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.
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.
TRNActive VAT registration required
AED 250Minimum qualifying purchase
PlanetThe FTA's exclusive scheme operator
DigitalPaperless tax-free transactions
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
Planet Tax Free Registration UAE FAQs
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.
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.
