Step 3 Your days in Seoul

Tax refund: the rules

Shop at a store with a Tax Free sign, show your passport, and get part of the tax back. Here are the numbers.

Do this first

Carry your passport when you shop

The shop needs your actual passport for the refund. A photo of it isn't the same.

The basic rules

Minimum	₩15,000 or more per purchase, at a Tax Free shop
Who	Foreign visitors staying in Korea up to 6 months
Deadline	Take the goods out of Korea within 3 months of buying them

Refund right in the shop

Many Tax Free shops take the tax off at the till, so you don't need to queue at the airport.

Each purchase under ₩1,000,000
₩5,000,000 or less in total for one trip

Refund at Incheon Airport

Bring your passport, the goods (unopened and unused) and the receipts and refund papers. Keep them until you leave.

Terminal 1: kiosk open 24 hours near Gate 28 (3rd floor, duty-free area). Staffed desk 07:00–22:00.
Terminal 2: kiosk open 24 hours near Gate 253. Staffed desk 07:00–21:30.
Concourse: kiosk open 24 hours near Gate 115.

If the kiosk flags your items, show them with your passport at the customs desk.

Ended

No more VAT refund on cosmetic surgery

The VAT refund for foreigners on cosmetic and beauty procedures covered treatment received by December 31, 2025. As of 2026-10-23 we found no official page saying it is back. Some older pages still describe it, and some still give a ₩30,000 minimum. Both are out of date.

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Sources

Official pages, checked 2026-10-23.