Suzhou City Terminal adds tax refunds for foreign travelers

The Suzhou City Terminal苏州城市航站楼 has recently been approved as a departure tax-refund store, allowing international travelers to shop for Suzhou specialties while checking in for their flights, and receive tax refunds under China's departure tax refund policy.

On the evening of Sept. 1, Camille, a French tourist who had just finished a trip to Suzhou, was preparing to board a flight from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to Paris. After completing check-in at the Suzhou City Terminal, she browsed the terminal's store and bought three cultural and creative products and a silk scarf. "My luggage can be checked all the way to France in Suzhou, so I don't have to deal with it again at the airport. And I can get a tax refund on my purchases!" Camille said.

"For small-value tax refund claims by foreign travelers, luggage usually does not need to be opened for inspection, and travelers can opt for a paperless process without carrying additional documents. However, the goods must remain intact until departure, and travelers must complete the tax refund process with customs and the tax refund agency before leaving China," an official from the taxation authorities of Suzhou Industrial Park noted.

The move is part of efforts to implement measures outlined in a notice on further optimizing departure tax refund measures and expanding inbound consumption issued by the Ministry of Commerce and other five departments this May. The new policy package includes measures such as wider coverage of tax refund stores, random inspections for small-value refund applications, paperless processing and improved refund-upon-purchase services.

Currently, the Suzhou City Terminal serves 16 domestic and overseas airlines, and provides check-in, boarding pass printing, luggage pre-screening and through-checking services for international flights departing from Shanghai Pudong and Hongqiao airports. After completing check-in, travelers can take shuttles to airports, where they only need to undergo security checks and do not have to handle their checked luggage again.

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