Tax-free shopping
Japan Tax-Free Shopping Is Changing on November 1, 2026 — Here's Exactly What To Do
If you've shopped tax-free in Japan before, forget what you know. From November 1, 2026, the instant in-store discount is gone. You'll pay the full price including 10% consumption tax at the register, and claim the tax back when you leave Japan — the way it already works in Europe and Korea.
What actually changes
| Until Oct 31, 2026 | From Nov 1, 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| At the store | Show passport, pay price minus 10% tax | Show passport, pay full price; purchase is registered digitally |
| Getting the tax back | Instant, at the store | Refunded after customs confirmation when you exit Japan |
| Sealed bags for cosmetics, food, medicine | Required — you can't use them in Japan | Abolished. Use your purchases during the trip |
| ¥500,000 cap on consumables | Applies | Abolished (general/consumable distinction removed) |
| Minimum spend | ¥5,000 (pre-tax) per store per day | Unchanged: ¥5,000 (pre-tax) per store per day |
The part nobody tells you: it's not the full 10%
Refunds are processed by the retailer or a refund operator, and major department stores have indicated they will deduct a handling fee of roughly 1.55%–2.2% of the purchase price. On a ¥100,000 haul, expect roughly ¥8,000–¥8,500 back rather than the full ¥9,091 of tax you paid.
Estimate: consumption tax portion (10/110 of the tax-included price) minus a 2% handling fee. Actual fees vary by retailer and refund method.
Step by step: how to claim your refund
- In the store: show your passport at purchase, same as today. Your purchase data is registered electronically (linked to your passport). Keep the receipts anyway.
- Before airport check-in: go to the customs verification point — a kiosk, or via Visit Japan Web. Most travelers get a green "go ahead" result; a red result means customs wants to see the goods, so keep tax-free purchases in your carry-on or check them after verification.
- Get paid: the refund arrives by the method the retailer offers — typically the card you paid with, cash at an airport counter, or a digital payout. Timing and channel differ by store; this is the part still being finalized by retailers.
- Packing tax-free items deep in checked luggage before customs verification — if you're flagged and can't show the goods, no refund.
- Leaving no buffer time. The verification step is new for everyone from November 1; expect lines at major airports in the first months.
- Assuming mailed-home goods count — items shipped overseas from Japan stopped qualifying for tax-free in April 2025.
Is the new system worse?
Mostly no. You lose a little to handling fees and you front the cash during your trip. In exchange: no more sealed bags (use your skincare on day one), no ¥500,000 consumables cap, and — retailers hope — shorter in-store tax-free counter lines, since the paperwork moves to the exit point. The one genuinely new burden is remembering that money is owed to you. If you're tracking trip spending anyway, tag purchases as you go — our free bill splitter has a tax-free tag that keeps a running estimate of your refund.
Sources
- japan-guide.com — Changes to tax-free shopping (system overview, dates)
- JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization) — official notice
- Global Law Experts — retailer compliance and handling fees
This guide is general information, not tax advice. Rules quoted as enacted for November 1, 2026; retailer-side refund procedures may change as operators publish details.