A sign identifying an in-store tax refund merchant is displayed at a shop in Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

Yiwu Airport in Jinhua has launched its departure tax refund service, marking full coverage of tax refund facilities across all civilian airports in Zhejiang province.

The initiative aims to enhance the shopping experience for global travelers and support the province's drive to build a higher-level open economy.

China's departure tax refund policy allows overseas tourists to claim refunds on eligible goods purchased at designated stores and carried out of the country.

The country unveiled a set of measures in April to further optimize its departure tax refund policy to better meet overseas tourists' needs and expand inbound consumption.

The minimum purchase threshold for departure tax refunds has been lowered, allowing overseas travelers to apply for a refund if they spend at least 200 yuan (about $27.75) at the same store on the same day and meet other relevant requirements, according to a circular jointly issued by the Ministry of Commerce and five other government departments.

To fully leverage these policy benefits, Hangzhou Customs worked with multiple departments to complete joint acceptance of the Yiwu Airport refund service, enabling full traceability of goods from purchase to departure and reducing manual intervention in verification procedures.

Data from Hangzhou Customs show that in the first 10 months of this year, 3,582 tax refund applications were verified, with a total value of 121 million yuan, up 199 percent and 117.07 percent year-on-year, respectively.