Japan's New Tax-Free Shopping Refund (from 1 Nov 2026): How It Works

Short answer: for anything you buy on or after 1 November 2026, you pay the normal price including consumption tax at the shop. Within 90 days, when you leave Japan, you scan your passport at a customs kiosk before you check your bags and before security. Once customs has confirmed you are taking the goods out, the shop (or its refund company) sends the tax back to you, using the refund method you chose when you paid.

The rest of this guide covers the details that trip people up: who qualifies, the 90-day clock, what happens at the kiosk, and how the refund actually reaches you. Everything comes from official sources: Japan's National Tax Agency, Japan Tourism Agency, Customs and Ministry of Finance, plus Haneda Airport for its facilities. They are listed at the end.

What changed — and does it apply to what I already bought?

The purchase date decides which rules apply, not the day you fly out.

• Bought on or before 31 October 2026: old system. Those goods were sold to you tax-free at the till. You still have to take them out of Japan with you; if you don't, the tax is collected when you leave.
• Bought on or after 1 November 2026: new refund system. There is no transition period where shops can choose the old way.

If you are flying out in November or later with purchases from October, ask a customs officer at your departure airport how they want to check them. The official pages we checked don't spell this out for the old-system goods.

Am I eligible, and what do I need at the shop?

Most tourists qualify. You need to be a non-resident of Japan with Temporary Visitor status (the status most visitors receive on arrival) and to have entered Japan less than six months ago. A few other groups also qualify, such as diplomats, officials and cruise passengers with a cruise or port-of-call landing permit. People living in Japan on work or student visas are not eligible.

At the shop:

• Show your actual passport. Some shops also accept the Visit Japan Web QR code that contains your passport details, but accepting it is up to the shop, so always carry the passport. Photocopies are only accepted for cruise passengers with a cruise landing permit.
• Check that your passport has a landing stamp or sticker. Without one, the shop can't confirm you're eligible. If you entered through an automated gate, you can ask immigration staff for the stamp before you pass the customs inspection on arrival.

Japanese citizens who have lived abroad for two years or more can also qualify with extra documents. That case has its own rules, which we don't cover here.

How much do I have to spend, and is there a limit?

• Minimum: ¥5,000 or more, excluding tax, at the same shop on the same day. At department stores and malls with a shared tax-free counter, same-day purchases from several shops inside can be added together.
• Maximum: none. But you can only claim what you will carry out of Japan yourself when you leave.
• Not eligible: gold and platinum bullion, gold and platinum coins, and items that aren't subject to consumption tax in the first place.

Two things the new system dropped are worth knowing. The split between "general goods" and "consumables" is gone, and so are the sealed bags for consumables.

What happens at the shop?

1. You show your passport. The shop confirms you're eligible.
2. You pay the tax-inclusive price.
3. You register how you want to be refunded, for example a credit card, and choose a refund method. The shop explains its options.
4. The shop sends an electronic purchase record to the National Tax Agency's system. You get a normal receipt.

Each receipt counts as one unit when customs checks you later, which matters if you eat or lose something (see below).

The 90-day rule

You must leave Japan and complete the customs check within 90 days of the purchase date, counting from the day after. The official example is a purchase on 1 November, which has a deadline of 30 January of the following year.

Without the customs check, there is no refund. Records that aren't confirmed within 90 days expire.

What happens at the airport?

This is the step that changed the most, and the order matters.

1. Go to the tax-free kiosk in the public departure lobby before you check your bags and before security. Customs can't confirm goods that are already in checked baggage, and a checked bag can't be taken back for this.
2. Scan your passport. It takes a few seconds.
3. Green result: you're done. Red result: take your purchases to the customs inspection area.
4. After clearing, you can check your purchases in or carry them on as you like.

You don't show your goods unless customs asks, which mainly happens with a red result. But you must have every item with you when you scan, in case you are asked.

Using your phone instead of the kiosk. At seven airports (Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, New Chitose, Fukuoka and Naha) you can do the check on your phone through Visit Japan Web. You connect to the dedicated customs Wi-Fi in the departure lobby before security, and Customs' guide gives the network as "Customs_WiFi_For_TaxRefund" with the password "jcustoms". This option is only for people with Temporary Visitor, Diplomat or Official status, the screens are in English only, and you must have registered with Visit Japan Web beforehand. If the result is "Not Completed", go to the customs inspection area.

Connecting from a domestic flight? Do the check at your final departure airport. Don't check your tax-free purchases through to your destination. Carry them, or collect your bag on arrival at the international airport.

Leaving by cruise ship? For cruises that start and end overseas, the check happens at the last Japanese port. If your trip combines a cruise with a flight out of Japan, do it at the airport you finally fly out from.

Smaller airports and ports may not have a permanent kiosk. Customs publishes a map of kiosk locations, and recommends asking local customs staff where there isn't one.

How and when do I get my money back?

• Who pays you: the shop, or a refund company working for it. The government and customs don't pay refunds, and questions about your refund go to the shop.
• How: it varies by shop. The official examples are bank transfer, credit card, app payment and cash at the departure airport after the customs check. Shops can also refund in coupons or points.
• When: after customs has confirmed your purchases. How long it takes depends on the shop. There is no official timeframe.
• Fees: the government charges no fee, and no law decides whether you or the shop pays the refund company's fee. So you may get back a little less than the full tax. Ask before you buy.

At Haneda, for example, cash-refund machines are after security in Terminals 2 and 3, while the customs kiosks are before security. You need to clear the kiosk first, and the airport notes that some shops' refunds can't be paid out by those machines.

Register your refund details carefully. If the shop can't pay you because of a mistake on your side, such as a wrong account number, it is allowed to keep the money.

What if I eat the snacks or open the cosmetics?

The rules are stricter than many people expect.

• Customs confirms one receipt at a time. If even one item from a receipt is missing, nothing on that receipt is refunded. Other receipts aren't affected.
• Eaten or used-up consumables (food, drinks, cosmetics) mean that receipt can't be confirmed. Tell a customs officer instead of using the kiosk.
• Other goods you used in Japan are fine. You can wear new shoes or use a new camera, as long as you take them out of Japan.
• Keep the original box. If you separate items from packaging that shows the model number, or throw it away, customs may not be able to confirm them.

Can I ship my purchases home instead?

• Posting them yourself (EMS, courier): no refund.
• Having the shop ship them abroad for you: some shops offer this. The shop then sells to you without tax, there's no ¥5,000 minimum, and you skip the airport check. Not every shop offers it. It is also an option for items you can't take on a plane.

One more rule: if you clear customs but then don't actually take the goods out of Japan, the tax is collected and penalties can apply.

Common misunderstandings in English guides

• "Everyone must show their goods to customs." Only if you get a red result or customs asks. But you must have them all with you.
• "Don't use anything you bought before you leave." The problem is consumables you've eaten or used up. Other goods can be used in Japan.
• "You'll get your refund in cash at the airport." That depends on the shop's refund method. Cash machines, where they exist, are a separate step from the customs check.
• "Customs gives you the refund." The shop or its refund company does.
• "You must bring every receipt." The official FAQ says showing receipts isn't strictly required, although you may be asked. Keeping them is still sensible.

Checklist

• Passport with a landing stamp or sticker, or the Visit Japan Web QR code (carry the passport anyway)
• ¥5,000+ before tax at one shop on one day
• Refund method registered at the till, and the fee asked about
• Records checked in Visit Japan Web before flying
• Nothing eaten or used up from a tax-free receipt, and original boxes kept
• Kiosk scan done before bag drop and security, within 90 days of purchase