Data study · Shopping & Tax-free
Japan's tax-free shopping became a refund on Nov 1, 2026: what changed for visitors
Quotable facts
- From November 1, 2026, visitors pay the full tax-inclusive price at Japan's tax-free shops. The consumption tax comes back only after customs confirms the goods are leaving Japan. Source: Japan Tourism Agency
- The customs check has to happen within 90 days of purchase, before you check in your bags. Checked bags cannot be taken back out for it. Source: Japan Tourism Agency
- Customs checks go receipt by receipt: if one item on a receipt is missing or has been eaten, nothing on that receipt is refunded. Source: Japan Tourism Agency FAQ
- The ¥500,000 limit and the sealed bags for consumables are gone. The minimum of ¥5,000 (before tax) per store per day stays. Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Changes to Tax-Free Goods
- Japan had 64,127 tax-free shops on March 31, 2026, more than 15 times the 4,173 it had on April 1, 2012. Source: Japan Tourism Agency, from National Tax Agency data
Until October 31, 2026, a visitor with a passport could walk into a tax-free shop in Japan and pay the price without consumption tax. That ended for purchases made on or after November 1, 2026. Japan now uses what the Japan Tourism Agency calls the Refund Method (リファンド方式): you pay the normal price including tax, and the tax amount is paid back after customs at the airport or seaport confirms you are taking the goods out of Japan. Japan Tourism Agency
The headline change is simple. The details are where people will lose money: a 90-day clock, a check that must happen before bag drop, receipts that are judged as a whole, and refund fees that depend on the shop. This page puts the old and new rules side by side, using only the government's own pages and the updated pages of two large chains.
Before and after
| Until Oct 31, 2026 | From Nov 1, 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay at the till | The tax-exclusive price. The tax is taken off at purchase. JTA | The full tax-inclusive price. JTA |
| When the tax comes back | Never charged in the first place. | As a refund of the "amount equivalent to consumption tax", after customs confirms the goods are leaving Japan. JTA |
| Customs deadline | No refund step to complete. | Within 90 days of the purchase date, at a tax-free terminal at the airport or seaport. JTA |
| Minimum spend | ¥5,000 or more. JTA changes PDF | No change: ¥5,000 or more (tax excluded) per store per day. JTA |
| General goods vs consumables | Goods were split into general products and consumables. JTA changes PDF | The distinction is abolished. JTA changes PDF |
| Upper limit on consumables | ¥500,000. JTA changes PDF | Abolished. JTA changes PDF |
| Sealed bags | Consumables went into special packaging. JTA changes PDF | Abolished, but food, drinks or cosmetics used up in Japan lose their refund. JTA |
| Business-use check | The shop had to confirm the goods were not for business use. JTA changes PDF | Abolished. Instead you may only buy what you can personally carry out of Japan. JTA changes PDF |
| Items that never qualify | Items clearly bought for business or resale, gold or platinum bullion, items already exempt from consumption tax. JTA changes PDF | Gold and platinum bullion, gold and platinum coins, items already exempt from consumption tax. JTA changes PDF |
| How the money reaches you | Not applicable. | Paid by the shop or a refund company it uses: bank transfer, credit card, an app, or cash at the port of departure. It varies by shop. JTA FAQ |
| Missing item on a receipt | Not applicable. | If even one item from a receipt is not with you, nothing on that receipt is refunded. JTA |
| Miss your flight in the queue | Not applicable. | Neither the airline nor customs pays compensation. JTA |
How the refund works, step by step
- Spend ¥5,000 or more (before tax) at one tax-free shop on one day, and show your passport. You pay the full price. JTA
- Register how you want to be paid. Don Quijote asks you to do this on its refund provider's website, through the QR code on your receipt, within 180 days of purchase. 2nd STREET also uses the QR code on the receipt. Don Quijote, 2nd STREET
- Keep every item from each receipt with you, unopened and unused if it is food, drink or cosmetics. JTA FAQ
- At departure, before bag drop and within 90 days of purchase, scan your passport at a tax-free procedure terminal in the international departure lobby. Green means done. Red means you take the goods to the customs inspection area. JTA
- The refund is paid after customs confirms the export, by the method the shop offers. JTA FAQ
How much comes back
The refund is the consumption tax you paid. Japan's standard rate is 10%, and 8% applies to food and drink other than alcohol and eating out. National Tax Agency
At the 10% rate, the tax is 10/110 of the price on the tag, about 9.1%. So a ¥11,000 purchase carries ¥1,000 of tax. Some shops take a fee out of that: 2nd STREET says the refund is the tax minus a set processing fee, while Don Quijote's group says it charges no fee itself, though taking the refund as cash at the airport costs a fee set by the refund company. 2nd STREET, Don Quijote
