How Does Duty-Free Shopping Work in Korea for Visitors?

Last checked: October 26, 2026 · Sources: the Customs Act, its Enforcement Decree and Rule, and the Korea Customs Service duty-free shop notice (law.go.kr), Korea Customs Service, Incheon Airport, Shilla Duty Free and Hyundai Duty Free, linked below.

Anyone with a confirmed international departure can shop duty-free in Korea, at a downtown store, on a duty-free website or at the airport. Bring your passport and flight details. Goods you buy in the city or online are handed over at the airport’s duty-free pick-up counter (인도장, indojang) after passport control, on the day you leave.

There’s no duty-free spending limit for foreigners leaving Korea. The old cap of USD 5,000 applied only to Korean nationals, and it was scrapped on March 18, 2022. What limits you is the customs allowance of the country you fly to.

Which kind of duty-free shop should I use?

Shop	Where you pay	Where you get the goods	Who can buy
Downtown (city) store	In the city, e.g. Seoul	At the airport or port pick-up counter on departure day; foreigners can ask to take Korean-made goods from the store (see below)	People leaving Korea, including transit passengers
Online duty-free	The shop’s website or app	At the airport or port pick-up counter	Same
Departure duty-free	After passport control at the airport	On the spot	Same
Arrival duty-free	Baggage claim at Incheon, when you land	On the spot	People arriving in Korea, up to USD 800

Korean-made goods are the exception to “collect at the airport”. The law lets a downtown store hand them to a foreign buyer in the store after checking the passport and flight booking. Hyundai says foreigners can do this up to 90 days before departure, and Shilla says 60 days.

Customs can stop in-store hand-over for some buyers, based on their purchase and ticket-booking history. Those buyers can’t take the goods from the store.

What do I need to buy duty-free?

Your passport. The goods are recorded against your passport number.
Your flight details: an e-ticket in the store, or your departure date and flight number online.
To be the traveller yourself. Shilla and Hyundai say the buyer and the person flying must be the same. Shilla says buying duty-free goods for someone else is illegal under customs law.
A card in your own name. The Korea Customs Service notice tells downtown stores to check that a credit card belongs to the buyer.

If your flight changes, update it at least 3 days before departure. Both Shilla and Hyundai ask for that much notice. Shilla lets you change your departure details online up to three times.

How far ahead can I buy, and how late?

Timeline of Korea duty-free shopping: buy up to 90 days before departure, change flight details at least 3 days before, Shilla online cut-off 3 hours before from Incheon (Korean brands 5 hours), pick up 1 to 2 hours before departure after passport control, uncollected goods returned after 5 days, not collectable on arrival — The whole timeline on one page. Drawn by us from the Korea Customs Service notice and the Shilla and Hyundai Duty Free pages under Sources.

Shop	Earliest	Latest before your flight
Shilla Duty Free	90 days before departure, in stores and online	Online “Shop Today” items from Incheon: 3 hours before for international brands, 5 hours for Korean brands. From Gimpo: 5 hours
Hyundai Duty Free	90 days before departure	Depends on the airport and departure time; shown on the “My Hyundai” page of its online store
Lotte, Shinsegae and others	Not officially confirmed — check before you go	Not officially confirmed — check before you go

One older Shilla FAQ page still says 60 days, while its customer-centre FAQ says 90. Go by the date range the order screen accepts.

Why is there a cutoff at all? The customs notice says goods from downtown and online shops must reach the airport pick-up counter 2 hours before departure, or 1 hour where the customs office allows it.

Our take: if your flight leaves early in the morning, order the day before. Shilla warns that same-day orders for departures between midnight and 07:59 may be restricted.

How do I buy online?

Sign up on the duty-free website with your name exactly as it is in your passport. Shilla asks you to register under the traveller’s name.
Add items to the cart. Some brands sell only in stores.
At checkout, enter your departure date and flight number. Shilla says it can’t release your order if this information is wrong.
Pay. Shilla applies that day’s exchange rate to the payment.
Keep the voucher. Print it, or note the voucher number shown in your order history.
On departure day, after passport control, collect the goods at the pick-up counter (below).

