Tax-free shopping in Canada
No. Canada has no tourist tax refund scheme today.
Canada ended the GST/HST Visitor Rebate Program on 1 April 2007, and individual visitors cannot claim back GST/HST on goods or hotels. Its replacement, the Foreign Convention and Tour Incentive Program, gives rebates only to non-resident tour operators (on accommodation in tour packages sold abroad) and to foreign convention sponsors, organizers and exhibitors, not to individual shoppers.
Worth knowing
- Prices usually exclude tax; expect 5% GST plus provincial tax (or a combined HST of 13-15%) added at the till.
- If a store ships your purchase directly to an address outside Canada, the sale is normally zero-rated, so ask before you pay.
- Airport duty-free shops sell tax- and duty-free to departing international passengers.
Sources
- Canada Revenue Agency: GST/HST rebate for foreign conventions and tour packages (FCTIP)
- CRA GI-028: Foreign Convention and Tour Incentive Program
- CRA interpretation 86536 (July 2007): elimination of the GST/HST Visitor Rebate Program
- TaxTips.ca: GST/HST refunds for visitors to Canada
Rules last checked 24 September 2026. Refund operators and customs can change procedures at short notice; confirm at the store before you buy.
Before you go: check the entry rules for your passport.
Other refund rules: Australia, Austria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam