to ₩6,000,000. You leave a credit-card hold of 110% of the refund, and you still must get the customs check at the airport within 3 months — otherwise the hold is charged.

Airport refund counters & kiosks

Incheon Airport Terminal 13F, duty-free area after security: refund counter near Gate 28 (07:00–22:00). 24-hour kiosks near Gate 28 and in the Concourse near Gate 115.
Incheon Airport Terminal 23F duty-free area near Gate 253 (opposite Gate 250): refund counter (07:00–21:30) and kiosks.
Gimpo Airport (international)3F near Gate 36: refund counter (06:30–20:00), 24-hour kiosk. (per Korea Tourism Organization)

For goods going in checked luggage, follow the signs in the check-in area or ask airline staff where the customs/kiosk point is. Counter locations and hours can change.

Refund operators (official sites)

The operator is printed on your refund receipt — use its site to track or ask about your refund.

Sources

Checked: 2026-10-01 · Amounts, limits and locations can change — double-check the official pages before you fly.