-Posting informational signs in Arabic, English, French, Russian, and Spanish in various locations across the airport, hotels, and marketplaces of Sharm El-Sheikh outlining the conditions and necessary procedures for tax refunds for non-resident tourists.
-Placing VAT Return Stickers at various Sharm El-Sheikh stores so that visitors can get a VAT refund on their purchases.
The 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Cop 27) will be held in Egypt, and Ramy Youssef, Deputy Minister of Finance for Tax Policies and Chairman of the Higher Committee for Follow-Up on Value Added Tax Refunds for Foreign Departures, stated that in accordance with the Ministry of Finance and the Egyptian Tax Authority’s Framework to facilitate tax refund procedures for non-resident tourists, the Higher Committee for Follow-Up on Value Added Tax Refunds
Additionally, Sharm El-shops Sheikh’s have placed VAT Refund Stickers on their windows so that visitors can get their VAT back when they make purchases there.
Ramy Youssef added that the Egyptian Tax Authority has created a page on its website that includes the procedures and conditions for refunding the Value Added Tax to the non-resident tourists in Arabic and English only at the following link:https://eta. gov.
eg/en/tax-refund
Ramy Youssef further clarified that the non-resident visitor may be eligible for a refund of the Value Added Tax on his or her purchases under certain circumstances, including the following: – His or her stay must not be longer than three months; – The value of the purchases listed on the invoice or receipt must equal at least 1500 Egyptian pounds; – The visitor must retain possession of the purchases.
The non-resident tourist must take a number of steps when making purchases in order to be able to receive the VAT refund, he added, including making sure that the sellers have the VAT Refund label or stamp and obtaining an electronic receipt with his or her passport number. He also mentioned that this refund could be completed using a bank card.
The departing tourist must arrive at the airport’s tax refund office in plenty of time, present their receipts and passports for review (showing the purchased goods), and have a bank card available to transfer the refunded tax amount. He also pointed out that the goods must be kept in the state of purchase to be used in the tax refund process.
The Deputy Minister indicated that the tourist can communicate in both English and French with the call center of the Egyptian Tax Authority and the call center agent will respond to all inquiries and questions regarding VAT refunds for foreign departures on the hotline (16395); he also added that all the information can also be viewed through the official website of the Egyptian Tax Authority and other means of social media.
The Egyptian Tax Authority’s website is located at https://www.eta.gov.eg.
Educating people about the rules and processes for Value Added Tax refunds (VAT)
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