From November 2026, checking your suitcase before you deal with tax-free paperwork at a Japanese airport could cost you the entire refund. Japan’s tax-free shopping scheme for visitors switches to a refund model for purchases made from 1 November 2026: you pay the full tax-inclusive price in the shop, have your goods confirmed by customs as you leave Japan, and only then get the consumption tax back.

Here is what that looks like in practice. Say you buy ¥20,000 worth of goods before tax. On 31 October the tax-free counter charges you ¥20,000. From 1 November you pay ¥22,000 up front, including 10% consumption tax (an illustrative example; food and some other items are taxed at 8%). Getting that ¥2,000 back depends on doing things in the right order.

This guide is built on the official leaflets and Q&A published by Japan’s National Tax Agency, Japan Tourism Agency and Japan Customs. It walks through the six steps from shop to departure gate, the mistakes that drop your refund to zero, and a printable pre-departure tax-free checklist. Sources were checked on 16 October 2026.

At a Glance: What Changes on 1 November 2026

	Bought up to 31 Oct 2026	Bought from 1 Nov 2026
In the shop	Pay the tax-free price (or get the tax back at a counter)	Pay the tax-inclusive price and register a refund method
At departure	Customs check after security (restricted area)	Customs check before security and before bag drop (public area)
Refund	Not applicable	Paid by the shop or its refund operator after customs confirmation
Sealed bags for consumables	Yes	Abolished
¥500,000 cap on consumables	Yes	Abolished

Two points matter most. First, the switch follows the purchase date, not your departure date. The National Tax Agency Q&A states that the refund model applies to sales made on or after 1 November 2026, and that there is no transition period in which the old and new systems overlap. Second, the customs check moves from behind security to the departure lobby, before you drop your bags.

INFO

Tax-free shopping is not being scrapped. The tax relief simply moves from the till to after your departure check. The minimum spend (¥5,000 excluding tax, at one shop on one day) and the eligibility rules stay the same.

Who Is Eligible?

Eligibility has not changed. Foreign nationals qualify if they are non-residents of Japan staying under statuses such as “Temporary Visitor”, which covers most tourists entering visa-free or on a tourist visa. People who live in Japan, foreign residents included, do not qualify. Japanese nationals qualify only if they have lived outside Japan continuously for two years or more and can prove it with documents.

Passport required: without your passport (or equivalent), the shop cannot process a tax-free sale.
Minimum spend: ¥5,000 or more excluding tax, at the same shop on the same day.
Excluded items: gold and platinum bullion, and goods that are not subject to consumption tax in the first place.
Quantity: limited to what the purchaser can personally carry out of Japan on departure.

Step 1. In the Shop: Pay the Tax, Confirm the Refund Method

Even at the tax-free counter you now pay the price with tax included: 10% standard consumption tax, or 8% on reduced-rate items such as food. You still have to show your passport.

The new part is registering how you want to be refunded when you pay. The Japan Tourism Agency leaflet lists “register refund details such as a credit card” as a new step at purchase. Which methods are offered, and whether there is a fee, varies from shop to shop, so ask before you pay.

Refund method: card, bank account, app, or cash at the airport?
Fees: is there one, and for which methods?
Records: keep every tax-free receipt until you have left Japan.

TIP

Pay for snacks and toiletries you plan to use in Japan separately from your tax-free purchases. Customs confirmation works per receipt, so eating one item from a mixed receipt sinks the refund for everything on it.

Step 2. While You Are in Japan: Open It if You Like, but Don’t Use It

From November, the special sealed bags for consumables are abolished, along with the ¥500,000 cap on consumables and the split between general goods and consumables. Opening the packaging is no longer a problem in itself.

The official Q&A is clear about the limit, though: food, drinks or cosmetics consumed in Japan cannot receive customs confirmation, and so cannot be refunded. If you have eaten or used part of your purchases, do not process them at the kiosk; tell a customs officer at the counter first.

Confirmation is done per receipt (per purchase). In the tourism agency’s own example, a receipt lists items A, B and C; C is missing, so A and B are refused as well. Keep packaging that identifies the item, such as a box showing the model name.

Step 3. Packing: In Your Own Bag, Within 90 Days

The buyer carries it: you can only buy as much as you can personally take out of Japan on departure. The official guidance mentions no exception for a travel companion’s bag, so pack tax-free items in the purchaser’s own luggage.
Posting it home yourself means no refund: sending tax-free goods abroad yourself by EMS or similar (the old “separate shipment” route) was abolished on 31 March 2025, because customs has to see the goods leave with you. Shop-arranged direct shipping overseas is a separate scheme; ask the shop at purchase if you need it.
90-day limit: customs confirmation must happen on departure within 90 days, counted from the day after purchase. The National Tax Agency’s own example: bought on 1 November, deadline 30 January.
High-value items: for items of ¥1,000,000 or more per unit (excluding tax), customs may ask for an appraisal certificate or warranty, so carry them with you.

