How much Mexico VAT refund will you receive?

Mexico VAT refund calculator

Enter the total tax-inclusive price of potentially eligible physical goods. This calculator applies the current service calculation. It does not determine whether the purchase, documents, payment method, or traveler qualifies.

Why 16% IVA becomes about 9% back

Mexico’s standard IVA rate is 16%, but a price shown at a store normally already includes that tax. You do not multiply the full price by 16%. Instead, you extract the tax portion using 16 ÷ 116.

For a MXN 11,600 eligible purchase, the IVA portion is MXN 1,600. This service’s current disclosed calculation deducts 35% of eligible IVA as the administration fee, or MXN 560 in this example. The remaining 65% is MXN 1,040. That refund is 8.9655% of MXN 11,600, conventionally rounded to 8.97% or “about 9%.”

The 65% share is a service calculation, not Mexico’s statutory tax rate. Article 31 of the VAT Law permits administration costs to be deducted. RMF 2026 rule 4.6.3 caps a concessionaire’s commission at 35% of the requested refund; this service’s current disclosed calculation uses that 35% fee and leaves 65% of eligible IVA.

What must qualify before the formula applies

A calculator cannot turn an ineligible purchase into a refund. Before relying on the estimate, check the underlying requirements:

• You must be a foreign tourist visiting Mexico and depart through an eligible air or sea exit.
• The claim must cover qualifying physical merchandise that leaves Mexico with you. Hotels, meals, tours, transportation, and other services are not eligible merchandise.
• The qualifying purchase must reach at least MXN 1,200 per establishment, including IVA.
• You need compliant tax documentation, commonly a CFDI invoice, plus purchase and payment evidence. See the Mexico VAT refund document checklist.
• The merchandise and documents remain subject to departure verification. Starting online does not remove the official validation requirement.
• Electronic or cash payment may qualify. If merchandise is bought with cash, RMF 2026 limits the total cash-bought merchandise to MXN 3,000 per tourist.

Use the step-by-step Mexico tourist VAT refund guide before you submit a case.

Official sources

We use primary Mexican government sources for the legal framework and eligibility rules:

• Mexico VAT Law (Ley del Impuesto al Valor Agregado), Article 31 — foreign-tourist refunds, qualifying merchandise, departure verification, minimum purchase, and administration costs.
• SAT: request reimbursement of IVA for foreign tourists — SAT’s public requirements and payment rules.
• Resolución Miscelánea Fiscal 2026, rules 4.6.3 and 4.6.4 — the 35% commission ceiling, cash limit, and required documents.
• SAT: authorized concessionaires for tourist IVA refunds — the official concession framework.

Complete the eligibility check