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Airport checklist for the tax-free refund
- Passport: the same one shown in the shops.
- Every tax-free purchase, unused and in hand, with its receipt or purchase record. One missing item cancels the whole receipt.
- Do the customs step before checking in any bag: at the tax-free kiosk in the departure lobby, or with Visit Japan Web on the dedicated Wi-Fi at Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, New Chitose, Fukuoka or Naha.
- Green on the screen: done. Red: go to the customs inspection area with the goods.
- Departure no later than 90 days after the purchase date, counted from the next day.
- Flying a domestic leg first: the customs step is at the airport where they leave Japan.
- Time: the kiosk can be busy and an inspection takes longer. On top of the usual check-in time, leave a buffer for it.
- Afterwards, the refund comes from the shop or its refund operator by the method chosen at the shop. Keep its terms and any deadline to claim.
How the refund method works, step by step
- In the shop. Your visitor shows their passport at a tax-free shop and pays the full price, including the 10% or 8% consumption tax. The shop sends a purchase record to the National Tax Agency's system and explains how it will pay the refund, for example to a credit card, by bank or app transfer, or in cash at the departure airport. Ask about this at the till, because each shop or its refund operator sets its own method.
- Before leaving, within 90 days. At the departure airport or seaport, before checking in any bag, they scan their passport at the tax-free kiosk, or use Visit Japan Web on the dedicated Wi-Fi at the airports that offer it. The screen shows green (done) or red (go to the customs inspection area and show the goods). This must happen within 90 days of the purchase date, counted from the day after the purchase.
- After customs. Customs sends its confirmation to the shop through the same system, and the shop or its refund operator then refunds the tax included in the price, on its own terms.
The calculator follows those rules. It adds up each shop and day (purchases at the same shop on the same day can be combined), checks the minimum of 5,000 yen before tax, takes the tax out of each amount (amount × 10/110 or × 8/108, rounded down to the yen on each purchase; the official Q&A leaves rounding to the shop, so a receipt may differ by a yen or so), and checks each purchase date against the departure date. A shop that charges a fee can be entered as a percent, a fixed amount per shop and day, or both.
What changed from the old system
Until the end of October 2026 eligible visitors paid the price without tax at the till, and customs checked the goods after security. From 1 November 2026 there is no transition period: the shop charges the tax and refunds it only once customs has confirmed the goods are leaving, and the customs step moves to the public area before bag drop. Several old rules go:
Some rules stay or are new. The minimum of 5,000 yen before tax per shop per day is unchanged. Visitors may only buy what they can carry out themselves. For an item of 1,000,000 yen or more before tax the shop records details such as the serial number, and customs may ask for a certificate of authenticity or warranty. Gold and platinum bullion and coins, and goods that are exempt from consumption tax anyway, are not tax-free. Shipping tax-free goods home separately by post ended on 31 March 2025; a shop can still ship abroad directly under a shipping contract made at the shop, which is a different export exemption.
What you, the host, can and cannot do
You can explain the steps, help them keep the receipts and goods together, and plan the morning so the customs step comes before bag drop. You cannot buy anything tax-free for them. Tax-free shopping is only for eligible visitors such as short-term stayers, with their own passport, and the person who bought the goods must carry them out. Residents of Japan are not eligible, whatever their nationality, and Japan Customs says buying on someone else's behalf is not allowed. If tax-free goods are transferred to someone in Japan or used up before departure, the tax is collected, and transferring them can carry a penalty.
Food, drinks and cosmetics no longer come in sealed bags, but if they are opened and used in Japan they are not eligible for a refund. Keep them unopened until after departure.
FAQ
Does the refund happen at the airport?
Customs confirms the goods at the airport, but the refund is paid by the shop or its refund operator after that confirmation, by the method agreed at the shop. Some may refund in cash at the departure port; others refund to a card or account later.
Is there a handling fee?
The official leaflets and Q&A do not set or mention one. Any fee, any deadline to claim the refund, and the payment method are in the shop's or refund operator's terms, so ask when buying and enter it in the fee fields above if there is one.
Can two receipts from different shops be added up to reach 5,000 yen?
No. The minimum is per shop, per day, before tax. Several purchases at the same shop on the same day can be combined.
What if one item from a receipt has been used or given away?
Customs confirms each purchase record as a whole. If one item on it is missing, none of the items on that receipt can be confirmed, so the refund for that receipt is lost.
They leave 95 days after a purchase. Can they still claim?
No. Customs must confirm within 90 days of the purchase date, counted from the next day; after that the sale stays taxed. The calculator flags any purchase that falls outside the window.