Getting VAT back on shopping in the Emirates is becoming faster: FTA says the refund time has fallen from around nine days to one business day. The new Planet platform lets some tourists complete the process in the app without an in-person check. Here is how it works and why purchases should still be available for a possible inspection.
Less waiting after your trip
A tax refund is rarely the most memorable part of a holiday, until you find yourself waiting for the money after getting home. That wait is now set to become shorter. The UAE Federal Tax Authority, FTA, has launched a new digital tourist VAT refund platform with authorised operator Planet. According to the authority, the time needed to receive a refund has fallen to one business day, compared with approximately nine days previously.
The change goes beyond faster processing. Information checks, routing and refund completion are brought together in a digital journey. Where purchases do not need an additional inspection, a tourist can complete the request in the app without an in-person check. The new platform is initially operating at Dubai International Airport, Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah International Airport.
How the Planet app refund journey works
FTA describes the new journey as fully digital and paperless. You can prepare the initial steps before reaching an airport refund point:
- Install the official Planet app for UAE tourist tax refunds and register. The new process uses a facial scan and stores images of your passport and bank card in the app.
- Before departure, scan the dynamic QR code displayed on a screen at an airport tourist tax refund service point. This starts the refund procedure in the app.
- Follow the result of the checks. If no additional inspection is needed, complete the request in the app and select an available refund method.
- If the app requires verification, proceed to the designated Planet smart gate and then to the assigned self-service kiosk. Facial recognition retrieves your identity and purchase details so the same information does not have to be entered repeatedly.
What the AI actually checks
The AI in this system does more than answer questions. It matches invoice and travel information, helps identify unusual transactions and determines whether a refund can proceed automatically or the purchases need further checks. The app also selects a service language based on the tourist’s nationality.
For a passenger, that means fewer repeated checks and a clearer route: the app tells you where to go and whether an in-person step is needed at all. However, a digital process does not remove a goods inspection when the system requires one. Keep the purchases for which you are claiming a refund accessible until validation is complete rather than immediately checking them into your luggage. FTA separately reminds tourists to present goods to Planet staff when requested.
Who can claim a tourist VAT refund
The new platform speeds up the existing scheme; it does not make every purchase automatically refundable. Before paying in a shop, check the conditions in FTA’s official service card:
- The scheme is for tourists aged 18 or over who are not UAE residents. FTA’s service card also specifies entry on a tourist visa.
- The shop or online retailer must participate in the Tourist Refund Scheme and issue the tax-free transaction correctly. Paying VAT at checkout does not, by itself, mean a refund transaction has been registered.
- FTA’s service card sets the minimum eligible spend per refund transaction at AED 250 excluding VAT. Ask about tax-free eligibility before buying.
- The purchases must be export-validated within 90 days of the tax invoice date. If an inspection is requested, you must have the goods with you.
- Keep the original travel document used to enter the UAE and your departure details. FTA’s validation requirements specify the original passport or applicable GCC national identity card, not a copy.
One business day does not mean a refund at checkout
Buying something in a shopping mall and completing the refund are separate stages. The retailer first registers an eligible transaction, the goods are then export-validated on departure, and payment follows successful checks. FTA’s announced timing concerns the updated refund service, not a promise to pay the day after any purchase.
FTA says the departure procedures themselves can be completed within minutes. One business day also does not mean exactly 24 hours from scanning a receipt. Check the individual transaction status and selected refund method in the app. Nor should faster service be confused with getting every dirham of VAT back without deductions: the scheme’s rules and service charges still apply.
Why retailers and tourism businesses should pay attention
For retailers, this is a good time to update staff instructions. A shopper needs more than an assurance that “we offer tax free”: the transaction must be issued correctly, appear in Planet and come with a clear explanation of what to do at the airport. If purchase data is wrong or a transaction fails verification, FTA advises the tourist to have the retailer correct it before leaving the country.
Shopping centres, hotels and tourism businesses can help by explaining the new process in advance: which app to use, where the departure procedure starts and why goods should remain available for a possible inspection before going into checked luggage. That is practical assistance, particularly for someone claiming a UAE tourist VAT refund for the first time.
The service already operates at substantial scale. FTA says around 16,700 retail outlets are connected to the scheme. From its launch in 2018 to October 2026, approximately AED 4.2 billion has been refunded through 25 million transactions. A shorter wait therefore matters to a significant part of tourist shopping in the UAE, rather than a small group of users.
Before you head to the airport
Check your purchases in the official Planet app, ask the retailer to correct any errors and leave time for airport formalities. Even with a faster service, that is easier than remembering the refund only after checking in your suitcase.
The main change is straightforward: qualifying transactions can follow a shorter journey without an in-person check, while the announced time to receive the money falls to one business day. The tax-free conditions still matter. A correctly issued refund transaction continues to start in the shop, not at the boarding gate.