Japan Tax Refund From 1 November 2026: The Complete Guide to the New System

La Japan tax refund works differently from 1 November 2026: you pay the full price, tax included, at the till, clear a customs check at the airport within 90 days, and the shop then pays the tax back. Anything bought up to 31 October 2026 still follows the old system, where the tax usually came off at the register.

Japan calls this the refund method. This guide covers both systems side by side, a step-by-step for the till and the airport, how and when the money arrives, and the mistakes that will cost people their refund.

Japan tax refund: what changes on 1 November 2026?

The change is set by the National Tax Agency and explained for travellers by the Japan Tourism Agency. Here is the old system next to the new one.

Japan tax refund rules	Until 31 October 2026	From 1 November 2026
At the till	Tax-free price at most shops	Full price, tax included
Passport	Shown at the shop	Shown at the shop, then scanned again at a customs terminal when you leave
Minimum spend	¥5,000 before tax; general goods and consumables usually counted separately	¥5,000 before tax, everything combined, one shop, one day
Consumables cap	¥500,000 per shop per day	No cap
Sealed bags	Required for food, drink, cosmetics	Not required, but nothing can be used in Japan
Deadline	Consumables out of Japan within 30 days	Customs check within 90 days of purchase, for everything
Customs check	After security, airside	Before security and before baggage check-in, in the departure lobby
Getting the tax back	Taken off at the till, or refunded at a store counter	Paid by the shop or its refund company after customs confirms
Fees	Some store counters keep a fee	Set by each shop or refund company; the government charges none
Shipping goods home	Not eligible since 31 March 2025	Not eligible (some shops may export for you; ask)

Three changes help you. A ¥3,000 shirt and ¥2,500 of snacks now add up to ¥5,500 and qualify, where under the old rules each would usually have missed the line. The ¥500,000 consumables cap and the sealed bags are both gone.

The rest makes life harder. The money comes back later, by a route that changes from shop to shop, and there is a job to do at the airport before you check in. Miss it and there is no refund.

Who can get a Japan tax refund?

The refund is for visitors, not residents. That means foreign nationals on Temporary Visitor status, which is what most tourists get on arrival, plus a few other statuses.

Japanese nationals who have lived abroad for two years or more also qualify. The JTA traveller FAQ accepts a residency certificate, a copy of the family register attachment, or a My Number Card showing the move abroad.

• ¥5,000 or more before tax, at the same shop on the same day
• Goods you carry out of Japan yourself, in quantities you can take when you leave
• Nothing on the excluded list: gold and platinum bullion, and anything that carries no consumption tax

How much do you actually get back?

Your refund is the consumption tax you paid. Most goods carry 10%, while food and non-alcoholic drinks carry 8% (alcohol is 10%).

• A camera at ¥50,000 before tax costs ¥55,000 at the till. The tax is ¥5,000.
• ¥10,000 of snacks costs ¥10,800. The tax is ¥800.

Then there is the fee. The JTA’s FAQ for shops says there is no rule on whether the traveller or the shop pays a refund company’s fee, and the government itself charges nothing. Some shops already keep one: Hankyu department stores deduct 1.55% of the pre-tax price, so the ¥50,000 camera returns ¥4,225, not ¥5,000.

The same FAQ even mentions refunds in the form of coupons or points. If you want cash or money on your card, say so at the till.

Price tags and signs: the Japanese to know

The ¥5,000 minimum uses the price before tax. With tax that is ¥5,500 for most goods and ¥5,400 for food, so a ¥5,400 jacket is still just under the line.

• 税込 (zeikomi): tax included, what you pay
• 税抜 (zeinuki): before tax, the figure the minimum uses
• 免税 (menzei): tax-free, on shop doors and airport signs
• 免税手続き (menzei tetsuzuki): the tax-free procedure
• 税関 (zeikan): customs
• 返金 (henkin): refund
• 手数料 (tesūryō): handling fee, the word to listen for

How to claim a Japan tax refund at the till, step by step

1. Check the shop and the receipt total

Look for the tax-free sign and make sure one receipt reaches ¥5,000 before tax. Buy anything you’ll eat or use during the trip on a separate, ordinary receipt, without your passport.

2. Show your passport

Hand over your passport, as before. The shop records the sale against it electronically, and that record is what customs checks when you leave.

3. Pay the full, tax-inclusive price

You pay what a resident pays, by cash or card. Nothing comes off at the register any more.

4. Register how you will be refunded

The JTA says the shop will tell you how to register your refund method when you buy. That could be a card, an app or bank details, or cash at the airport after the customs check.

