Taiwan Tourist Tax Refund: Requirements & How To Claim

Taiwan offers tourists and visitors a 5% VAT refund on goods over NT$2,000. But they’ll charge you a 14% handling fee. Read this guide to learn how to claim your refund.

As someone whose been in Taiwan for over 4 years, I want to help travelers and digital nomads get the most out of their trip. Part of that starts with getting a small reimbursement on certain items.

Throughout this guide, I’ll cover the following information about Taiwan’s tourist tax refund:

Let’s dive in.

What Is Taiwan’s Tourist Tax Refund?

Any tourist staying in Taiwan for under 183 days can claim a 5% value-added tax (VAT) refund on large-ticket items. So long as they cost more than NT$2,000 ($62.75).

Goods bought from Shin Kong Mitsukoshi must be more than NT$3,000 ($95).

You’ll also have to pay a 14% handling fee [1].

I don’t want to risk presenting the wrong information. So here’s a screenshot of how Taiwan calculates its tax refund:

Tax rate formula.

And you can’t claim accommodation bookings or meals under the tax refund. Unfortunate.

To get this refund, you’ll need to meet requirements and claim your refund at certain places. I’ll emphasize further in a second.

Taiwan VAT Refund Requirements

Documents you’ll need for Taiwan’s tourist tax refund include:

  • Travel documents: plane tickets, etc.
  • Entry stamp: for those who entered without a visa
  • Passport of your home country
  • Visa: if that’s how you entered Taiwan

Let’s cover eligibility.

Taiwan VAT Eligibility Requirements

To participate in the Republic of China’s (Taiwan) VAT refund, you’ll need to meet these requirements:

  • Stay in Taiwan for no more than 183 days in total
  • Purchases of at least NT$2,000 ($62.75)
  • Buy from stores with the ‘Taiwan Tax Refund’ label
  • You must claim refund from shops within 90 days of your purchase

Goods that aren’t refundable under Taiwan’s VAT refund system include:

  • Duty-free items
  • Hotel stays
  • Restaurant bills
  • Things that go against the rules of items you can have in your airplane cabin
  • Items that can’t go on ships or planes

Some items that you can’t bring on ships and planes include [2]:

FlammablesAerosolsCorrosives
Magnetic materialsToxic substancesExplosives
Briefcases w/ alarmsOxidizersRadioactive substances
Items you can’t claim a VAT refund on in Taiwan.

Claiming refunds anywhere other than ports will induce limits. Check them out before going on a spending spree.

Taiwan VAT Refund Limits

If you’re claiming your refund anywhere else than an airport, you’ll encounter the following refund limits:

  • Single store: purchases must fall under NT$48,000 ($1,506)
  • Multiple visits: purchases must fall under NT$240,000 ($7,530)
  • Single shopping center visit: purchases must fall under NT$120,000 ($3,765)

You’ll also have a NT$48,000 limit if you claim a refund at the Taipei Main Station Airport MRT service counter.

Purchases exceeding these limits will require you to use an E-VAT refund or VAT service centers at ports.

Speaking of Taipei Main Station, here’s what you’ll look for to find the refund counter and E-VAT machine there:

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How Do I Claim My Taiwan Tourist Tax Refund?

Here’s how to claim your Taiwan VAT refund at a store:

  1. Ask the store clerk for the Tax Refund Claim Form
  2. Present your passport

To deal with your tax refund at the airport, you’ll need to follow these steps:

  1. Before checking in your luggage, visit an E-VAT Refund Machine or a VAT Refund Service Counter
  2. Present the following to the staff or machine:
    1. Purchased goods
    2. Tax Refund Form
    3. * The receipt (or digital invoice) for your goods
    4. Personal and travel documents: passport, visa, etc
  3. Choose a way to receive your reimbursement: check, credit card, cash, or debit card
  4. Obtain the Tax Refund Assessment Certificate for Eligible Goods Purchased by Foreign Travelers
  5. Get on your flight and go home

* If you use an e-invoice app, the shop assistant will have scanned your phone and sent the receipt to the cloud. You must open the receipt app and show them the cloud receipt.

If the VAT Refund Service Counter isn’t open, you’ll need to find an E-VAT Refund Machine. I’ll cover ports and airports you can find these machines later.

You’ll need to visit a Cash Counter if you receive your refund as cash. You’ll receive New Taiwan Dollars (NT$). So you’ll need to visit a currency exchange counter to get your home’s currency.

Want to visit Taiwan in the future? You may want to consider saving this cash for later.

Getting the refund as a check will require the staff to mail the check to your home.

