How it works · UAE
UAE Federal Tax Authority launches AI platform for tourist VAT refunds with Planet
The FTA says refunds now take one business day, down from about nine days. Planet, the scheme's operator, built the platform with the authority. The timing figures come from the FTA.
What launched
Gulf News reported on 21 October 2026 that the UAE Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has launched an AI-powered platform for tourist VAT refunds. It was developed with Planet, the authorized operator of the Tourist Tax Refund Scheme. The scheme lets tourists reclaim the 5% VAT before leaving the country.1,2,3
The FTA says refunds now take one business day, down from approximately nine days previously. Gulf News reports the platform is operational at Dubai International, Abu Dhabi Zayed International and Sharjah International airports.1,2
How a claim works
According to Gulf News, tourists register in Planet's app with a face scan and images of their passport and bank card. At the airport they scan a QR code. If no inspection is needed, they finish the claim in the app.1,4
Tourists whose purchases need inspection are directed to Planet's smart gates, which use AI facial recognition, and then to a self-service kiosk. Facial recognition compares a person's facial features against stored images, according to the US standards agency NIST.1,5
Checks behind the platform
The FTA says the platform automatically matches invoice and travel information and checks for unusual transaction patterns. It says this supports compliance and protects public funds, and that it improves verification accuracy and reduces manual intervention.1,6
FTA Director General Abdulaziz Al Mulla said the platform marks a significant advancement in the tourist tax refund journey. The National also reports him saying the UAE has become one of the fastest countries in the world for tourist tax refunds.1,2
Scheme figures from the FTA
The FTA says the refund network has approximately 16,700 registered retail points of sale and 98 self-service kiosks, which account for 22.4 per cent of scheme transactions. It says refunds since 2018 reached approximately Dh4.2 billion across 25 million transactions up to October 2026.1
The FTA says tourist satisfaction reached 93 per cent in the first nine months of 2026, up from 92 per cent a year earlier. For November 2026 to October 2027 it expects about four million transactions and about Dh692 million in refunds. That is a forecast, not a delivered result.1
What could not be verified
- The drop from about nine days to one business day is the FTA's own figure, not independently confirmed.
- Whether the one-business-day time applies to all claims, including those that need inspection.
- The claim that the UAE is one of the fastest countries for tourist refunds: no comparison has been published.
- Accuracy and error rates of the facial recognition and unusual-pattern checks.
- How facial and passport data are stored and protected.
Sources