Peru: Tourists Can Request VAT Refunds

Maria del Carmen
June 30, 2023

With the publication of Resolution 097-2023, the National Superintendency of Customs and Tax Administration of Peru (SUNAT) has established the procedure for refunding the general sales tax (IGV) to tourists.

The establishment of this facility previously required a series of reforms and adjustments to Peruvian regulations. This regulation is preceded by Supreme Decree No. 226-2020-EF which modified the regulations of the General Sales Tax and Selective Consumption Tax Law to incorporate tax refunds for tourists – defined as foreign natural persons not domiciled in the country and who remain for no more than 60 days.

At the beginning of 2023, SUNAT published Resolution 005-2023 through which the regulation of payment vouchers and the rules on electronic issuance were modified. The administration changed the rules to allow the issuance of invoices to tourists entering the country.

This invoice can be issued at authorised establishments when goods are sold. In this case, the identification data of the purchaser will not be RUC but a passport.

SUNAT published Resolution 091/2023 in April 2023 to establish rules for the Register of Authorized Establishments (REA) to regulate the registration, permanence and exclusion of taxpayers for the right to return the IGV to tourists.

VAT Refund Procedure for Tourists

On the date of their departure from Peru, tourists who have not exceeded the authorised time of stay in the country can initiate the return procedure with the collaborating entity. Tourists can use the self-management kiosk or the mobile application, which is available inside international air or sea terminals.

The VAT refund procedure for tourists is as follows:

  1. The tourist must enter their identity document into the self-management kiosk or the mobile application. It must be the same one provided for their TAX FREE records. In the case of the mobile application, they must scan the QR code.
  2. Select the certificates that correspond to the goods that the tourist bought and is taking abroad.
  3. The system will assign the channel: red or green.
  • Red: The tourist must go to the SUNAT staff located at the checkpoint to show the identity document, the goods purchased and the electronic invoices that support their purchases.
  • Green: Validates that the credit or debit card number to pay the IGV refund corresponds to the tourist. This validation also applies to those who were assigned the red channel.
  1. If the information is validated, the system generates the return request.

The payment to the credit or debit card will be made within five calendar days from the request being registered, discounting the commission that the collaborating entity charges for this service.

Checkpoint Enabled

The checkpoint has been enabled since 2 May 2023 in the pre-boarding control area on the first floor of the Jorge Chávez International Airport.

Seeking more information on this change in Peru? Contact our team of tax experts.

Sign up for Email Updates

Stay up to date with the latest tax and compliance updates that may impact your business.

Author

Maria del Carmen

Maria del Carmen is a regulatory counsel at Sovos. Based in Chile and originally from Mexico, she obtained a Law Degree and a specialization degree in Tax Law in her home country. She also has a Master’s degree in Tax Law from the Panamerican University Mexico, and an International Tax Law Diploma with ITAM and Duke University. Having worked in the SAT for seven years, and in the Pemex tax team, she has gained extensive experience of tax regimes across Latin America.
Share this post

EMEA VAT & Fiscal Reporting
September 18, 2023
Intrastat Thresholds: Current Exemption Values

Intrastat thresholds are value thresholds which decide if companies in an EU Member State qualify to file a return to tax authorities, based on their intra-community trading. These thresholds change annually, prompting businesses to conduct an annual recalculation to know their obligations. This blog contains all the Intrastat reporting thresholds for 2023, as well as […]

EMEA VAT & Fiscal Reporting
September 18, 2023
Intrastat Guide: Reporting, Numbers, Thresholds

Intrastat is an obligation created in 1993 that applies to certain businesses that trade internationally in the European Union. Specifically, it relates to the movement of goods – arrivals and dispatches – across EU Member States. The requirements of Intrastat remain similar across the EU, though certain Member States have implemented rules differently. As a […]

EMEA VAT & Fiscal Reporting
August 22, 2023
OSS VAT Returns: Deadlines, Exclusions and Penalties

Sovos’ recent observations of audits by EU Tax Authorities are that Tax Officers are paying more attention to the contents of One Stop Shop (OSS) VAT Returns. They have challenged, and even excluded, companies from this optional scheme. OSS VAT returns must contain details of supplies made to customers in each Member State of consumption […]

E-Invoicing Compliance Latin America
August 17, 2023
Chile: Changes in the Electronic Ticket for Sales and Services

The Chilean Internal Revenue Service (SII) recently published version 4.00 of the document describing the format of electronic tickets for Sales and Services. The electronic ticket (or Boleta Electrónica) is an electronic receipt issued for the sale of goods or services to individuals, consumers or end users. The document includes basic information about the transaction, […]

E-Invoicing Compliance EMEA
August 10, 2023
France: B2B E-Invoicing Mandate Postponed

Update: 15 September 2023 In a recent meeting of the Communauté des Relais, the tax authority released additional details surrounding the previously communicated postponement of the B2B e-invoicing mandate in France. This delay is a result of the tax authority listening to feedback from French businesses who have struggled to meet the original timeline. It’s […]