DUTY FREE / TRS (Tourist Refund Scheme)

FAQs

I'm going Overseas or Visiting. Can I purchase goods Duty Free?

If you are in Australia and leaving within 60 days, come in to our store and purchase your Duty Free jewellery since we have a Duty Free License.

Online purchases for export are tax free however if you are in Australia the GST applies.

You can however apply to the Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS) which allow you to claim back GST at your point of departure from Australia. According to the following conditions:

  1. Spend $300 (GST inclusive) or more in our store and get one tax invoice
    You may purchase several lower-priced items from the 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 and the goods are covered by the one tax invoice.
  2. Buy goods no more than 30 days before departure
    30 days does not include the day of purchase, but does include the day of departure.
  3. 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.

The goods must be taken on board the aircraft or ship on which you are travelling. You therefore need to include the jewellery in your hand luggage or wear them onto the aircraft or ship. Present them along with your original tax invoice, passport and international boarding pass to a Customs Officer at a TRS facility.

What do I have to do when I buy the goods?

If you would like to claim a refund, you must get a tax invoice from the store where you buy the goods. We will give you the required tax invoice when you receive your jewellery. A TRS refund cannot be given without it. The tax invoice provides evidence of the date and price of the purchase, the Australian Business Number (ABN) of the shop and a description of the goods supplied. Tax invoices for purchases of $1000 or more need additional information, such as the name and address of the purchaser.

Can I open and use the jewellery within the 30 days before I leave Australia?

Yes, you can open and use your new jewellery and other purchases prior to leaving Australia.

Where can I make a claim?

If you are leaving Australia by air, look for the TRS booth in the departures areas of International Terminals at Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Cairns, Adelaide, Darwin and Coolangatta, after you have passed through passport control.

The TRS facilities are located at the following international airports: Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Cairns, Adelaide, Darwin and Gold Coast. If you are leaving Australia from a cruise liner terminal located at Circular Quay and Darling Harbour in Sydney, or terminals in Cairns, Darwin or Fremantle, or from Broome airport, you will need to present the same items to the Customs officer on duty, who will assist you to make your claim.

If you are leaving Australia from another port, contact Customs to find out if you can make a claim.

You may elect to have your refund paid by:

- Cheque
- Credit to an Australian bank account; or
- Payment to a credit card.

Customs will aim to pay your refund within 30 days.

Duty Free in store

If you are a tourist visiting Australia you may elect to have your purchases done duty free in store since we have a license to do so. In this case tourists must present the following:

- Valid Passport
- Permanent address overseas
- Travel itinerary with flight or cruise number and booking reference

All bags will be sealed by us and it is the traveler's responsibility to declare the goods at last point of departure from Australia. Failure to do so will likely result in GST being charged on the traveler and fines by the Australian government. Bags are not to be opened before bags has been cleared by a Duty Free Officer at final departure.

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.

For further information on duty free under the Tourist Refund Scheme:
Visit Website: www.customs.gov.au
Phone: Within Australia - 1300 363 263, Outside Australia +612 6275 6666