A Vietnamese tourist purchases shoes and receives an instant cash tax refund in Qingtian county, Lishui, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

What is the departure tax refund policy?

Since Dec 1, 2020, overseas visitors have been eligible for a departure tax refund when shopping in Zhejiang province. "Overseas visitors" refers to foreigners and compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan who have resided continuously in mainland China for no more than 183 days.

To qualify, the following conditions must be met:

The total value of tax-refundable goods purchased by the same overseas visitor at the same tax refund store on the same day must reach at least 200 yuan ($27.74).

The departure date must be within 90 days of the purchase date.

The tax-refundable goods must be unused and unconsumed.

The goods must be carried by the visitor or checked in as personal luggage upon departure.

What is the difference between departure tax refund and "refund-upon-purchase"?

A departure tax refund refers to the refund of value-added tax on eligible goods purchased by overseas visitors at designated tax refund stores, processed at the time of departure from a designated port.

The "refund-upon-purchase" service is a facilitation measure under this policy. It allows eligible visitors to receive an advance refund amount directly at the point of purchase, effectively shifting the refund process to the store.

To use the "refund-upon-purchase" service, the following additional requirements must be met:

The cash refund for eligible goods purchased by the same visitor on the same day at the same store must not exceed 20,000 yuan.

A pre-authorization must be placed on the visitor's personal credit card to freeze a deposit equal to the refund amount.

The visitor must commit to departing from one of the following designated ports within 25 days of the invoice date:

Hangzhou International Airport.

Ningbo Lishe International Airport.

Wenzhou Longwan International Airport.

Who are the designated tax refund agencies in Zhejiang?

China Zheshang Bank Co Ltd is the designated institution responsible for handling departure tax refund services and providing the "refund-upon-purchase" service to overseas visitors.

Currently, its services cover the departure ports of:

Hangzhou International Airport.

Ningbo Lishe International Airport.

Wenzhou Longwan International Airport.

Multiple refund methods are supported, including cash and Alipay.

A centralized refund counter has been set up at Hangzhou Tower for added convenience. Additional refund counters will be established as needed based on future business development.

As of June 2025, there were a total of 657 departure tax refund stores in Zhejiang, of which 259 offer the "refund-upon-purchase" service.