Japan Tax-Free Shopping Changed in Nov 2026: Get Your Tax Back
Short answer: since 1 November 2026, tax-free shops in Japan charge you the full price, including consumption tax (10%, or 8% on food and non-alcoholic drinks). When you leave Japan, Customs confirms that you are taking the goods out, and the shop, or a refund service it uses, then refunds the tax by the method you registered. If even one item from the same receipt is missing at that check, none of the items on that receipt are refunded. Do the check before you drop your bags at check-in.
Purchases made up to 31 October 2026 stay under the old system, where the tax came off at the till, and there is no transition period. On ¥50,000 of clothes or electronics (before tax), the tax is ¥5,000, and on ¥50,000 of snacks it is ¥4,000, so this one check at the airport decides whether you get that money back.
What changed on 1 November 2026
| Bought by 31 October 2026 | Bought from 1 November 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| At the shop | Tax removed, you pay the tax-free price | You pay the full price including tax |
| When you leave Japan | Old procedure | Customs confirms you are taking the goods out |
| Getting the tax back | Not needed | The shop, or a refund service it uses, refunds the tax |
What decides which system applies is the date you bought the goods, not the date you fly. Something bought on 31 October stays under the old system even if you leave in December.
The Customs check has to happen when you leave Japan within 90 days of the purchase date, counted from the day after you buy. Buy on 1 November, and the check has to be done by 30 January.
Who can use it
- Foreign nationals who are non-residents, such as visitors on a Temporary Visitor (short-term stay) status. As a rule, you must have entered Japan less than six months ago.
- Japanese nationals who are non-residents and have lived abroad for two years or more, shown by documents such as a residence certificate issued abroad.
The official pages list the full conditions.
What you can buy tax-free now
Illustrative photo of a shopping street in Tokyo, not a specific tax-free shop. Photo by Faheem Ahamad on Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/photo/bustling-tokyo-street-scene-with-shoppers-40248803/)
- Minimum spend: ¥5,000 or more, before tax, at the same shop on the same day.
- One category now. The old split between general goods and consumables (food, drinks, cosmetics, medicine) is gone, and so is the old ¥500,000 limit on consumables and the sealed tax-free bag.
- The new limit: only as much as you can take out of Japan yourself when you leave.
- Do not use up consumables in Japan. If you eat, drink or use up any food, drinks, medicine or cosmetics you bought tax-free, nothing on that receipt can be checked or refunded. If that happens, tell a Customs officer at the counter before using the kiosk.
- Not covered: gold and platinum bullion, gold and platinum coins, and anything that carries no consumption tax.
If you buy halal snacks or cosmetics tax-free to take home, keep them closed until you are out of Japan.
At the airport, step by step
Illustrative photo of an airport lobby in Japan, not the tax-free kiosk. Photo by Ming Chin Hsieh on Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-walking-at-the-fukuoka-airport-in-japan-18097039/)
- Before check-in and bag drop, go to the tax-free kiosk at your departure airport and scan your own passport.
- Green result: you are done.
- Red result: go to the Customs inspection point and show the goods.
- After the check, the goods can go in your checked bag or your carry-on.
Once a bag is checked in, you cannot do the tax-free procedure for anything inside it, and you will not get the refund. Keep everything you bought tax-free out of your checked luggage until the check is done.
Illustrative photo. Photo by Sergei Bezborodov on Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/photo/bar-code-on-a-luggage-15444391/)
At Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, Fukuoka, New Chitose and Naha, you can also do the procedure online with Visit Japan Web and the dedicated Wi-Fi, before the security check. Japanese nationals cannot use this online option.
Flying out via a domestic connection? The check happens at the last airport before you leave Japan. Carry the goods with you, or collect your checked bag at that airport.
Shipping things home? If you send goods by post or courier before the Customs check, they are not refunded, and neither is anything else on the same receipt.
Six habits that protect your refund
Illustrative photo. Photo by Kaboompics on Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-holding-a-receipt-4959907/)
- Keep each receipt's items together. The check works per receipt. One missing item means nothing on that receipt is refunded.