The four ways to lose your refund
- Checking in your bags first. The terminal check has to be done before bag drop, and checked bags cannot be retrieved for it. JTA FAQ
- Eating, drinking or using part of a purchase. Customs judges each receipt as a whole, so one opened snack can cost you the refund on everything bought with it. If you have used something, do not use the terminal; tell a customs officer at the counter. JTA
- Running out of time. If you give up on the check because your flight is boarding, it counts as not completed, and nobody compensates you for a missed flight. JTA
- Going past 90 days. The customs check must happen within 90 days of the purchase date. JTA
What two big chains say now
Don Quijote (PPIH group) says refunds go through a designated refund provider, not the stores. You register a bank account or other method on the provider's site within 180 days of purchase, and registering on another company's site will not work for Donki purchases. Tax-free processing is only done on the day of purchase at the store where you bought. Don Quijote
2nd STREET says it deducts a set processing fee from the refund, that refund registration is through the QR code on the receipt, that it does not support Visit Japan Web or tax-free cards, and that you must be within 6 months of landing in Japan. 2nd STREET
Who can still shop tax-free
Foreign nationals who are not resident in Japan and can show they entered Japan less than six months ago, for example on Temporary Visitor status. The six-month condition does not apply to diplomats, officials and US military personnel. Japanese nationals qualify if they can prove they have lived outside Japan for two years or more and came back less than six months ago. JTA list of eligible purchasers
The size of the change
The rule applies at a lot of tills. The Japan Tourism Agency counted 64,127 tax-free shops on March 31, 2026: 39,753 in the three big metro areas (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Aichi, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo) and 24,374 in the rest of the country. Tokyo alone had 16,145. The national total was down 372 (0.58%) from 64,499 six months earlier, and up from 4,173 on April 1, 2012. JTA count, by prefecture (PDF)
FAQ
Is tax-free shopping in Japan gone?
No. It now works as a refund. You pay the full price, then get the consumption tax back after customs confirms at departure that you are taking the goods out of Japan. JTA
How long do I have?
The customs check must happen within 90 days of the purchase date. Don Quijote also asks you to register your refund method within 180 days of purchase. JTA, Don Quijote
Can I eat the snacks I bought tax-free?
You can, but then they are not refunded. Sealed bags are gone, yet food, drinks or cosmetics used in Japan are not eligible, and because checks are done per receipt, the other items on that receipt lose their refund too. Don Quijote asks you to tell staff before checkout if you plan to use anything in Japan. JTA FAQ, Don Quijote
Can I do the check online?
At Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, Fukuoka, New Chitose and Naha you can also complete it through Visit Japan Web on the dedicated Wi-Fi in the international departure lobby, up to the security checkpoint. Elsewhere you use the terminal. JTA
Where are the terminals?
In the international departure lobby, before baggage check-in. Japan Customs has maps per airport and seaport, and says some ports do not have a permanent terminal. Japan Customs
I fly home via a domestic connection. Where do I do it?
At the airport where you leave Japan on your international flight, not the domestic one. JTA
Is there a fee?
It depends on the shop. 2nd STREET deducts a set processing fee. Don Quijote charges no fee itself, but cash at the airport carries a fee from the refund company. 2nd STREET, Don Quijote
Can the shop ship my purchases home instead?
That depends on the shop. The government notes that the method where shoppers posted their own tax-free goods home ended on March 31, 2025. Don Quijote delivers only to hotels and airports in Japan, at selected stores. JTA FAQ, Don Quijote
What if I buy something worth ¥1 million or more?
Customs may ask to see a certificate of authenticity or warranty with it, so keep those with the item. JTA FAQ
Sources
- Japan Tourism Agency: traveler page on the Refund Method
- Japan Tourism Agency: FAQ for travelers (Refund Method)
- Japan Tourism Agency: Changes to Tax-Free Goods (PDF)
- Japan Tourism Agency: eligible tax-free purchasers (PDF)
- Japan Tourism Agency: tax-free shops by prefecture, March 31, 2026
- Japan Tourism Agency: distribution of tax-free shops (PDF)
- Japan Tourism Agency: tax-free shop numbers over time (PDF)
- JNTO: Everything you need to know about Japan's new tax-free shopping system
- Japan Customs: tax refund kiosk and inspection area maps
- National Tax Agency: consumption tax rates
- Don Quijote: tax-free shopping
- 2nd STREET: tax-free shops
All sources were opened on November 1, 2026. Rules can change; the Japan Tourism Agency pages are the final word. Nothing here is tax advice.
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