Step 4. At the Airport: Tax-Free Kiosk Before Check-In

This is the step that decides everything. The traveller leaflet from the National Tax Agency, Japan Customs and the Japan Tourism Agency says it plainly: customs confirmation cannot be obtained after you have checked your baggage at the departure airport or port. The tourism agency adds that airlines will not retrieve checked bags for the tax-free procedure.

So the order is tax-free kiosk → bag drop → security. The kiosks (tax-free procedure terminals) and customs inspection points are in the international departure lobby, before bag drop and before security. At Kansai Airport, for example, Osaka Customs places the Terminal 1 kiosks, the inspection point and the dedicated Wi-Fi zone on the 4th floor.

Timing: no official source gives a number of minutes. The guidance only says to arrive early and leave enough time before check-in.
Missed flights: if you miss your flight because you left too little time for the tax-free procedure, neither the airline nor customs will compensate you. If you abandon an inspection midway to make your flight, it counts as no customs confirmation.
Domestic connections: if you fly a domestic leg first, do the procedure at the airport you actually leave Japan from.

WARNING

If any tax-free items are in your suitcase, go to the kiosk before you join the check-in queue. If you get a red result after your bag is checked, it cannot be brought back.

Step 5. The Kiosk Verdict: Green Means Done, Red Means Inspection

Scan your passport at the kiosk and the verdict appears within seconds.

Green: the tax-free procedure is complete. Head to check-in and drop your bags.
Red: go to the customs inspection point and show your purchases. Confirmed (OK) means you are done; not confirmed (NG) means no refund.

Keep your tax-free items on top of your suitcase or in your hand luggage. You are required to show them if customs asks.

Airports Where You Can Use Visit Japan Web

According to the Japan Tourism Agency, at Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu (Centrair), New Chitose, Fukuoka and Naha, you can complete the procedure online through Visit Japan Web on your phone instead of using a kiosk. It only works inside the area covered by the dedicated procedure Wi-Fi in the international departure lobby (up to security). Osaka Customs recommends the online route at Kansai because the kiosks can get crowded, and notes that you must be connected to that dedicated Wi-Fi. The tourism agency’s leaflet adds that registering with Visit Japan Web before or after arrival also smooths your entry and tax-free shopping.

INFO

The National Tax Agency Q&A (April 2026 revision) still described this online route as “under consideration”; the Japan Tourism Agency’s refund-model page has since listed it as available. The system is new and airport arrangements may change, so check again before you fly.

Step 6. The Refund: When and How

The sequence runs like this: the shop sends your purchase record, customs registers that it confirmed your departure, and then the shop or a refund operator it contracts with pays you back.

When: after customs confirmation completes the tax-free sale. There is no official deadline for how many days it takes.
How: the National Tax Agency says the law sets no rule on refund methods, and gives examples: bank transfer, credit-card remittance, app payment, or cash inside the departure airport after customs confirmation. Each shop decides.
Fees: no official rule. For reference, the PPIH group (operator of Don Quijote and other chains) announced that from 1 November its stores nationwide will charge no fee for refund applications, with the refund operator’s fee applying only when you collect cash at the airport (press release, October 2026). That is one company’s policy, so check shop by shop.

WARNING

Anything that customs has confirmed must actually leave Japan with you. If confirmed goods are not exported, the exempted consumption tax is collected and penalties can apply.

Seven Mistakes That Leave You With a ¥0 Refund

Checking your suitcase first: no customs confirmation after bag drop, and the bag cannot be retrieved.
Eating or using tax-free snacks or cosmetics before the airport: consumables used in Japan get no refund.
One item missing from a receipt: the whole receipt is refused.
Posting tax-free goods home yourself: separate shipment was abolished on 31 March 2025.
Going past 90 days: confirmation must happen on departure by day 90, counted from the day after purchase.
Abandoning the inspection to catch your flight: it counts as no confirmation.
Not being able to show the goods after a red result: an NG verdict means no refund.

Two Common Myths

“Japan is ending tax-free shopping.” No. Tax-free shopping stays; only the way you get the tax back changes.
“The refund is always cash at the airport.” No. The method is not set by law and varies by shop. Airport cash is just one option.

Japan Pre-Departure Tax-Free Checklist

Screenshot or print this and keep it with you until departure day. It applies to purchases made from 1 November 2026.

