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What you need to know now
This page preserves the special Expo 2020 participant refund legislation. It is not a general VAT refund entitlement for present-day exhibitions.
The original article is preserved below as a historical record. Earlier deadlines, rates, offers and approval statements should not be used as current guidance.
- Eligibility was tied to the specific Expo framework.
- Do not reuse historical application instructions for another event.
- Ordinary refund routes have separate conditions.
Understand the event-specific context
Expo 2020 had a dedicated framework for qualifying official participants and relevant event expenditure. The original article records that framework and must not be read as an open refund entitlement for every exhibition, conference or visitor today. First identify whether a question concerns a genuine historical Expo participant claim or a present-day purchase. The appropriate claimant, supporting evidence and refund route depend on that distinction.
Review historical expenditure as a schedule
For an outstanding historical issue, organise costs by supplier, invoice date, description, amount and purpose. Connect each expense to the participant and the original event activity, and retain evidence of payment and any relevant approval. Separate amounts already recovered, credited or included in another claim. This is more useful than presenting a large folder of invoices without explaining why the original event-specific conditions are thought to apply to each item.
Choose the correct route for current costs
Present-day UAE expenditure should be assessed under the refund or input-tax rules applicable to that claimant. A registered business, an eligible foreign business visitor and a tourist do not use interchangeable procedures. A company attending a new exhibition should therefore analyse its own status and the nature of its costs before searching for an Expo form. Similar event names or promotional descriptions do not establish entitlement under a historical scheme.
Keep the claim history traceable
Where a historical claim has already been submitted, retain its acknowledgement, the supporting schedule, questions raised and any decision or payment record. Explain subsequent amendments separately instead of replacing the original file. Check the current FTA route for questions about an unresolved matter and avoid assuming an old submission address remains valid. Do not treat publication of this historical article as confirmation that a new application can still be made or that an old claim will be accepted. For costs shared between an event activity and another operation, prepare a clear allocation explanation instead of assigning the entire invoice to the historical event.
YOUR NEXT STEPS
A practical way forward
- 01
Step 1
Identify the claimant and the original event-related costs.
- 02
Step 2
Review the applicable historical approval and evidence.
- 03
Step 3
Use current FTA guidance for any outstanding claim question.
CLEAR ANSWERS
Frequently asked questions
Does every exhibition participant qualify?
No. This was a specific scheme.
Can a tourist claim use Expo forms?
No. Use the relevant refund route.
Read the original article First published 30 January 2020 · retained for context
This earlier article is preserved for context. Its rates, deadlines, approvals and announcements may have been superseded. Use the current guidance and official references on this page for your next step.
Tax Refund Expo 2020 : Refund of Value Added Tax Paid on Goods and Services
Connected with Expo 2020 Dubai
Tax Refund Expo 2020 : Cabinet Decision No. 1 of 2020
The Cabinet has decided :
- Having reviewed the Constitution;
- Federal Law No. 1 of 1972 on the Competencies of the Ministries and Powers of the Ministers and its amendments;
- Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017 on Value Added Tax;
- Federal Decree No. 203 of 2018 on the Ratification of the Agreement between the State and the Bureau International des Expositions on Privileges
and Advantages for Official Participants Related to the Expo 2020 Dubai; - Cabinet Decision No. 52 of 2017 on the Executive Regulation of Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017 on Value Added Tax;
- Cabinet Decision No. 7/12 F of 2019, in its session No. 12 on refunding value added tax to the official participants in Expo 2020 Dubai;
- Cabinet Decision No. 1 of 2019 on the Refund of Value Added Tax Paid on Goods and Services Connected with Expo 2020;
- And pursuant to the presentation of the Minister of Finance and the approval of the Cabinet,
Refund of Tax
- The Office of the Official Participant may claim a refund of Tax incurred by it on the import or supply of Goods or Services provided that the Goods and Services are any of the following:
- In direct connection with the construction, installation, alteration, decoration and dismantlement of their exhibition space.
- In direct connection with the works and activities of organizing and operating the Official Participants’ exhibition space and any presentations and events within the Expo 2020 Dubai site.
- In connection with the actual operations of the Official Participants, provided that the value of each Good or Service for which the Office of the Official Participant makes a claim exceeds the amount set by a decision of the Minister.
- In connection with all operations, services and activities provided for the purpose of participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, whether located within or outside the boundaries of the Expo 2020 Dubai site.
- The Office of the Official Participant may claim a refund of Tax incurred on the import of Goods for personal use by the Official Participant’s Section Commissioners-General, Section Staff and the Beneficiaries.
- Where a refund has been granted to the Office of the Official Participant in respect of any import of Goods in accordance with Clause 1 or 2 of this Article, the Goods cannot be sold for Consideration or transferred free of charge without the prior consent in accordance with the procedures agreed upon between the Authority and Bureau Expo 2020, and without payment of the Tax.
Application for Refund
- An application to refund the Tax stipulated in Clauses 1 and 2 of Article 2 is submitted to the Bureau Expo 2020 Dubai.
- The Bureau Expo 2020 Dubai performs the initial check on the refund claims received from the Office of the Official Participants in accordance with the forms prepared by the Authority. Where the refund claim is correct, the Bureau Expo 2020 Dubai makes a request to the Authority to refund the amount.
Requirements for Refund
The Authority and Bureau Expo 2020 Dubai shall agree on procedural, evidential, and verification requirements which need to be met by the Office of the Official Participant or any other Person to be eligible to the refund claim.
Certificate on Entitlement
- The Bureau Expo 2020 Dubai shall perform the following:
- Issue a Certificate of Entitlement to the Official Participant.
- Provide the Authority with a list of the Official Participants who are licensed by the Bureau Expo 2020 Dubai and who have a Certificate of Entitlement.
- A Certificate of Entitlement shall not be granted to any Official Participant in respect of imports and supplies covered by Paragraphs (a) and (b) of Clause 1 of Article 2 of this Decision if more than 20% of the exhibition space or presentation has been, or is intended to be used for commercial or non-official purposes.
- The Authority or the Bureau Expo 2020 Dubai may do any of the following in order to determine the purpose of using any space or presentation:
- Perform an inspection of any exhibition space or presentation;
- Request any Person to provide information or to make a declaration in respect of any space or presentation.
- Where a Certificate of Entitlement has been granted to the Official Participant in respect of imports and supplies covered by Paragraphs (a) and (b) of Clause 1 of Article 2 of this Decision, the Official Participant is required to inform the Bureau Expo 2020 Dubai if it stops being eligible to a Certificate of Entitlement according to Clause 2 of this Article.
Powers of the Authority
The Authority is entitled to:
- Request information, records, or otherwise audit the activities of the Bureau Expo 2020 Dubai to determine the following:
- The refunds paid to the Office of the Official Participant followed the process as agreed between the Authority and the Bureau Expo 2020 Dubai.
- The Office of the Official Participant was eligible to the refund.
- Refuse refund of Tax where it determines that it is not due to the Office of the Official Participant.
Issuance of Executive Decisions
The Minister shall issue the required decisions to implement the provisions of this Decision.
Cancellations
The above mentioned Cabinet Decision No. 1 of 2019 shall be cancelled and any provision violating or conflicting with the provisions of this Decision shall be abrogated.
Publication and Implementation
This Decision shall be implemented as from the effective date of the Agreement between the State and the Bureau International des Expositions, March 13th 2018, and shall be published in the Official Gazette.
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VERIFY THE DETAIL
Official sources & further reading
Source checks support this general guide. Your treatment depends on the facts, tax period and applicable legislation.
