The conditions

  • Participating shops: only those displaying the "VAT Refund for Tourists" sign qualify. The Siam malls have many; markets almost never do.
  • Threshold per shop: at least 2,000 baht, VAT included, in the same shop on the same day. On the Revenue Department's official site, each P.P.10 form must show 2,000 baht or more.
  • Total: several sources give a total of at least 5,000 baht for the trip. Confirm the threshold with the shop or the Revenue Department, as sources differ.
  • Deadline: the goods must leave Thailand within 60 days, the purchase day counting as the first.
  • Departure: it must take place from an international airport; leaving by another route gets the claim rejected.

In the shop

  1. Show your passport at the till and ask for the P.P.10 form and the tax invoice in your name.
  2. Check that the form and the invoice show the same amounts and that your passport is recorded.
  3. Keep everything together, with the items in hand luggage until the check.

At the airport

  1. Before check-in, show the items, the P.P.10 forms, the original invoices and your passport at the customs inspection office.
  2. According to one of the sources consulted, valuables (jewellery, watches, glasses, pens) must be inspected a second time at the VAT refund office after passport control.
  3. Then have the forms validated and claim the refund at the VAT Refund counter, in cash, on a bank card or by cheque depending on the amount.
  4. Fees vary with the refund method (one source cites 100 baht for a cash refund, to be checked).

Arrive at least 3 hours before the flight: the inspection queue can be long in high season. If you have many purchases, put them in a bag you can show before dropping the suitcases in the hold.

Before you leave