Tax refund for foreign tourists in México (VAT)

Tax refund for foreign tourists in México

Foreigners visiting Mexico on a tourist visa can obtain the refund of tax* that has been retained in the acquisition of merchandise, in commerce established in our country, whenever the following requirements are met:

• That your return is by air or sea.
• That you have the fiscal receipts of your purchases.
• That the purchased merchandise leaves the country.
• That your minimum purchase is of 1,200.00 MXN per establishment.
• That purchases have been made in establishments that participate in the “Program of tax refund for foreign tourists”
• That you paid with electronic means (credit card, debit or of services emitted abroad by foreign financial institutions) or up to 3,000.00 MXN if paid in cash.

The refund is made by authorized concessionares who have implemented diverse service sites for such effect.

In order to receive a refund, the tourist must:

1. 1. Request in the establishment the fiscal receipt of the purchase and the application form to request the tax refund (also available at our service sites).
   2. Go to one of our service sites located in ports and airports for such effect.
   3. Present the merchandise for which the refund of tax is requested to verify that it is leaving the country
   4. After the documentary verification, there will be a physical validation of any merchandise that exceeds 5,000.00 MXN (including tax); for merchandise that is less than the aforementioned amount the revision may or may not take place per the discretion of those enacting said revisions.
   5. Once the merchandise has been validated and documentation has been reviewed, the refund payment will be issued.

The amount of the refund is paid in Mexican pesos and the reimbursement is made electronically to the same means of payment used for the original purchase or 50% of the amount of your refund may be reimbursed in cash not to exceed 10,000.00 MXN. In this case, the remainder will be deposited electronically.

At the moment, this service is offered in cities with greater affluence of foreign tourists, eg: City of Mexico, Guadalajara, Cancun, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, Majahual, Progreso and Ensenada.

* Value Added Tax (VAT) in Mexico

Source: sat.gob.mx