This blog and our associate website dutyfreeonarrival.com receive
numerous requests with regard to the inbound shopping facilities in airports, asking
if and where travellers can buy their duty free after landing. We are also
receiving an increasing number of enquiries related to Duty-Free Apple
products.
Over the coming weeks we will provide a spot guide to the
facilities available around the world, today we start with SE Asia, including some
advice related to the purchase of Tax-Free Electronics.
Thailand: Inbound duty-free shops can be found in all major
international airports, including the two airports in Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi and
Don Mueang. The latter mainly handles domestic traffic, particularly flights for
Air Asia. Duty-Free is not available for domestic travellers on these routes.
BKK inbound duty-free store baggage hall |
Singapore:
Singapore’s Changi is one of the world’s top airports with an attractive
and efficient design. All international terminal areas have duty-free arrivals
stores in the baggage claim area, or nearby. Tobacco products are restricted
and even though you can buy them in these stores, you can only take in 19
cigarettes or the equivalent tobacco without paying tax. In effect, there is no
point buying tobaccos to take into the Country.
Vietnam closed their arrivals duty free stores some years
ago with an action in contradiction to the overall worldwide trend, which is to
open duty-free shops on arrival in airports.
Malaysia: Both airports and the low cost airport terminal in KL have arrivals stores.
Malaysia: Both airports and the low cost airport terminal in KL have arrivals stores.
Myanmar: From what we understand there are arrivals stores
in the two main airports.
Indonesia: Like Vietnam, this country banned the arrivals
duty-free shopping procedure some years ago.
Laos: We are clarifying this information, but we believe that
arrivals stores are available.
Ko Samui, lounge store |
Some of these Asian countries, like Thailand and Singapore,
also allow the Tax-Free Shopping refund facility, but this is not to be
confused with duty-free shopping in airports. It is a completely different
system, where you have to purchase the goods in the domestic market, pay the
local tax on them, then through a banking service provider, re-claim this tax
when you leave the country. Whereas, for those travelling internationally through
airports, the tax has already been deducted on products sold in duty-free stores.
There are other websites and blogs out there offering
duty-free and tax-free shopping information and comparisons, but some appear to
have confused the two different Tax-Free systems when making their price
comparison.
Some offer a global duty-free price comparison service for
electronic goods such as iPads, iPods or iPhones, but appear to have assumed
that stock purchased through the Tax-Refund service is available to everybody,
when it is not. Each country and continent has different regulations and often
certain Nationalities or Residents are actually excluded from this system and
are not allowed to re-claim the Tax on goods. The European Union is a good
example of this exclusion.
Furthermore, Duty-Free electronic goods do not actually
exist as there is no “Excise Duty” levied on such goods, only sales or import Taxes.
In effect, such products should be described by these various sites as “Tax-Free”
and not “Duty-Free”. Excise Duty, where the description “Duty-Free” came from, now
only applies to liquors or tobaccos.
So, it is wise to check before you fly in relation to the
varying rules for your trip and the best place to find this destination
specific information is to search your duty-free shopping location at our
associate site, duty free on arrival.
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