Where is the duty-free pick-up counter at Incheon?

Incheon Airport lists these counters, all past passport control:

Terminal	Pick-up counter location	Phone
Terminal 1	Near Gate 43, 4th floor	032-743-2718
Concourse (shuttle train from Terminal 1)	Near Gate 119, 4th floor	032-743-2718
Terminal 2, east	Between Gates 267 and 273	Not listed
Terminal 2, west	Between Gates 227 and 230	032-743-6515

In Terminal 2 the airport and Shilla describe the floor differently, so follow the pick-up signs from those gates. Hyundai says the right counter depends on your flight and gate, and it’s printed on your receipt.

At the counter:

Arrive 1 to 2 hours before departure. Shilla and Hyundai both recommend this, and Shilla says hand-over can be slow when the airport is busy.
Show your voucher (or its number), your passport and your boarding pass.
Check the items and quantities before you sign. Shilla says it isn’t responsible for problems found after you leave.

Leaving from somewhere else? Shilla also lists pick-up counters at Gimpo, Gimhae, Jeju, Daegu and Cheongju airports and at Busan and Incheon ports.

Can I collect my goods when I come back to Korea?

No. Shilla and Hyundai both say goods bought before departure can only be collected when you leave, not when you return.

If you miss the pick-up, here’s what happens:

Shop	If you don’t collect
Shilla Duty Free	Cancelled automatically after 10 days unless you ask to change the departure date; contact customer service to collect on a later trip
Hyundai Duty Free	Collect it if you leave Korea again within 30 days, or cancel it; cancelled automatically after one month

Under the customs notice, goods left at the airport counter for 5 days or more go back to the shop. Some brands won’t hold goods for a later trip at all, Hyundai notes.

Are there limits on what I spend, or on liquor and cigarettes?

Korea sets no duty-free purchase limit for foreigners leaving the country. The USD 5,000 limit in the old Enforcement Rule covered only Korean nationals. The March 18, 2022 amendment deleted it.

Some shop pages haven’t caught up. As of October 2026, Shilla’s purchase notes correctly say there’s no limit for foreigners, but the same box and an older guide page still quote a USD 3,000 limit for Koreans and a USD 600 arrival allowance. Both figures are out of date.

Liquids need care. Incheon Airport allows duty-free liquids of any volume in the cabin only in a sealed “Duty Free Liquid Item Bag”, unopened until you board your final flight. Changing planes abroad? Shilla warns that liquids may be restricted at the stopover airport and asks transfer passengers to check with their airline before buying.

Korea doesn’t cap liquor or cigarettes when you leave. What you can bring in tax-free depends on your destination’s customs rules, so check them before buying several bottles or cartons.

Bringing duty-free goods back into Korea later? They count towards Korea’s USD 800 allowance, wherever you bought them. Our Korea customs duty-free allowance guide has the full limits.

What about the duty-free shops on arrival?

Incheon has duty-free shops inside baggage claim, open 24 hours according to the airport’s list:

Terminal	Location
Terminal 1	Near baggage carousels 6 and 7, and near carousels 16 and 17 (1st floor)
Terminal 2	Near baggage carousel 11 (1st floor)

You can spend up to USD 800 there. Alcohol, tobacco and perfume can be bought on top, within Korea’s separate allowances for them. Designated animal and plant quarantine items aren’t sold there.

Korea Customs says what you buy there is added to anything bought abroad or at other duty-free shops. Korean-made goods from the arrival shop are taken off your USD 800 allowance first.

Is duty-free the same as a tax refund?

No. Duty-free shops sell without tax, but you collect most goods at the airport. Shopping at regular stores and claiming VAT back is a separate system: see our tax refund guide for tourists and the Olive Young tax refund steps.

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