On April 27, China's State Taxation Administration revised the Regulations on Departure Tax Refunds for Overseas Tourists, further introducing preferential policies for those applying for departure tax refunds.

An overseas tourist can apply for a departure tax refund if he/she has spent CNY 200 or more on tax-refundable goods at the same store on the same day, and meet other relevant requirements. The tourist concerned can choose to get the refund in cash or via bank transfer if the refund amount does not exceed CNY 20,000. There is no limit on the refund amount for bank transfers.

In addition, refund procedures have been simplified so that overseas tourists can benefit from the policies more conveniently. For example, the information system has been optimized, allowing the entire tax refund process to be handled digitally. When issuing tax refund application forms, stores can automatically extract the information of the receipts of the products concerned, to improve the efficiency in form issuance and verification, and shorten customers' waiting times.

Tax authorities will continue strengthening policy promotion and guidance, improve the dynamic map of tax refund stores for overseas tourists, and compile a guide on how to apply for departure tax refunds in several languages to better meet the needs of foreign nationals. These efforts are all aimed at further enhancing the consumption experiences for overseas travelers.

(Source: China Taxation News)