Tax-Free Shopping

You have bought your carpet, your leather jacket and other stuff. You’re heading back home. But you don’t know how to get back that tax you’ve paid while purchasing. Foreigners are entitled to a VAT refund (value-added tax, KDV in Turkish). The tax is 18% of the total amount of merchandise. To collect your refund, present the merchandise and its receipt to the Customs inspectors at the airport.

The Customs Tax-Free office at the airport in Istanbul, is in the International Departure Terminal and is open 24 hours.

You can have your refund as a Global Refund check, redeemable at the “Iş Bankası” branch on the Arrivals level or as a credit to a credit card account. Just remember that you have but 3 months for having a refund after the purchase.