Practical · checked 20 Oct 2026

Tax-free shopping: getting the VAT back

Visitors who live outside Türkiye can reclaim the VAT on goods they buy in authorised shops and take home. The rules below come from the VAT Communiqué; the airport steps from the airports' own pages.

Who and how much

Who: foreign passport holders who do not live in Türkiye, and Turkish citizens who can show a residence document from the country they live in. Your passport number goes on the invoice. The customs FAQ adds: not more than 185 days in Türkiye in the last year.
Minimum: the goods on one invoice must total more than 1,000 TL (≈ €18) before VAT (in force since 1 Feb 2024). Several items on the same invoice count together.
Goods only: anything you can carry out of the country with you. Services are never refundable — hotels, restaurants, tours, car hire. Fuels and oils are excluded too.
Deadline: the goods must leave Türkiye within 3 months of the invoice date, and the approved form must reach the shop or refund operator within 3 months of your departure.

Sources: KDV Genel Uygulama Tebliği, section II/A-5 (consolidated text, mevzuat.gov.tr) · VAT Law 3065, article 11/1-b (mevzuat.gov.tr) · Official Gazette 18 January 2024, Communiqué Serial No 49 (minimum raised to 1,000 TL) · Ministry of Trade, Customs Enforcement — FAQ “How is the tax-free procedure run?”

Step by step

Shop where it is offered. Only shops with a tax office permit, or a contract with an authorised refund operator, can sell tax-free. Look for a “Tax Free” sign at the entrance or till, or ask before you pay.
Show your passport at the till. You pay the full price including VAT. The shop issues an e-invoice with your passport number and a Tax Free form (the operator's “invoice-cheque”). Keep both with the goods.
Get the customs stamp before you leave. At the airport, show the goods, the invoice and the form to the customs officer; the officer checks them and approves the form (electronically and on paper). Unused goods, still in their packaging, are what customs expects to see. No approval, no refund.
Collect the refund. With the approved form you can be paid in cash at the refund counter in the departure area (foreign currency or lira), or ask for a card refund or bank transfer. If you deal with the shop directly, it must transfer the money within 10 days of receiving the approved invoice.

Sources: KDV Genel Uygulama Tebliği, section II/A-5 (consolidated text, mevzuat.gov.tr) · Ministry of Trade, Customs Enforcement — FAQ “How is the tax-free procedure run?”

What you get back

The refund is the VAT shown on the invoice. Turkish VAT is 20% on most goods, 10% on clothing and home textiles, leather clothing, shoes, bags and luggage, carpets, books, and 1% on a few basics.

Example: an item priced 2,400 TL (≈ €43) at 20% VAT contains 400 TL (≈ €7.2) of VAT. That is the amount you can claim.

Refund operators keep a service fee out of that VAT, and cash payouts at some counters carry an extra fee that the operator publishes. The law sets no percentage, so we quote none: ask the counter, or choose a card refund.

Sources: Revenue Administration — current VAT rates (PDF) · KDV Genel Uygulama Tebliği, section II/A-5 (consolidated text, mevzuat.gov.tr) · Planet (refund operator) — refund locations and cash fees in Türkiye (operator)

At the airports

Istanbul Airport (IST)

Checked luggage: get your boarding pass and luggage tag at check-in first, then have the form approved at the customs desk in the same row — counters G3–G5 for Turkish Airlines, K25–K27 for other airlines. The bag is handed in after the approval.

Hand luggage only: the customs point is after passport control, in the right-hand corner.

Refund counters are behind the information desk after passport control (both wings). Bring the goods, the form, the invoice, your boarding pass and passport.

Source: Istanbul Airport (İGA) — tax refund page

Antalya Airport (AYT)

Have the goods, the form and your passport stamped by customs before you leave, then collect the refund at the operator's counter or partner refund point.

Operator (Planet): refund desk in Terminal 1 after passport control, next to passport control, open around the clock.

Source: Antalya Airport — tax refund page · Planet (refund operator) — refund locations and cash fees in Türkiye

Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW)

The airport's FAQ says refunds are claimed from the customs office; it gives no counter location.

Operator (Planet): self-service kiosk in departures, left side after passport control, open around the clock.

Source: Sabiha Gökçen Airport — FAQ on tax refunds · Planet (refund operator) — refund locations and cash fees in Türkiye

Counter locations come from the airport operators and the refund operator, not from the law; they can move. Allow an extra 30–45 minutes before your flight.

Common mistakes

Packing the goods in checked luggage before the customs check — at Istanbul Airport the customs desk is in the check-in row for exactly this reason.
Several small receipts: each invoice must pass the minimum on its own.
Expecting a refund on a hotel, a tour or a meal — services are not covered.
Leaving it too late: a stamp more than 3 months after the invoice date is worthless.

Flying out? From the airport into town