Departure Tax Refund Calculator

How it works: three steps

1. Shop and ask for the form. Buy at least ¥200 of goods at one tax-refund store on one day (look for the Tax Refund / 离境退税 sign). Show your passport and ask for the tax refund application form and the sales invoices - without the form, there is no refund. Keep the goods unused.
2. Get the customs stamp when you leave. At your departure airport, go to customs BEFORE checking in bags that contain the goods: present passport, form, invoices and the goods themselves for inspection and stamping. Purchases under ¥10,000 are exempt from random inspection under the 2026 "2.0" rules, but keep goods reachable regardless.
3. Collect the money. Take the stamped form to the refund desk after security. Cash refunds are capped at ¥20,000; larger amounts go by bank transfer. With an instant in-store refund you already hold the money - but you must still complete steps 2-3 at departure, leave within 28 days, or the pre-authorised hold on your card is charged back.

Good to know

• You must be a visitor from outside mainland China, in China for no more than 183 consecutive days, and your goods must leave with you within 90 days of purchase, unused.
• The refund rate is 11% for standard (13% VAT) goods; refund agencies deduct a handling fee of about 2% of the purchase price, so you net roughly 9%. Other VAT bands refund less.
• China now has more than 12,000 tax-refund stores and thousands of instant-refund points; refunds grew over 300% in 2025 after the minimum spend dropped from ¥500 to ¥200.
• Food you have eaten, services and anything consumed in China do not qualify - the goods must physically leave the country with you.

Policy as of the April 2025 optimisation and the July 2026 "2.0" update, as researched in November 2026. Estimates only - the refund agency's calculation is final.