VAT refunds for tourists: how much you actually get back

A tourist VAT refund gives back the tax built into the price of goods you take home, minus the refund operator’s cut. The most you can recover is the rate divided by one plus the rate: about 16% of the price in Germany, 4.8% in the UAE and nothing at all in the UK, which scrapped tourist refunds in 2021. On Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro, the tax inside the price ranges from about $66 in the United Arab Emirates to $258 in Germany among countries with a tourist refund.

How a tourist tax refund works

The details vary, but almost every scheme follows the same four steps:

1. Buy from a participating shop and ask for the tax-refund paperwork, now usually a digital record linked to your passport. Many schemes have a minimum spend per shop.
2. Keep the goods unused and with you. The refund exists because the goods are being exported, so you must carry them out of the country, normally within a set period.
3. Get the export confirmed at the airport or border, by a customs officer or a self-service kiosk, before you check the item in.
4. Collect the money in cash, to a card, or later by bank transfer. This is where a private refund operator, if one is involved, takes its fee.

Country by country

• European Union. Visitors who live outside the EU can reclaim VAT on goods taken out of the EU, with the export stamped at the last EU exit point. Standard rates run from the high teens to the high twenties depending on the country; Germany charges 19% and requires a minimum purchase of just over €50. Refunds go through the shop or an operator such as Global Blue or Planet.
• United Kingdom. Great Britain ended the VAT Retail Export Scheme on 1 January 2021. The 20% VAT stays in the price for tourists, unless the shop ships the goods abroad for you.
• United Arab Emirates. VAT is 5%. Tourists can reclaim it on purchases from participating shops through Planet’s digital system, validated at departure. Because the rate is low, the refund is small, and the operator’s fee takes a bigger share of it.
• Saudi Arabia. VAT is 15%. It has not historically been a tourist-refund destination, so we do not count a refund here. Check before you travel rather than assuming one.
• Singapore. GST is 9%. Visitors claim through the electronic Tourist Refund Scheme (eTRS) at the airport, with a minimum spend per shop of S$100.
• Japan. The 10% consumption tax is removed at the till at participating shops, with a switch to a refund model scheduled for November 2026. Our tax-free shopping in Japan guide has the details.
• Thailand. VAT is 7%. The VAT Refund for Tourists scheme pays out at international airports for purchases at shops displaying the sign, above a minimum spend.
• Australia. GST is 10%. The government-run Tourist Refund Scheme refunds it on purchases of A$300 or more from a single business, bought within 60 days of departure.

Four of the countries we track are left out of the refund table. Hong Kong has no sales tax, so there is nothing to reclaim. Apple’s US and Canadian prices are shown before sales tax, and neither country has a national refund of it for visitors. India is also excluded: its GST law allows for tourist refunds, but there is no widely used airport refund scheme.

What the refund is worth on an iPhone

Using Apple’s own iPhone 18 Pro prices, retrieved October 13, 2026, this is the tax inside the price and what the phone would cost if every cent came back.

The UK shows how much the 2021 change cost visitors: $264 of VAT on this phone that a tourist can no longer claim back. In Saudi Arabia, $198 of the price is VAT, but we treat it as non-refundable. Germany gains the most from a refund: #11 of 11 at the sticker price (counting the US, Canada and Hong Kong), #8 with a full refund.

Why you never get the full amount

The “if fully refunded” column is a ceiling. In practice the payout is lower, for reasons that are easy to underestimate:

• Operator fees. Private refund companies are paid out of your refund, through a percentage, a flat fee per receipt, or both. On a low-rate tax like the UAE’s ($66 on this phone) a fixed fee can take a noticeable slice; on a 19% EU VAT the percentage cut matters more. Government-run schemes such as Australia’s TRS do not take a commission.
• Exchange rates. Refunds paid in cash at the airport, or converted back to your card’s currency, often come at a poor rate.
• Missed steps. No customs stamp, a checked bag with the goods inside, or a missed deadline means no refund at all.
• Tax at home. Bringing an expensive item home can trigger import VAT and duty in your own country if it exceeds the duty-free allowance.

Even a full refund doesn't beat the cheapest untaxed storefront. Comparing refunded prices with untaxed ones, the United States is cheapest at $1,199 (before sales tax), and the cheapest refunded price is in Japan at $1,260. For the complete ranking without refunds, see our cheapest country to buy an iPhone guide and the iPhone 18 Pro price page. If Dubai is on your route, our iPhone price in Dubai guide works through the UAE numbers in more detail.