Planet Registration
Planet Tax Free Registration: Getting Your Store Into the Tourist Refund Scheme
Tourists spend more where they can reclaim VAT — and in the UAE that means shopping at retailers registered with Planet, the FTA-appointed scheme operator. Joining is a defined onboarding; staying out quietly routes tourist spend to registered competitors.
- Eligibility confirmed before you commit
- Planet onboarding completed end to end
- Store systems and staff readied for tax-free sales
- Refund mechanics folded into your VAT returns
Dubai-based support for retailers joining the UAE tourist tax-free scheme.
Quick Answer
To register: your business must hold a valid trade licence and an active VAT registration (TRN) with sales of goods eligible under the scheme. You apply to Planet as the FTA's exclusive operator, sign the merchant agreement, integrate the tax-free issuance method (POS-integrated or Planet's device/portal), and train staff. Once live, your store issues digital tax-free tags on qualifying tourist purchases of AED 250 or more.
Why Registered Stores Win Tourist Spend
The refund changes buying behaviour at the till: on high-value goods — electronics, jewellery, fashion — the reclaimable VAT is the discount that closes the sale. Tour guides, hotel concierges and the tourists' own apps steer shoppers toward tax-free stores. For retailers in tourist catchments, registration is less a compliance topic than a merchandising one.
- Tourists actively seek the tax-free logo before buying big-ticket items
- Refund effectively discounts your prices ~4-5% for tourists at no cost to you
- Unregistered stores lose comparison shoppers at the final step
- The scheme is fully digital — minimal counter friction
Eligibility and Onboarding
Planet onboards merchants against simple criteria: valid licence, active TRN, and retail sales of goods that tourists can export (services and consumed goods are outside the scheme). The commercial terms — issuer fees per tag — are set in the merchant agreement.
- 1Verify licence and VAT registration status
- 2Apply to Planet with company and store details
- 3Sign the merchant agreement and fee terms
- 4Choose integration: POS plug-in, device or portal
- 5Staff trained; store goes live with tax-free issuance
What Changes at the Counter
Day to day, tax-free issuance is a 60-second add-on to a normal sale: scan the tourist's passport, validate eligibility, issue the digital tag against the invoice. The tourist validates at the airport before departure and receives the refund; your VAT accounting adjusts through the scheme's reporting, which needs to reconcile into your returns.
- Passport scan and eligibility check at sale
- Digital tag issued against the tax invoice
- Tourist validates at departure points
- Scheme reporting reconciled into VAT returns
The Commercial Case for Registering
Joining the tourist VAT refund scheme is a competitive move, not just a compliance one. A registered store can advertise tax-free shopping, and an overseas visitor choosing between two shops will favour the one where they can reclaim the 5% on exit. The refund comes out of VAT the tourist was never going to bear, so the retailer makes its prices effectively more competitive without touching its own margin — a genuine sales advantage in tourist-heavy locations.
- Advertise tax-free shopping to visitors
- Tourists favour stores offering the refund
- The refund does not come from your margin
- A real edge in tourist-heavy locations
Eligibility and Onboarding
To register, the retailer must be VAT-registered and enrol with Planet, the FTA-appointed operator. Onboarding connects the point of sale to Planet's system so eligible purchases can be tagged, and staff are briefed on issuing a valid tax-free transaction. The requirements are straightforward, but the setup has to be done properly — a store that signs up but cannot correctly tag a sale delivers a refund that fails at the airport, frustrating the very customer it hoped to win.
- Retailer must be VAT-registered
- Enrol with Planet, the FTA-appointed operator
- Connect the point of sale to Planet's system
- Brief staff on issuing valid tax-free sales
What Changes at the Counter
Once registered, the sales process gains a step for eligible tourists: verifying the customer qualifies, meeting the minimum purchase value, and issuing the tax-free tag through the Planet system against a valid passport. It is a small addition, but it has to be done correctly for the refund to validate on exit. Training the counter team on exactly when and how to issue the tag is what turns the registration into refunds tourists actually receive.
- Verify the tourist qualifies
- Meet the minimum purchase value
- Issue the tax-free tag via Planet
- Correct issuance so the refund validates
Related Exiloz Services & Guides
How does a retailer register for tax-free shopping in the UAE?
Through Planet, the FTA's exclusive operator: apply with your licence and TRN, sign the merchant agreement, integrate the issuance system and train staff.
Do I need to be VAT registered to join?
Yes — an active TRN is a prerequisite. The scheme refunds VAT you charged, so you must be charging it lawfully first.
What does Planet registration cost a merchant?
Commercial terms sit in the merchant agreement — typically per-tag issuer fees rather than large upfront costs. We review terms with you before signing.
Which sales qualify for tourist refunds?
Goods purchased by eligible overseas tourists for export, at AED 250 or more per tax invoice — not services, and not goods consumed in the UAE.
How fast can a store go live?
With documents ready, onboarding and integration typically complete within a few weeks depending on the integration route chosen.
How does a store join the tourist VAT refund scheme?
The retailer must be VAT-registered and enrol with Planet, the FTA-appointed operator, connecting its point of sale to Planet's system and briefing staff on issuing valid tax-free sales.
Does offering tax-free shopping cost the retailer margin?
No — the refund is the VAT the tourist reclaims on exit, not the retailer's margin. It makes prices effectively more competitive to visitors without cutting into profit.
Who operates the UAE tourist refund scheme?
Planet, appointed by the Federal Tax Authority. Retailers register with Planet, purchases are tagged at the point of sale, and tourists reclaim the VAT on departure.
Does every sale qualify for a tourist refund?
No — the buyer must be an eligible visitor, the purchase must meet the minimum value, and the tax-free tag must be issued correctly against a valid passport.
Do I need to be VAT-registered to join the scheme?
Yes — only VAT-registered retailers can enrol with Planet to offer tax-free shopping, because the scheme refunds the VAT charged on eligible purchases.
How long does Planet registration take?
Onboarding connects your point of sale to Planet's system and briefs staff; the timeline is usually short, but the setup must be done correctly so tags validate at the airport.
Does joining the scheme cost the retailer?
The commercial model is built around the refund the tourist reclaims, not the retailer's margin; onboarding and integration are the practical setup, after which prices become more competitive to visitors.
The rest of what we do
Licence, visas, bank account, books and the first tax return — handled by the same team, so the structure has to survive its first year.
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Company Formation
Mainland, free zone and offshore incorporation, started from your activity code.
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Mainland vs Free Zone
Pick the jurisdiction before the licence. The decision that survives year one.
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PRO & Document Clearing
Establishment card, immigration file, visas, medicals and attestation.
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VAT Registration
Threshold checks, grouping and registration handled against the FTA's current rules.
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VAT Return Filing
VAT201 prepared, reconciled and filed, with the position documented.
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Corporate Tax Registration
Every taxable person must register, including free zone companies applying 0%.
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Corporate Tax Filing
Returns, elections and the qualifying income analysis behind them.
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Accounting & Bookkeeping
Books kept audit-ready from month one, not reconstructed at year end.
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Tourist Footfall, No Tax-Free Sign?
Every unregistered day routes big-ticket tourist purchases to competitors. We will run your Planet onboarding end to end and have the counter ready in weeks.
