Japan’s tax-free shopping gives visitors back the consumption tax on goods they buy in Japan and take out of the country. For purchases from 1 November 2026, the tax is no longer taken off at the till: it is refunded after a customs check when the visitor leaves Japan.
What changed
Until October 2026
- 01 Pay the price without tax done at the till
From November 2026
- 01 Pay the price with tax passport, refund method
- 02 Customs check on departure before bag drop, 90 days
- 03 Tax refunded as the shop arranges
National Tax Agency and Japan Tourism Agency tax-free guidance.
Better for visitors
- No cap on consumables over ¥500,000 counts
- ¥5,000 combined general and consumables
- No sealed bags easier packing
More effort
- Tax paid up front money back after leaving
- Airport customs check before bag drop, 90 days
- A fee may be taken off depends on the shop
National Tax Agency notice on the reform, Japan Tourism Agency traveller guidance.
The minimum counts what one shop sells to one visitor in one day, before tax. Shopping streets and malls with a shared tax-free counter can add up purchases from several shops on the same day. Purchases made up to 31 October 2026 stay under the old system.
Tax-free shops: where they are and what they need
A tax-free shop is a store licensed by the tax office. Department stores, drugstores, electronics stores, malls and souvenir shops in sightseeing areas carry the licence across cities and tourist spots, and many show a Japan. Tax-free Shop sign at the entrance or till. The licence belongs to each store, so branches of the same chain can differ.
Airport duty-free shops past departure immigration are a separate system. They sell without tax from the start, so there is no airport customs check or refund for them.
- The passport itself under 6 months in Japan
- A card or app for the refund registered at purchase
- Tax-free Shop sign marks a tax-free shop
Japan Tourism Agency list of eligible buyers. Cruise passengers landing on a cruise landing permit need the passport and the permit.
Tax-free shopping is open to foreign visitors who do not live in Japan and entered less than six months ago, and to Japanese nationals who have lived abroad for two years or more. Gold and platinum bullion, gold and platinum coins, and goods not subject to consumption tax are excluded.
How much comes back
paid at the shop
An item priced ¥10,000 before tax. Consumption tax: 10% on cosmetics, electronics, clothes and the like, 8% on food and drink. National Tax Agency tax rates.
The law does not say whether the visitor or the shop pays the refund handling fee, so depending on the shop or its refund agent, the amount that arrives can be net of a fee. The Japanese government charges no fee.
- Paid to a credit card
- Bank transfer
- App transfer
- Yen cash at the airport after the customs check
- Coupons or points
Japan Tourism Agency traveller FAQ and National Tax Agency Q&A. The shop chooses the method.
The shop explains its method at the time of purchase, which is also when the refund method is registered. The money generally arrives after the customs check at the departure airport, and without that check no method pays out.
At the departure airport: when and where
Tax-free kiosk
- 01 Departure hall international departures
- 02 Passport scanned at a kiosk with all goods at hand
- 03 Green screen: done red: customs inspection
- 04 Check-in and bag drop
- 05 Security and immigration
Visit Japan Web (7 airports)
- 01 Dedicated airport Wi-Fi departure hall
- 02 Purchase records confirmed Refund procedure in app
- 03 Completed: done otherwise: inspection
- 04 Check-in and bag drop
- 05 Security and immigration
Japan Tourism Agency traveller guidance and National Tax Agency online procedure guide. Online is for short-term stay status only.
The customs check comes before the check-in counters. Checked bags cannot be pulled back, so the check has to be done before the bag holding the goods is handed over, and even without checked bags, both the kiosks and the online procedure work only before security.
Reading the passport and showing the result takes a few seconds, and an inspection takes longer. The Japan Tourism Agency advises reaching the airport with time to spare. Neither the airline nor customs compensates a missed flight caused by the procedure.
| Airport | Tax-free kiosks (departure hall) | Online |
|---|---|---|
| Narita | T1 4F, T2 3F, T3 2F | Yes |
| Haneda | T2 international area 3F, T3 3F | Yes |
| Kansai | T1 4F, T2 1F | Yes |
| Chubu | T1 3F, T2 2F | Yes |
| Fukuoka | International terminal 3F | Yes |
| New Chitose | International terminal 3F | Yes |
| Naha | International area 3F | Yes |
| Other airports and seaports | On the Japan Customs map | No |
Locations follow the Japan Customs map of tax-free kiosks and inspection areas, and the customs inspection area sits near the kiosks. Haneda also has self tax refund kiosks after security that pay the refund in yen cash, used by shops that offer cash at the airport.
When a domestic flight connects to an international one, the customs check happens at the last airport before leaving Japan. Items priced at ¥1,000,000 or more before tax can prompt a request for an appraisal certificate or warranty, and having them ready speeds up the check.
What cancels a refund
- Goods already in checked bags can't be pulled back
- One item on a receipt missing the whole receipt is out
- Used or eaten in Japan reported to customs
- More than 90 days since purchase
Japan Tourism Agency guidance and FAQ for travellers.
Customs checks goods receipt by receipt. Items used up from one receipt do not affect the goods on another receipt, which stay eligible. Goods confirmed by customs and then not taken out of Japan mean the refunded tax is collected again, and penalties can apply.
The consumption tax paid at a tax-free shop comes back after one customs check at the departure airport, and without that check it does not come back.