💡 Japan Pro Tip: Ask one question before you pay: “How and when will I get my tax refund, and is there a fee?” Also ask how long you have to claim: the shops’ FAQ says there is no legal cut-off and tells shops to agree one with you.

5. Keep the receipt and the goods together

Customs checks one receipt at a time. Items priced at ¥1,000,000 or more before tax are recorded in detail (brand, model, model number, colour), so keep the warranty or certificate of authenticity with them.

The 90-day deadline

You have 90 days from the date of purchase to leave Japan and clear the customs check. Each receipt has its own 90 days, counted from the day you bought the goods, not the day you fly.

Buy on 1 November and your window closes at the end of January 2027. Most visitors fly home well inside it; it matters on long stays and trips where you leave Japan and come back.

How to claim your Japan tax refund at the airport, step by step

1. Arrive early and keep the goods with you

The terminals and customs inspection areas are in the international departure lobby, before baggage check-in. Once your bags are checked, you cannot do the procedure, and you can’t get checked bags back to do it.

2. Scan your passport at a tax-free terminal

Find a tax-free procedure kiosk and scan your passport; the JTA says it takes a few seconds. At Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, Fukuoka, New Chitose and Naha you can use Visit Japan Web instead, on the dedicated Wi-Fi in the departure lobby before security.

3. Green or red

• Green: no inspection. The customs step is done
• Red: take your tax-free goods to the customs inspection area and show them

If one item on a receipt is missing, nothing on that receipt qualifies. If you ate or used something, don’t start the procedure for it: report it to a customs officer at the counter.

4. Check in, fly, and take the goods out

Then check your bags as normal. Goods that pass customs must leave Japan without delay, or the tax is collected back with a penalty.

Connecting from a domestic flight? Do the procedure at the airport where you finally leave Japan. On a fly-and-cruise trip, do it at the airport you fly out from; on a cruise that starts and ends abroad, at the last Japanese port.

💡 Japan Pro Tip: Add 30 minutes to your airport timing and keep your tax-free goods in one bag you haven’t closed yet. The JTA warns that neither customs nor airlines compensate you if the procedure makes you miss your flight.

When and how is the refund paid?

After customs confirms the export, the shop, or a refund company working for it, pays you back. The possible methods are bank transfer, credit card, app payment, or cash at the port of departure after the customs check.

What nobody gives is a deadline. The National Tax Agency says Japan’s consumption tax law sets no rules on how the refund is carried out. Each shop decides the method, timing and fee, and there is no government office to chase.

Visit Japan Web covers the customs step, not the payment. If money doesn’t arrive, contact the shop or the refund company it named, with your receipt.

💡 Japan Pro Tip: On big purchases, a refund to a credit card is the easiest to chase, because you have a statement and a named merchant. Cash at the airport is quickest, but leaves no paper trail.

What got easier, and what didn’t

• Easier: no sealed bags, no ¥500,000 consumables cap, one combined ¥5,000 minimum, and 90 days instead of 30 for food and cosmetics
• Harder: you pay the tax up front, the refund depends on each shop, and there is a compulsory stop before check-in
• Unchanged: passport at the till, goods must leave with you, and posting things home doesn’t count

Five ways to lose your Japan tax refund

• You checked your bags first. The biggest risk, and it cannot be fixed afterwards
• You missed the 90 days. Each receipt has its own deadline
• One item on a receipt is missing. Eaten, used, given away or posted home, it takes the whole receipt with it
• You spent under ¥5,000 before tax at one shop in one day
• You never set up a refund method. Sort it out at the till, not from home

Travelling across 1 November

Purchases up to and including 31 October 2026 follow the old rules: tax off at most tills, sealed bags for consumables, and 30 days to take them out. There is no overlap period.

If your trip spans the changeover, so will your receipts. Do the airport procedure for the November receipts before you check in, and keep the old-rule goods with you too.

Budgeting the trip? Our Japan travel cost guide has daily figures. Flying from Haneda or Kansai, see our Haneda layover and Kansai Airport to Kyoto guides; for shopping ideas, Japan exclusive perfumes and Shibuya Marui.

Japan tax refund FAQ

Sources and how we checked

We checked these rules on 19 October 2026 against the Japan Tourism Agency traveller guide, its traveller FAQ and shop FAQ, the customs and tax traveller leaflet, the National Tax Agency and JNTO. The JTA page is where any change appears first, and we will update this page once shops start paying refunds under the new system.