- Keep goods in their original boxes and bags until the check, so Customs can identify them.
- Pack tax-free goods in one place that you can reach before bag drop.
- Do not open tax-free food or cosmetics in Japan, including snacks you meant to try on the last day.
- Leave time at the airport for the kiosk, and for the inspection point if you get a red result.
- Ask each shop how it refunds and whether any fee is deducted, before you leave the till.
How and when you get the money
This depends on the shop. The National Tax Agency lists examples such as bank transfer, credit card, app payment or cash at the port of departure, and says the tax law sets no rule on the method. The Japan Tourism Agency tells travellers to ask the shop for refund details, and its FAQ for shops says no rule decides whether the traveller or the shop pays a refund agent's fee. None of the official pages gives a number of days. Ask at the shop, and keep any instructions it gives you.
The Japan Tourism Agency has a leaflet for travellers in Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Korean.
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Discounts that still work (checked on official pages, 4 to 6 November 2026)
| What | Amount | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Skyliner (Narita Airport to Ueno and Nippori), bought online on Keisei's site | One way ¥2,580 → ¥2,310, round trip ¥5,160 → ¥4,500 for adults. Children: one way ¥1,150, round trip ¥2,240 | Round-trip tickets cannot be exchanged at Ueno or Nippori Station |
| Bic Camera, paying with Visa | 5% off, on top of the tax-free refund | ¥5,264 or more before tax, passport required, tax-free conditions apply. Many brands and categories are excluded, including Apple, game consoles, medicines, cosmetics and alcohol. Visa's page gives no end date |
| Isetan Mitsukoshi Shopping Coupon (in the store app) | 5% off | Non-Japanese passport and short-term stay (within six months of landing). Excludes sale items, items under ¥3,000 before tax, food and services, and some luxury brands |
| HARUKA discounted one-way ticket (Kansai Airport) | Osaka and Shin-Osaka ¥1,900, Tennoji ¥1,600, Kyoto ¥2,700, Kobe ¥2,300, Nara ¥2,200 (adults) | Passport issued by a foreign government and Temporary Visitor status. Not sold within Japan: buy it before you travel, through a travel agency abroad or JR-WEST ONLINE. Confirm the price when you buy (see the note at the end) |
| Tokyo Subway Ticket | 24 hours ¥1,000, 48 hours ¥1,500, 72 hours ¥2,000 (adults). Children half | For overseas visitors, and for visitors living outside Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Yamanashi |
The Bic Camera page still describes the discount as "plus 10% tax exemption", the wording of the old system. Under the new system, the tax comes back as a refund after the Customs check.
Discounts that have ended but older guides may still list
| What | What happened |
|---|---|
| Matsumoto Kiyoshi with Visa (3%, 5% or 7% off) | The offer period ended on 31 December 2024 |
| Isetan Mitsukoshi Guest Card | Issuing ended on 25 March 2025. The app's Shopping Coupon replaced it |
| JCB ARIGATO! campaign (¥10,000 back for overseas-issued JCB cards, with pre-registration, after ¥100,000 of in-store spending) | Ran from 1 February to 30 April 2026 |
| Tokyo Subway Ticket at lower prices | The prices above are the current ones. Older guides may still show lower prices |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I still get tax-free prices at the shop in Japan? No. From 1 November 2026 you pay the full price including consumption tax (10%, or 8% on food and non-alcoholic drinks). The tax is refunded after Customs confirms at departure that you are taking the goods out of Japan.
What happens if I lose, ship or consume one item from a receipt? Nothing on that receipt is refunded. The Customs check is done per receipt, so keep every item from each receipt with you. Using items such as cameras or clothes in Japan is fine, as long as you take them out.
Can I put tax-free goods in my checked luggage? Only after the Customs check. Once a bag is checked in, you cannot do the procedure for what is inside it, and you lose the refund.
How long do I have? You must leave Japan and complete the Customs check within 90 days, counted from the day after the purchase. Buy on 1 November, and the check has to be done by 30 January.
How will the shop refund me, and how long does it take? It differs by shop. Ask at the till when you buy, including whether any fee is deducted.
