Tourists now get VAT refunds in one working day, down from nine
The Federal Tax Authority has launched an app-based refund system at Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah airports that pays tourists back in about one working day.
Visitors who shop in the UAE can now get their VAT back in about one working day instead of roughly nine. The Federal Tax Authority launched the new system with Planet, the company that runs the tourist refund scheme, on 20 October.
It works through the Planet app. A tourist registers once with a face scan and pictures of their passport and bank card. At the airport they scan a QR code shown on screens at the refund points, and the request starts in the app. Purchases that need no inspection are refunded straight to the chosen payment method. When a check is needed, the app sends the traveller to a Planet smart gate, where facial recognition finds their details and opens the way to a self-service kiosk.
The system runs at Dubai International, Zayed International in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah International. The authority says about 16,700 shops are part of the scheme and that it has refunded about Dh4.2 billion across 25 million purchases since 2018.
If you have visitors coming, tell them to download the Planet app and register before they fly home, and to keep their tax-free receipts from registered shops. The refund is then started at the departure airport and paid to the card they chose.