Guide · Tax-free shopping

Japan’s tax-free changes in November 2026, explained

Updated 23 October 2026
11 sources cited
By the JapanBenri team

Japan is still tax-free for visitors. What changed is how you get the tax back. For anything bought on or after 1 November 2026, tax-free shops charge the full price including the 10% (or 8%) consumption tax. The tax is refunded after you scan your passport at a customs kiosk at the airport or port, before you check in your bags, within 90 days of the purchase. Purchases up to 31 October 2026 still follow the old rules, where tax is taken off at the till.

Sources: Japan Customs · National Tax Agency · checked 23 October 2026

Want to know what this means for your own receipts? Log them in the tax-free refund wallet, which works out each refund and its 90-day deadline. For departure day, see how to claim at the airport.

The changes at a glance

Rule	Bought up to 31 Oct 2026	Bought from 1 Nov 2026
Price at the till	Without consumption tax	With consumption tax; refunded later
Minimum spend	¥5,000 before tax per store per day, counted separately for general goods and consumables	¥5,000 before tax per store per day, all goods together
Maximum	¥500,000 before tax for consumables	No maximum, but only what you can personally carry out of Japan
Sealed consumables bag	Required	Abolished, but goods consumed in Japan get no refund
“Not for business use” check	Required	Abolished
Excluded goods	Goods clearly for business or resale, gold and platinum bullion, tax-exempt items	Gold and platinum bullion, gold and platinum coins, tax-exempt items
At departure	Show your passport at customs	Kiosk or Visit Japan Web before check-in, within 90 days. Green means done, Red means inspection.
Who pays you	(You saved at the till)	The shop or its refund provider, by card, bank transfer, app or cash at the port, depending on the shop

Based on the Japan Tourism Agency’s “Changes to Tax-Free Goods” and the National Tax Agency overview. There is no transition period: each purchase follows the rules for its date.

1 April 2025: goods you post overseas yourself no longer count as tax-free. Shops may still offer direct shipping at the time of purchase. (JNTO, Japan Tourism Agency)
1 July 2026: the International Tourist Tax, which is charged when you leave Japan and usually included in your air or ferry ticket, rose from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000. Tickets issued on or before 30 June 2026 generally keep the old rate. This is separate from tax-free shopping. (National Tax Agency)
1 November 2026: the Refund Method starts for all purchases made from that day.
1 April 2027 – 31 March 2029 (proposed): the government plans to cut the consumption tax on food and non-alcoholic drinks to 1%. This still needs to be passed by the Diet. If it goes ahead, tax-free refunds on snacks and drinks will be much smaller, because there will be less tax to refund. (National Tax Agency special site)

Who can still shop tax-free

Foreign visitors with temporary-visitor status (and some landing permits, such as transit and cruise passengers) who have been in Japan less than six months since they arrived. Diplomats, officials and US military personnel are handled separately.
Japanese nationals living abroad who have lived outside Japan continuously for two years or more, have been back for less than six months, and can show a copy of the Koseki no Fuhyō, a Residency Certificate, or a My Number Card that records the move abroad. From 1 November the document no longer needs to show your registered domicile (honseki).
Foreign residents of Japan (work, student or spouse visas) cannot shop tax-free.

What you will notice as a shopper

You pay more at the till. A ¥55,000 camera now costs ¥55,000 at the counter, not ¥50,000. You get the ¥5,000 back later.
You choose how to be refunded. The shop explains its refund methods and you register one. These vary by shop: card, bank transfer, app or cash at the port.
You must keep everything intact until you leave. Customs checks per receipt. If one item from a receipt is missing or used up, none of that receipt is refunded.
The airport step matters more. With no customs confirmation there is no refund, and the confirmation has to happen before you check in your bags.

To ask for tax-free at the till, or to ask whether you can pay by card, the show-to-staff cards have the phrases in polite Japanese with furigana.

Why Japan changed the system

The government pages describe what changes rather than why. Japan Airport Terminal and GLORY, announcing their airport cash-refund machines, say the old system faced “fraudulent resale of tax-free goods within Japan without the goods being taken out of the country”. Under the refund method, no tax is given back until customs has confirmed the goods are actually leaving Japan.

What is still unclear

Fees: the official pages don’t set any refund fee. The shop or its refund provider decides, so ask before you pay.
Timing and currency of card or bank refunds: these depend on the shop or refund provider. Ask when you register.
Early-days queues: Osaka Customs already warns that the kiosks at Kansai Airport “might be congested” and recommends the Visit Japan Web Wi-Fi method.

Quick answers

Is Japan still tax-free in 2026?

Yes. Eligible visitors still get the consumption tax back. From 1 November 2026 it is refunded after customs confirms the export, instead of being taken off at the till.

What is the minimum spend for tax-free in Japan?

¥5,000 before tax per store per day, which is a ¥5,500 shelf price at the 10% rate. From 1 November 2026 all kinds of goods count toward it together.

How much is the tax refund in Japan?

It equals the consumption tax in the price: 10/110 (about 9.1%) of the shelf price for most goods, and 8/108 (about 7.4%) for food and non-alcoholic drinks. Any fee charged by the shop’s refund provider comes off that.

How long do I have to claim?

90 days from the purchase, counting from the next day. The National Tax Agency’s example: goods bought on 1 November must be confirmed at customs by 30 January.

Sources

Checked against these pages on 23 October 2026. Official pages take precedence over this summary.

General information, not tax advice. JapanBenri is not affiliated with any government agency.