Q: I purchased tax-refundable goods in Shanghai during my recent trip.

While at Shanghai airport, I completed customs inspection and received the official customs stamp on my Tax Refund Application Form. However, due to the long queue at the tax refund counter and boarding time, I was unable to complete the final refund process before departure.

I would like to ask whether there is any post-departure, mail-in, or exceptional procedure available for processing my stamped tax refund documents.

A: Generally, no. According to the announcement issued by China's State Taxation Administration on expanding the "refund-upon-purchase" departure tax refund service for overseas travelers, departure tax refunds are processed when travelers leave China through a designated departure port.

This means travelers must complete the tax refund procedure at the tax refund counter before departing China.

If a traveler departs without applying for the refund at the designated counter, the case is generally considered a waiver.

Exceptions may apply in special circumstances, such as technical or system errors that prevented the refund from being processed after the traveler has already arrived at the refund counter.

Travelers are therefore advised to allow sufficient time at the airport or departure port to complete all tax refund formalities before departure.

For more info, please call the Shanghai 12366 Tax Service Hotline.

Source: Shanghai Municipal Tax Service