Is there still a limit on food and cosmetics? The ¥500,000 limit on consumables has gone. The limit now is what you can take out of Japan yourself. Do not open or use food, drinks or cosmetics in Japan.
Find halal restaurants near your hotel, prayer spaces near the shops, and Muslim-friendly stays across Japan on Halal Navi.
What we could and could not verify
We read the National Tax Agency's pages and its Q&A on the refund method (July 2026 edition), Japan Customs' traveller pages and English guide, the Japan Tourism Agency's tax-free pages and its FAQ for tax-free shops, and the Kanto District Transport Bureau's notice, all on 6 November 2026. We read the discount pages of Keisei, Visa (Bic Camera and Matsumoto Kiyoshi), Isetan Mitsukoshi, JR West and Tokyo Metro, and JCB's press release, on 4 to 6 November 2026.
We did not list refund methods or refund times, because they differ by shop and the official pages give none. JR West's HARUKA page shows one price table and says the price changed for tickets sold from 1 November 2026, but also says its information is current as of 5 February 2025, so confirm the price when you buy. Discount conditions can change without notice, so check the official page before you rely on one.
Sources
- National Tax Agency, tax-free sales under the refund method: https://www.nta.go.jp/publication/pamph/shohi/menzei/201805/format/002.htm (checked 6 November 2026)
- National Tax Agency, reduced consumption tax rate (8%): https://www.nta.go.jp/taxes/shiraberu/zeimokubetsu/shohi/keigenzeiritsu/01.htm (checked 6 November 2026)
- Japan Customs, consumption tax refund for travellers (English): https://www.customs.go.jp/kaigairyoko/taxrefund.htm (checked 6 November 2026)
- Japan Customs, traveller guide (English, PDF): https://www.customs.go.jp/kaigairyoko/taxrefund/refund_english.pdf (checked 6 November 2026)
- Japan Tourism Agency, FAQ for tax-free shops: https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/tax-free/page01_000001_00024.html (checked 6 November 2026)
- Japan Tourism Agency, information and leaflet for travellers: https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/tax-free/page01_000001_00021.html (checked 6 November 2026)
- Kanto District Transport Bureau, tax-free system change: https://wwwtb.mlit.go.jp/kanto/kankou/kankou/tax_free.html (checked 6 November 2026)
- Keisei Electric Railway, Skyliner discount tickets: https://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/skyliner/us/tickets/coupon.php (checked 6 November 2026)
- Visa, Bic Camera offer: https://www.visa.co.jp/pay-with-visa/biccamera-discounts-and-offers.html (checked 6 November 2026)
- Isetan Mitsukoshi, Shopping Coupon: https://cp.mistore.jp/global/en/app/shopping-coupon.html (checked 6 November 2026)
- Isetan Mitsukoshi, Guest Card: https://cp.mistore.jp/global/en/guestcard.html (checked 6 November 2026)
- JR West, HARUKA discounted one-way ticket: https://www.westjr.co.jp/travel-information/en/tickets-passes/oneway/haruka/ (checked 6 November 2026)
- Tokyo Metro, Tokyo Subway Ticket: https://www.tokyometro.jp/en/ticket/travel/ (checked 6 November 2026)
- Visa, Matsumoto Kiyoshi offer: https://www.visa.co.jp/pay-with-visa/matsukiyoshi-discounts-and-offers.html (checked 6 November 2026)
- JCB, press release on the JCB ARIGATO! campaign (PDF): https://www.global.jcb/ja/press/2026/202601301000_overseas.pdf (checked 6 November 2026)
About this article
Written and halal-verified by Zeshan Hayat, CMO & Head Halal Auditor, Halal Navi.
Update policy: If you spot outdated information, we will review and correct it within 7 days.
Disclosure: Halal Navi receives no payment from any restaurant or hotel in exchange for inclusion, and all recommendations reflect independent editorial judgment based on Muslim-friendly criteria. Some articles contain affiliate booking links (e.g. Trip.com); if you book through one, Halal Navi may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Last verified: 2026-11-06
