Japan's tax-free shopping changes on 1 November 2026

Updated 11 October 2026 · Published 11 October 2026

A covered shopping arcade in Japan with shopfronts on both sides — A covered shopping arcade in Japan. Under the new rules the price you pay here includes the tax.

Most guides still describe a system that expires on 31 October 2026. On 1 November the whole thing flips: you stop getting the discount at the till and start claiming it back at the airport, on your way out.

This matters more than it sounds. The refund now depends on you physically presenting the goods to a customs officer before you check in your bag — and once a bag is checked in, you cannot retrieve it.

To price a purchase before you reach the counter, the tax-free calculator works out what the refund is worth at either rate — and whether the purchase clears the ¥5,000 minimum in the first place.

In one line Pay the tax at the till as normal, keep the goods and the receipts with you, and claim the refund back at customs before you check in — within 90 days of the purchase.

1Old system vs new system

	Until 31 Oct 2026	From 1 Nov 2026
Price at the till	Tax removed immediately	Tax included — you pay it
Where the work happens	Nothing to do after buying	Customs inspection on departure, before security / check-in
Deadline to leave Japan	30 days	90 days
Consumables (food, cosmetics, drink)	Must stay sealed	Sealed-bag rule abolished — but consume it in Japan and you lose the refund
Category split	General goods vs consumables	Abolished
Minimum spend	¥5,000 per store per day (tax excl.)	Unchanged

2What you actually do

At the shop: show your passport as before. You pay the tax-inclusive price. Keep the receipt and the purchase record.
Keep the goods with you. They must leave Japan in your own possession. Shipping them home separately no longer qualifies — that route was closed on 31 March 2025.
At the airport: do the customs inspection before you clear security and before you hand your bag to the airline. There is a dedicated terminal for this at participating airports.
Then the refund is paid by the shop or by a refund service provider the shop has appointed. Ask the store which one applies to your purchase.

A departure hall at Narita Airport with check-in counters and a flight information board — The order that matters: customs first, then security, then the airline desk.

The trap If you cannot present the goods at customs, you do not get the refund and you owe the consumption tax. Transferring or consuming tax-free goods inside Japan before departure can carry a penalty. Buy only what you can personally carry out.

3The thing nobody mentions

Because the refund now happens at the end of the trip, your shopping budget is no longer a discount — it is a loan you give the Japanese government for the length of your stay. If you are the kind of traveller who lands, buys a suitcase of cosmetics on day one and leaves three weeks later, plan for that money to be parked the whole time.

The practical upshot: buy late in the trip, keep every receipt in one envelope, and arrive at the airport with time to spare for a queue you have never had to join before.

Keep reading

Suica, PASMO or ICOCA: which IC card to actually buy in 2026 — and where you can get your money back.
Narita vs Haneda vs Kansai: which airport lands you closest to your hotel — the times and fares, door to door.
All guides to Japan — the full index.

Sources

National Tax Agency — Tax-Free Shopping System, Refund Method (from 1 November 2026)
Japan Tourism Agency (MLIT) — traveller leaflet and FAQ, refund method
Japan Customs — Notice to Foreign Travelers Who Purchase Tax-Free Goods
JNTO — “Changes are Coming to Japan’s Tax-Free Shopping”

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