The mini-program “Hubei Departure Tax Refund Consumption Map”, developed by the Department of Commerce of Hubei Province, officially went live on Sept. 27, 2025, in a bid to offer overseas visitors a more convenient shopping experience in Hubei.

‌How to access the mini-program?‌

- Open WeChat, search for "鄂离境退税" (“Hubei departure tax refund”), and enter the e-map interface.

- Scan the round code in the picture above.

What can you do with the mini-program?

- Locate the nearest tax refund stores in real-time.

- Navigate to any tax refund shop in Hubei with one click.

- Check store profiles, featured products, and contact details.

- Access multilingual (Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean) tax refund guides and step-by-step procedures.

‌Where can you claim tax refunds in Hubei?‌

‌ - Airports:‌

Wuhan Tianhe International Airport

Yichang Sanxia International Airport

Enshi Xujiapeng International Airport

(All have dedicated tax refund counters.)

- ‌Refund-upon-purchase stores:‌

66 out of 115 tax-free stores in Hubei offer such service. (Details available on the mini-program.)

What is the process of the Refund-Upon-Purchase? (Source: STA General Office)

1.Purchasing tax-refundable goods. Overseas visitors who apply for the departure tax refund after purchasing tax-refundable goods at tax-free stores providing the “refund-upon-purchase” service shall ask for the Refund Application Form for Overseas Visitors and the sales invoices from the tax-free stores.

2.Pre-authorization guarantee. Overseas visitors, when applying for the “refund-upon-purchase” service, shall provide a credit card for pre-authorization guarantee, sign the informed consent form and receive an advance payment equivalent to the amount of the tax refund.

3.Customs verification. Overseas visitors shall declare their purchases at the port of departure together with the Refund Application Form for Overseas Visitors, the sales invoices and their valid ID to the Chinese customs for verification. The customs shall sign and seal the Form after confirming that there is no error.

4.Review by tax refund agencies. Overseas visitors shall file their valid ID, the Refund Application Form for Overseas Visitors signed and sealed by the customs, and the sales invoices for the purchased goods with tax refund agencies established within the restricted zone at the port of departure for review. Where there is no error after the review, the pre-authorization guarantee shall be removed. Where the tax refund claim does not comply with relevant regulations, the tax refund agencies shall recover the advance payment through the pre-authorization guarantee.

Editor: Nie Yang