Since China's new departure tax refund policy took effect on July 1, 2026, Haikou Customs has processed 6,770 departure tax refund applications from overseas travelers, representing a 23.4-fold increase over the same period last year. The total value of tax-refunded purchases reached 8.85 million yuan (about USD 1.23 million), up 28.2 percent from a year earlier, while tax refunds totaled 1.1 million yuan (about USD 153,000), an increase of 28.5 percent.

One recent beneficiary of the policy was Anna, a visitor from Belarus, who purchased five clothing items worth 1,269 yuan (about USD 176). At the customs checkpoint, an officer scanned her tax refund application using a handheld device. The system indicated that no physical inspection was required, allowing her to complete the refund process without opening her luggage for customs verification.

The streamlined procedure, which significantly reduces waiting time, has won praise from Anna and many other international visitors.

Under the new policy, refund applications involving purchases valued at or below 10,000 yuan (about USD 1,390) are now subject to random physical inspections based on a risk-based sampling mechanism rather than mandatory inspections of every item. In addition, the entire tax refund process has been digitized, eliminating paper documentation.

The shift from comprehensive physical inspection to selective random checks, together with fully paperless processing, has substantially shortened customs clearance times for departing travelers and further improved the efficiency of departure tax refund services.

One month after the policy's launch, its benefits are becoming increasingly evident. The range of eligible tax-refunded products has continued to expand, covering not only clothing, footwear and accessories but also cosmetics and beauty products, providing overseas visitors with a wider variety of shopping choices.

Many departure tax refund stores across Hainan have also introduced promotional discounts that can be combined with tax refunds, allowing international travelers to enjoy even greater savings and further stimulating inbound consumer spending.

To ensure the smooth implementation of the new measures, Haikou Customs has upgraded departure tax refund signage in the international departure areas at Haikou Meilan International Airport, Sanya Phoenix International Airport, and Qionghai Boao Airport, and has provided multilingual informational brochures for overseas travelers.

Customs authorities have also established an information-sharing mechanism with local tax authorities, commerce departments, and tax refund service providers to facilitate real-time coordination and ensure efficient processing.