Japan's New Tax-Free Shopping: How the Refund Works

For years, tax-free shopping in Japan was simple: show your passport at the till and the consumption tax came off the price there and then. That ended on 31 October 2026. For anything you buy from 1 November 2026, Japan uses a refund method: you pay the full price including tax, customs checks at the airport that you are taking the goods out of Japan, and only then do you get the tax back.

The good news is that the airport check at the kiosk takes only a few seconds. But there are a few new rules that can cost you the whole refund on a receipt if you miss them. Here is how it works, checked against the Japan Tourism Agency, the National Tax Agency and Japan Customs.

What changed on 1 November 2026

• Bought up to 31 October 2026: the old system applies. You already got the tax taken off at the till.

• Bought from 1 November 2026: you pay the tax-included price, and the tax is refunded after customs confirms the goods are leaving Japan.

• No more sealed bags. Snacks and cosmetics are no longer packed in special sealed bags. That does not mean you can open them: food, drinks, cosmetics and other consumables used or eaten in Japan are not eligible for a refund.

• Still a 5,000 yen minimum: purchases must total 5,000 yen or more (excluding tax) per day at the same shop.

At the shop

When you pay at a tax-free shop:

1. Show your passport. The shop registers the purchase against it.

2. Pay the full price, tax included.

3. Register how you want to be refunded (the official leaflet gives a credit card as the example) and pick your refund method.

Each shop explains its own refund steps at the till, and these vary: some shops refund you themselves, others hand the refund to a refund service company, and the shop tells you which company that is and where to register your refund method. The official rules leave it to the shop how the money reaches you (bank transfer, card, app or cash at the departure port are all possible), so ask at the till how, when and in what currency you will be paid, and whether anything is deducted.

One more limit: you can only buy tax-free what you can personally carry out of Japan when you leave, because customs may ask to see it. If you are a Japanese national who has lived abroad for two years or more, your My Number Card may now be accepted as proof, in addition to the documents accepted before.

At the airport

You have 90 days from the date of purchase to leave Japan with the goods and have them checked. On your departure day:

1. Go to a tax refund kiosk before you check in your luggage. The kiosks are in the international departure lobby, before security. Customs has floor maps of the airports and seaports. A few airports and seaports have no permanent kiosk: ask the customs office there.

2. Scan your passport. It takes a few seconds.

3. Green: you are done. Check in your bags as normal.

4. Red: take your tax-free goods to the customs inspection point and show them to an officer. Once they are checked, you are done.

After that, the shop or its refund company pays the refund using the method you registered. Customs only does the check; questions about the money go to the shop.

Visit Japan Web instead of the kiosk

At Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu Centrair, New Chitose, Fukuoka and Naha, you can do the same check on your phone with Visit Japan Web, connected to the dedicated customs Wi-Fi in the international departure lobby (up to the security checkpoint). Set up Visit Japan Web before you get there. It is only for visitors with Temporary Visitor, Diplomat or Official status, not for Japanese nationals, and if it does not work for you, use a kiosk.

Rules that can cost you the refund

• Do it before you check your bags. You cannot do the procedure after checking in, and airlines will not bring a checked bag back for it. Keep your tax-free shopping where you can get at it.

• One missing item voids the whole receipt. Customs checks per purchase (per receipt). If even one item on a receipt is missing, nothing on that receipt is refunded, including the items you do have.

• Ate the snacks? If you have used up any consumables you bought tax-free, do not use the kiosk: go to a customs officer at the counter and declare it.

• Connecting from a domestic flight? Do the procedure at the last airport you leave Japan from, not where you start.

• Expensive items: for anything costing 1 million yen or more (excluding tax), customs may ask for a certificate of authenticity or warranty, so keep it with the item.

• Leave time. If the procedure makes you miss your flight, neither the airline nor customs will compensate you. Get to the airport early, especially on an early morning flight.

• Take it with you. Goods cleared by customs must leave Japan. If they don't, the tax is collected and you can be penalised.

Is it still worth it?

For a big purchase (a camera, a watch, a stack of designer goods) the refund is real money and the airport step takes seconds when you get a green result. For a few small purchases, weigh what the shop's refund route will actually return to you against the extra steps. Either way, Japan's consumption tax is 10% (8% on food and drinks other than alcohol and restaurant meals), so skipping the refund on a handful of snacks costs little.

Official information

• Japan Tourism Agency: tax-free shopping for travellers

• Official leaflet: The Tax-Free Shopping System Has Changed to a Refund Method

• Japan Customs: tax-free goods procedures at departure