At the Till

☐ I have my physical passport with me
☐ The purchase is ¥5,000 or more excluding tax, at one shop on one day
☐ I asked about the refund method (card, bank, app, airport cash) and any fee
☐ I paid for things I will use in Japan separately
☐ I keep all tax-free receipts together

While in Japan

☐ I may have opened tax-free food or cosmetics, but I have not eaten or used them
☐ I kept packaging that identifies the items, such as boxes showing model names
☐ I did not post any tax-free goods home myself
☐ I leave Japan within 90 days, counted from the day after purchase

Packing

☐ Tax-free items are in the purchaser’s own luggage
☐ They sit on top of my suitcase or in my hand luggage, easy to pull out
☐ I packed appraisal certificates or warranties for items of ¥1,000,000+ per unit (excluding tax)
☐ If I used part of my purchases, I am ready to tell a customs officer first

At the Airport

☐ I arrived with extra time to spare
☐ I went to the tax-free kiosk before check-in
☐ I scanned my passport at the kiosk (or used Visit Japan Web in the dedicated Wi-Fi zone at Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, New Chitose, Fukuoka or Naha)
☐ I saw a green result before dropping my bags
☐ If red, I showed my purchases at the customs inspection point
☐ If I connect from a domestic flight, I do the procedure at my final international departure airport

After Departure

☐ I check emails and app notifications from the shop or refund operator
☐ Everything customs confirmed left Japan with me

Stay Connected From Till to Refund: Japan eSIM

The refund model puts your phone to work. Registering a refund method at the shop may mean installing an app or confirming an email, and the Japan Tourism Agency says registering with Visit Japan Web in advance smooths entry and tax-free shopping. On departure day you will also want to check trains to the airport, your flight status and the refund operator’s emails and notifications.

To be clear about one thing: the Visit Japan Web tax-free procedure at the airport is done on the dedicated Wi-Fi in the departure lobby. Everywhere else, from installing a refund app at the till to checking notifications on the way to the airport, your own mobile data is what keeps you moving. Install an eSIM at home before you leave and you are online the moment you land in Japan.

TIP

Keep your home SIM switched on for verification texts and use the eSIM for data, so card or refund-app codes still reach you. The setup order is in our pre-departure eSIM checklist.

Frequently Asked Questions

I bought tax-free items in October but fly out in November. Which rules apply?

The purchase date decides, not the departure date. Anything bought up to 31 October 2026 was sold under the old system, so the tax was already taken off at the till. The refund model applies to purchases made from 1 November 2026, and there is no transition period where both systems run side by side. If your shopping spans both periods, follow the airport signage and the customs officers on the day.

Is Japan abolishing tax-free shopping?

No. Tax-free shopping continues; only the timing of the tax relief changes. You pay the tax-inclusive price in the shop, get customs confirmation when you leave Japan, and then the tax is refunded.

I already checked my suitcase with the tax-free items inside. Can I still get the refund?

Official guidance says customs confirmation cannot be done after you check your bags, and airlines will not pull checked baggage back for the tax-free procedure. A receipt with no customs confirmation gets no refund. That is why the tax-free kiosk comes before the check-in counter.

When and how is the money refunded?

After customs confirmation completes the tax-free sale, the shop or a refund operator it contracts with pays you back. There is no official deadline for when the money arrives. The method is not fixed by law either: bank transfer, credit-card remittance, app payment or cash inside the departure airport are all possible, depending on the shop, so ask at the till.

How early should I get to the airport?

The official guidance gives no number of minutes. It only says to arrive early and leave enough time before check-in closes. The kiosk verdict takes a few seconds, but a red result means a customs inspection, and if the procedure makes you miss your flight, neither the airline nor customs will compensate you.

I ate some of the tax-free snacks before going to the airport. What now?

Consumables eaten or used in Japan cannot receive customs confirmation, so there is no refund for them. Confirmation works per receipt: if one item from a receipt is missing, nothing on that receipt is refunded. If you consumed part of your purchases, do not use the kiosk; tell a customs officer at the counter first.

Can I use my eSIM data instead of airport Wi-Fi for the Visit Japan Web tax-free procedure?

At the airport, the Visit Japan Web tax-free procedure is done while connected to the dedicated Wi-Fi in the departure lobby (Osaka Customs guidance for Kansai Airport). Your own data is what keeps everything else moving: registering a refund method at the shop, opening your Visit Japan Web QR code, and reading the refund operator emails and app notifications.

Official Sources Used

All checked on 16 October 2026. The system is brand new, and airport arrangements and refund-operator terms may change, so check the Japan Tourism Agency’s tax-free site (mlit.go.jp/kankocho/tax-free) before you fly.

National Tax Agency, Refund Model Q&A, overview edition (revised April 2026) — nta.go.jp
National Tax Agency, Japan Customs and Japan Tourism Agency, traveller leaflet for tax-free purchases from November 2026 — nta.go.jp
Japan Tourism Agency, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, National Tax Agency and Japan Customs, leaflet on the switch to the refund model from November 2026 — mlit.go.jp
Japan Tourism Agency tax-free shop site, refund-model page and traveller FAQ — mlit.go.jp
Osaka Customs, tax-free procedures at Kansai International Airport — customs.go.jp
PPIH group press release (October 2026) on refund application fees

Japan eSIM

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