Receiving a refund through a bank or credit card doesn’t require you to travel anywhere.

Here’s a video to “help” illustrate my point:

Where To Find Stores Authorized for the Tax Refund System in Taiwan

Some retail stores you can claim VAT refunds include the Taipei 101 mall, Xinyi Shopping District, and Shin Kong Mitsukoshi.

Psst. Here’s a guide I wrote on Taipei 101.

The list of supported stores would require me to write a novel. Taiwan’s tax refund website lists every authorized store. You can filter supported shops by:

  • Category of items: e.g., clothing
  • City
  • Keyword: type a store’s name
  • Nearby stores: uses your device’s location to find nearby stores

Upon finding a store in the search area, you’ll find the store’s name, address, phone number, and operating hours.

Each store or department store will have VAT claim counters in varying spots. Check out each mall’s map and find the counter.

Once you claim your tax-free form from the shop, you’ll need to present it when leaving a port or airport. The following section will show supported ports.

You 99.99% likely can’t claim tourist tax refunds from mom-and-pop shops selling souvenirs. But if you’re looking for gifts to buy for people back home, I recommend checking out a guide I wrote.

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Where To Claim Taiwan VAT Tax Refunds

The following sections will cover establishments and businesses where you can immediately claim your tax refund.

Shopping Centers

The following shopping centers in Taipei City will allow you to immediately claim your VAT refund:

  • Taipei 101 mall: 1st floor service counter
  • Shin Kong Mitsukoshi in Xinyi Shopping District: floor B1
  • Shin Kong Mitsukoshi (Nanxi Store): 6th floor

Let’s go over ports and airports where you can claim your refund.

International Airports

Here’s where to find the VAT refund counters at various airports:

Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 1:

Where to find VAT refund counters at Taoyuan International Airport.

For some reason, the map’s in Chinese. But here’s a link to Taoyuan Airport’s map in case they update it.

Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 2:

taoyuan international airport tax refund counter location
Where to find VAT refund counters at Taoyuan International Airport.

Songshan Airport:

Where to find tax refund counter songshan airport
Where to find VAT refund counters at Songshan International Airport.

The VAT refund counter is the only text that’s in Chinese. Here’s the page where I sourced this image.

Kaohsiung International Airport (3rd floor):

where to find tax refund counter at kaohsiung international airport
Where to find VAT refund counters at Kaohsiung International Airport.

Here’s the official Kaohsiung airport map.

When claiming your refund at a port, ensure you arrive at the airport an hour early. Because you will have to likely wait in line to speak to the service assistant or to use the machine.

Then there are troubleshooting potential issues. Providing your information. Traveling to areas to claim cash refunds. And other factors.

Ship Ports With E-VAT Refund Kiosks

Here are airports and ship ports throughout Taiwan where you can find E-VAT kiosk machines:

AirportLocation
Taipei Songshan AirportTerminal 1, Floor 1
Taoyuan International Airport (Terminal 1)1st floor, departure hall
Taoyuan International Airport (Terminal 2)2nd floor, Gift Boulevard (By Customs)
Taipei Main StationNext to the in-town check-in counter at Level B1
Taichung International Airport1st floor beside customs
Chiayi Airport1st floor beside service counter
Tainan Airport1st floor by customs
Kaohsiung International Airport3rd floor departure hall
Hualien Airport2nd floor
Taitung Airport1st floor by the restroom
Magong Airport (Penghu)1st floor by the FAT counter
Airports in Taiwan with E-VAT refund machines.

Ship ports with E-VAT refund kiosks include:

PortLocation
Port of Shuitou2nd floor in the tourist service center
Port of Magong2nd floor in the tourist service center
Suao PortNot specified
Port of HualienInside tourist center
Port of KaohsiungBy tourist center
Port of An-PingBy tourist center
Port of TaichungDock or 1st floor by tourist center
Port of Taipei1st floor by passenger waiting area
Keelung Harbor Terminal2nd floor seating area
Ship ports in Taiwan with E-VAT refund machines.

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Conclusion

So long as you meet the requirements to get a VAT refund, you can receive a bit of money back from pricey purchases you make at certain stores in Taiwan.

The process to claim your refund isn’t difficult, either. Buy your item, grab the form, don’t open it, and claim your refund.

If you’re traveling to Taiwan or plan on staying there a while, check out my other Taiwan travel and digital nomad guides.

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person standing on top of Taipei 101 tower in Taiwan City, Taiwan

About Theo

Theodore began first experienced the wonders of traveling when visiting Vietnam. Afterward, he went crazy and ventured to at least… More about Theo