Duty-free Shop - Duty-free Shopping Away From Ports

Duty-free Shopping Away From Ports

Some duty free shops operate in central business districts away from airports or other ports. In Japan, for example, any visitor whose passport indicates that they have been in the country for less than six months can buy duty free items. Duty-free shops are also a mainstay in the Akihabara electronic shopping district of Tokyo.

In Thailand, the King Power chain has shops where duty-free items are pre-purchased and delivered separately to the airport to be picked up on departure. For certain other purchases, a VAT refund may be claimed at the airport upon departure.

In the Philippines, there is one shopping mall called the Duty Free Fiesta Mall, which is located a few miles away from Ninoy Aquino Airport as opposed to being at the airport itself. It is the only shopping mall of its kind in the world. The goods that are sold in this mall are often imported products which come from around the world (mainly from USA, Asia and Australasia) and are not found in any other shopping malls in the country, aside from Duty-free malls. Tourists, visitors and returning citizens of Philippines often pay a visit to this mall shortly after their arrival (since only arriving passengers and their companions are allowed access). In order to gain entry, a passport is needed to be presented and registered at the Customer Registration Counter at the entrance of the mall. The customer will then be issued a shopping card; these shopping cards must be presented to the cashier for validation of purchases. Arriving customers are given a certain tax-free allowance on purchases and anything in excess will be subject to local and national taxes. In the past, the mall used to only accept US Dollars and Philippine peso but in recent years, it had begun accepting other currencies such as Japanese Yen, Brunei Dollar, Australian Dollar, British Pound, Canadian Dollar, Swiss Franc, Saudi Riyal, Bahrain Dinar, and Thai Baht. Currency Exchange booths are also available inside the mall if a customer wishes to exchange currencies into Philippine peso or US Dollars. Credits cards can also be used for purchasing goods.

In Australia, duty-free shops have all but disappeared after the introduction of the GST in 2000. Currently, duty-free shops are nearly all located within international airports. Residents and tourists are now allowed to purchase virtually any physical good within 30 days of departure, which needs to be taken on the outward flight, and claim the GST component back through the Tourist Refund Scheme when passing through customs. Consumers are now free to fully use their items prior to departure. This is in contrast prior to 2000, where all purchases had to be packed by the duty-free store in a sealed clear plastic bag, and could only be broken open by customs staff just prior to departure.