Refund flow
Immediate refund at the register in South Korea 2026
Roughly 5-8% of the receipt total, deducted at the register.
Show your passport at checkout. The refund deducts from your total instantly.
Immediate (in-store) refund is the simplest tax-refund flow in Korea. You shop at a store with the "Tax Free" decal at the entrance, hand over your passport at the register along with your card, and the cashier deducts the refund from your total before charging you. No paperwork to keep, no airport kiosk to find, no customs counter to clear. You walk out paying the post-refund price.
This works for any single transaction under ₩1,000,000, with a cumulative cap of ₩5,000,000 across your stay (Korea National Tax Service rule, in force 2024-2026). Above either threshold, the receipt gets routed to the airport-refund flow instead. The minimum per-receipt for any refund (instant or airport) is ₩15,000. Below that, the receipt is not eligible.
Almost every visitor-relevant retailer participates: Olive Young, GS25, CU, 7-Eleven, Daiso, ABC-Mart, Sephora Korea, Lotte / Shinsegae / Hyundai department-store cosmetics floors, and most brand flagships (Sulwhasoo Bukchon, Tamburins, Hince, Beauty of Joseon flagship). The decal at the entrance reads "TAX FREE" with the operator's logo (Global Tax Free or Cube Refund). If a store has the decal, ask at checkout; cashiers are used to the request.
Step by step
- Look for the "TAX FREE" decal at the store entrance before paying.
- Bring your passport to the register with your card.
- Tell the cashier "tax refund" or hand them the passport.
- Cashier scans the passport, applies the refund, charges you the post-refund total.
- Receipt shows both pre-refund + refunded amount for your records.
Eligibility
- Single receipt ₩15,000 to ₩1,000,000.
- Cumulative stay-total under ₩5,000,000.
- Visitor on a short-term visa (B-1, B-2, C-3, B-2-1, etc.) - stays up to 6 months.
- Not eligible: Korean residents, students with D-2 / D-4, ARC holders, crew.
What to bring
- Physical passport (not a photo; not a digital copy).
- Card or cash for the (now reduced) total.
Watch out for
- Single receipts ₩1,000,000+ route to airport refund automatically; you still pay full at the register and claim at the airport.
- The cumulative ₩5,000,000 cap resets between trips, not within a trip.
- Some smaller stores have the decal but the staff is unfamiliar - ask before assuming.
- Refund rate varies by operator (Global Tax Free vs Cube Refund) within the 5-8% net band.
When to use this flow
Default flow for every receipt under ₩1,000,000. The vast majority of K-beauty, fashion, and convenience-store purchases on a tourist trip fall under this cap.
Refund value
Roughly 5-8% of the receipt total, deducted at the register. Net rate varies by operator and the receipt's bracket within the National Tax Service schedule.
The other 2 flows
Sources
Last verified 2026-05-24.
