How to Get a Tax Refund in Korea (2026 Guide)
Who can claim a Korea tax refund, the 15,000 won minimum, and what to do at Incheon Airport. Figures are from VisitKorea's guide dated October 20, 2025.
This guide has no affiliate links. Facts that can change were checked on October 6, 2026. Use the official pages at the bottom again on the day you travel.
A tax refund gives eligible visitors back the value-added tax, and sometimes the individual consumption tax, on goods they buy in Korea and take home. It is not a discount on meals or hotel nights in an ordinary booking. VisitKorea’s tax refund guide, dated October 20, 2025, is the source for the figures below. Read it again before a big purchase. This page was checked against it on October 6, 2026.
Who qualifies
VisitKorea says you need to be a non-resident who does not earn income in Korea. The guide includes foreigners staying up to six months, and overseas Koreans who have lived abroad for at least two years and stay in Korea for three months or less. It excludes people staying six months or more, diplomats, US military personnel stationed in Korea, people employed in Korea, and purchases made in a company name or by an agent.
The goods have to be worth at least 15,000 won and leave the country within three months. They should be unused and unopened when customs looks at them. Clothing, shoes, bags, cosmetics, and similar goods are the examples VisitKorea gives. Cooked food and massage are examples of things that do not qualify.
Duty-free shops are a different system. The price there is already tax-free, and VisitKorea notes an $800 duty-free limit. Do not ask for a second refund on a duty-free receipt.
Two ways to get the money
Immediate refund. At a participating store, you show your passport and pay a price that already has the tax taken off. VisitKorea says this applies when one transaction is at least 15,000 won and under 1 million won, and your immediate-refund total for the trip is 5 million won or less. You still have to leave the country with the goods.
Refund later. You pay the full price, keep the refund voucher, and claim it downtown or at the airport. VisitKorea says a downtown refund needs the purchase to be at least 15,000 won and the single transaction to be 6 million won or less. You will be asked for your passport, the voucher, and a card.
At Incheon Airport
VisitKorea lists these desks. Hours change, so treat them as the hours published on that page, not a promise for your flight.
| Terminal | Customs check | Refund counter | Staffed hours on the guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal 1 | Near E and J counters, 3rd floor | Near gate 28, 3rd floor | 07:00–22:00, kiosk 24 hours |
| Terminal 2 | Near F and G counters, 3rd floor | Near gates 225, 249, and 274 | 07:30–21:30, kiosk 24 hours |
Show the goods, the voucher, and your passport. If your flight is outside the staffed window, use the unstaffed kiosk. Build this into the last day so you are not running for a gate with a sealed shopping bag you have not shown yet.