Under the Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS) travellers can claim a refund, subject to conditions on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on goods bought in Australia.

Tourist Refund Scheme Essentials:

• GST can be claimed back if goods are purchased within 60 days of travelling
• Must wear or carry the goods on board the aircraft or ship and present them with your original tax invoices, passport and international boarding pass to a Customs and Border Protection officer at a TRS facility on your departure from Australia.
• Must spend A$300 or more (including GST) in a single store.
• Multiple invoices from the same store are accepted as long as other conditions are met.
• You can open and use the goods within the 60 days prior to departure
• Download Free TRS Brochure

Going Overseas?

If you are in Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney, come in to our camera store and purchase your duty free camera and accessories, or you can order online and have your camera delivered anywhere in Australia.

Read on to see how you may be able to claim back, under the Tourist Refund Scheme, the 10% import duty paid on cameras etc.

The import duty on cameras has been replaced with a 10% GST on most imports. You can claim a refund on cameras and accessories costing $300 (GST inclusive) or more, bought from the same store, no more than 60 days before you leave the country (60 days does not include the day of purchase, but does include the day of departure). You may purchase several lower-priced items from the one store, either at the one time or over several occasions within the 60-day period, provided the total purchase amounts to $300 (GST inclusive) or more. You can submit more than one tax invoice to make a claim, as long as they are from the one Australian Business Number retailer of which all DCW stores are. You will not receive a refund unless Customs is able to verify that you are taking the goods with you. The goods must be taken on board the aircraft or ship on which you are travelling**. You therefore need to include the camera and accessories in your hand luggage or wear them onto the aircraft or ship.

** If there is a high level security alert, procedures may change without notice. Contact your airline to check procedures.

• Cheque (Customs and Border Protection aims to post cheque refunds within 15 days)
• Credit to an Australian bank account (within five business days)
• Payment to a credit card (within five business days)

Can I open and use the camera within the 60 days before I leave Australia?

Yes, you can open and use your new camera and other purchases prior to leaving Australia. This means that you can get to know your camera before you go on holidays. This is a big improvement on the old duty free arrangements where your camera had to be left in a sealed bag until you boarded the plane or ship.

What do I have to do when I buy the goods?

If you wish to claim a refund, you must get a tax invoice from the store where you buy the goods. Digital Camera Warehouse will give you the required tax invoice when you receive your camera. A TRS refund cannot be given without it. The tax invoice provides evidence of the date and price of the purchase, the Australian Business Number (ABN) of the retailer and a description of the goods supplied. Tax invoices for purchases of $1000 or more need additional information, such as the name and address of the purchaser.

How do I make a claim?

Claims can be made when you are departing Australia, after you have passed through Passport Control.

If you are leaving Australia by air, look for the TRS booth in the departures areas of international terminals at Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Cairns, Adelaide, Darwin and Gold Coast, after you have passed through passport control. TRS facilities are also available at cruise liner terminals at Sydney's Circular Quay and Darling Harbour, Melbourne's Station Pier and in Cairns, Brisbane, Darwin and Fremantle. For Hobart and other seaport departures, please contact your cruise company to see whether TRS will be available. At the booth you will need to produce:

• Your goods (to prove you are taking them out of the country)
• the tax invoice from the retailer (to provide information for Customs officers)
• Your passport and
• Your international boarding pass or other proof of travel.

Bringing the goods back into Australia

If the goods are to be brought back into Australia, please be aware that they may be subject to GST. Normal passenger concessions apply and include any items for which a TRS claim has been approved (excluding most personal items such as new clothing, footwear and articles for personal hygiene and grooming). If the value of those goods together with overseas purchases exceeds the passenger concession, the goods must be declared to Customs on your return to Australia. Penalties apply to undeclared taxable goods.

If in doubt you should declare the goods to Customs on your return.

More information is contained in the brochure 'Know Before You Go' which is available from Customs.

For further information on duty free under the Tourist Refund Scheme

Visit www.customs.gov.au or contact the Customs Information and Support Centre on 1300 363 263 for the cost of a local call or email information@customs.gov.au. Outside Australia - 61 2 6275 6666