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Sydney Outlet

About the Tourist Refund Scheme (information supplied by Customs)

The way TRS works

The refund will be paid on goods totalling $300 (GST inclusive) or more, bought from the same store, no more than 30 days before you leave Australia.

You may purchase several lower-priced items from the one store, either at the one time or over several occasions within the 30-day period, provided the total purchase amounts to $300 (GST inclusive) or more. You will have to ask the retailer to consolidate these lower-priced purchases onto a single tax invoice. Be sure the retailer will do this before buying the goods.

You may buy goods from several stores, provided each store's tax invoice totals at least $300 (GST inclusive).

You can collect your refund through one of the following methods:

• cheque
• credit to an Australian bank account
• payment to a credit card

Customs will aim to post cheque refunds within 15 business days. Bank and credit card refunds will be issued by Customs within 5 business days, however, payment will be subject to processing by your bank or card issuer.

What you need to do when buying goods

If you wish to claim a refund, you must get an original tax invoice from the store where you buy the goods. All stores registered for GST will be able to give you a tax invoice. A refund cannot be given without it.

A tax invoice prominently states the words 'tax invoice' and the Australian Business Number (ABN) of the retailer, the purchase price including the GST paid, a description of the goods, the name of the retailer and the date the purchase was made.

Tax invoices for purchases of $1000 or more must contain additional information, such as the name and address of the purchaser.

More information on tax invoices is available by contacting the Australian Taxation Office.

How you make a claim

You will need to present the following at the Customs TRS facility when you depart Australia:

• your goods (to prove you are taking them out of the country)
• the original tax invoice totalling $300 (GST inclusive) or more from the retailer (to provide information for Customs officers)
• your passport
• your international boarding pass or other proof of travel

You should note that it is a legal requirement that the person who purchases the goods must be the person who makes the claim for a refund of GST.

Claims at airports are available up to 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure of your flight.

Claims at seaports should be made no earlier than 4 hours and no later than 1 hour prior to the scheduled departure time of the vessel.

TRS facility location

Claims can be made after you have passed through Customs and Immigration outward processing.

The TRS facilities are located past Customs and Immigration outwards processing at international airports at Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Cairns, Adelaide, Darwin and Gold Coast.

They are also available at cruise liner terminals at Circular Quay and Darling Harbour in Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Fremantle and Hobart.

If you are leaving Australia from the above seaports or any other seaport you should contact Customs to find out if and where you can make a claim.

Goods that do not attract refunds under the TRS

The following goods are excluded from the TRS:

• alcohol such as beer and spirits (you can buy wine and wine products under the TRS) and tobacco products (these goods can be purchased from duty-free shops)
• GST-free goods-no refund can be claimed if no GST was paid
• consumables wholly or partially consumed in Australia
• goods which are prohibited on aircraft or ships for safety reasons. These include items such as gas cylinders, fireworks and aerosol sprays (all airlines provide information to passengers on prohibited items)
• goods which fail to meet airline cabin-size or ship hand luggage restrictions
• unaccompanied goods (including freighted or posted goods)
• services such as accommodation, tours and car rental and labour charges
• goods purchased over the Internet and imported into Australia

Please note: You will not receive a refund unless Customs is able to verify that you are taking the goods with you. The goods must be taken on board the aircraft or ship on which you are travelling. You therefore need to include the goods in your hand luggage or wear them onto the aircraft or ship

How long it will take you to make a claim

For passengers departing from international airports, the process will only take a few minutes. However, you should allow time to complete check-in and outwards clearance formalities and also allow for queues at the TRS facility.

Claims at airports are available up to 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure of your flight.

Claims at seaports should be made no earlier than 4 hours and no later than 1 hour prior to the scheduled departure time of the vessel.

Bringing the goods back into Australia

If the goods are to be brought back into Australia, please be aware that they may be subject to GST. Normal passenger concessions apply and include any items for which a TRS claim has been approved (excluding most personal items such as new clothing, footwear and articles for personal hygiene and grooming). If the value of those goods together with overseas purchases exceeds the passenger concession, the goods must be declared to Customs on your return to Australia. Penalties apply to undeclared taxable goods.

If in doubt you should declare the goods to Customs on your return.

More information is contained in the brochure 'Know Before You Go' which is available from Customs.