Japan's tax-free shopping switches to refunds on 1 November

Japan is changing how visitors shop tax-free. For purchases made on or after 1 November 2026, tax-free shops will charge the full price, consumption tax included, and the tax comes back only after customs confirms at departure that the goods are leaving the country.

Until 31 October, shops still take the tax off at the till.

What stays and what goes

The threshold does not move: you still need to spend ¥5,000 or more before tax, in one shop on one day.

Three restrictions disappear. There is no longer a ¥500,000 limit on consumables such as food, drink and cosmetics, the special sealed bags go, and so does the check that goods are not for business use, so you can buy as much as you can carry out.

At the airport

The refund depends on a customs check when you leave, within 90 days of the purchase. In the international departure lobby, before you check in your bags, scan your passport at a tax-free kiosk. Green means you are done; red means taking the goods to the customs inspection area. At Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, Fukuoka, New Chitose and Naha you can also do this step online through Visit Japan Web, on dedicated Wi-Fi in the departure lobby. Do it before anything else. The Japan Tourism Agency says bags cannot be retrieved once checked in, and that if you miss your flight because the procedure ran long, "neither the airline nor Customs will provide compensation".

Flying home via a domestic connection? The check happens at the airport where you leave Japan.

Getting the money back

Customs does not pay you. The shop does, or a refund agent working for it, by bank transfer, a credit to your card, an app, or cash at the airport after the check, depending on the shop. Ask how before you pay, and ask about fees, which the official pages do not cover.

Airports are adding machines for it. From 1 November, self-service kiosks run by Japan Airport Terminal and Glory at Haneda Terminals 2 and 3, Narita Terminals 1 and 2 and Naha pay the refund in yen in about a minute, Travel Voice reports. Kansai Airports says Kansai will have 28 kiosks for the customs step, 21 that hand over cash after departure formalities, and a counter in Terminal 1.

What voids a refund

Customs checks each receipt as a unit, so one missing item sinks the whole receipt.

Food, drinks or cosmetics eaten or used in Japan do not qualify; tell the customs officer instead of using the kiosk. Goods that pass the check but stay in Japan bring back the tax plus penalties. Anything costing ¥1 million or more before tax may need its certificate of authenticity or warranty.

Also from 1 November: dearer surcharges on JAL and ANA

Japan's two big airlines raise fuel surcharges for tickets issued between 1 November and 31 December. On itineraries that start in Japan, the charge between Japan and Europe or North America rises to ¥62,000 per segment, from ¥50,000 on JAL and ¥55,000 on ANA, subject to government approval, and ANA says a government subsidy is holding the rise down.

The surcharge follows the day the ticket is issued. Booking either airline before 1 November, even for travel later in the winter, keeps the October rate. Tickets bought outside Japan carry surcharges in dollars, pounds or euros that change on the same date, so check the airline's surcharge page for your route.