Japan Tax Refund from 1 November 2026: How Much You Get Back, and the Airport Step You Can't Skip

Checked 2026-09-22 · Updated 2026-11-01

Main sources: the official traveller leaflet (Japan Tourism Agency, METI, National Tax Agency, Japan Customs), the National Tax Agency & Customs "Notice to Foreign Travelers" (from November 2026), and JNTO (20 July 2026). Checked 22 September 2026; re-checked 16 October 2026; re-checked 27 October 2026 (5 days before the start) against the Japan Tourism Agency's official page (updated 26 Oct), Japan Customs' kiosk list (updated 21 Oct), and the Japan Airport Terminal & Glory release (21 Oct) — the rules are unchanged; what's new is where the kiosks are and cash refunds at the airport (section 3b). Re-checked 1 November 2026 (day one): Japan Customs' kiosk list is still the 21 Oct version, and Haneda's official page says the refund system started on 1 Nov 2026; what was confirmed on day one is in the day-one news. This is general information, not tax advice; shop rules can differ, so ask at the counter.

Short answer (checked 1 Nov 2026). How much: 10% of the pre-tax price, or 8% on food and non-alcoholic drinks. How: for goods bought since 1 November 2026, you pay the tax-inclusive price at the tax-free shop and register how you want the refund (a credit card, for example). When you leave, within 90 days of the purchase date, scan your passport at a tax-free procedure terminal in the departure lobby, before you check your bags. After customs confirms the goods are leaving, the shop (or its operator) refunds the tax. No customs procedure, no refund. Purchases up to 31 October still follow the old way.

Flying Malaysia Airlines or Batik Air from Narita? The customs kiosk is in Narita T2, level 3. AirAsia X from Haneda? Haneda T3, level 3. ZIPAIR? Narita T1, level 4 (Japan Customs, 21 Oct 2026). At Narita, Haneda and Naha there are also machines that pay the refund in yen cash in about a minute since 1 Nov — but only for shops whose refund operator takes part (section 3b).

0. Three situations, three actions

Hotels near the shopping districts, for your dates: rooms for 2 adults + 2 children in Osaka (Namba/Shinsaibashi) on Trip.com · in Tokyo (prices vary by date; checked 22 Sept 2026).

1. What changes (exactly, per the official leaflet)

Abolished from November: the special sealed packaging for consumables (food, drinks, cosmetics), the ¥500,000 cap on consumables, and the general/consumable split (Japan Guide, 26 June 2026, citing the government announcement). Unchanged: purchases must total at least ¥5,000 before tax, at the same shop, on the same day (JNTO), and you show your passport at the shop.

2. How much comes back

Japan's consumption tax is 10%, or 8% on food and non-alcoholic drinks. Rate: ¥100 = RM2.596 (ECB reference rate, 26 Oct 2026).

For your budget: a family spending ¥100,000 needs ¥10,000 more in hand while in Japan, and gets it back later. The refund route is set by the shop or its operator; the National Tax Agency lists bank transfer, credit card, app transfer, or cash at the departure port as possibilities. The official leaflets give no timing or handling fee, so ask three questions at the counter: refund by what, when, and is there a charge.

3. At the airport: the right order

1. Arrive early. The procedure must be finished before baggage check-in. Once bags are handed over, customs confirmation cannot be done (National Tax Agency & Customs notice).
2. Scan your passport at a tax-free procedure terminal (kiosk) in the departure lobby. Green = done. Red = a customs officer checks the goods; if you cannot show them, no refund.
3. Keep the goods reachable. Don't seal the suitcase for good until the screen is green. Then check in.
4. At Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, New Chitose, Fukuoka and Naha, you can use Visit Japan Web inside the designated international departure lobby area (on the dedicated Wi-Fi there) instead of queuing for a terminal.
5. Domestic connection (say Sapporo → Tokyo → KL): do the whole refund procedure at the international airport where you leave Japan.

The scan at the kiosk itself takes a few seconds (official FAQ). What takes time is the queue, and the inspection if the screen goes red. If you miss your flight because of this procedure, neither the airline nor customs compensates you (Japan Tourism Agency).

3b. At your airport: kiosk floor and cash refunds (since 1 Nov 2026)

Customs kiosks are in the international departure lobby, before the check-in counters. Japan Customs' official list (updated 21 Oct 2026) with floor maps: customs.go.jp. Terminals by airline were checked on the official Narita and Haneda sites on 22 Oct 2026 (our airport prayer-room guide).

Sources: kiosk floors = Japan Customs. "Self Tax Refund" = Japan Airport Terminal & Glory release, 21 Oct 2026. Narita = Narita official site, 1 Nov 2026. New Chitose kiosk and counter hours = New Chitose official site, 1 Nov 2026. Cash Japan counters at KIX T1 and Fukuoka = Cash Japan official site, 1 Nov 2026. KIX kiosk count and KIX T2 machines = Kansai Airports and Cash Japan, as reported by Aviation Wire, 20 Oct 2026.

Three easy mistakes:

• Airport cash isn't for every shop. "Self Tax Refund" only covers purchases at shops whose refund operator has joined the service. Other shops may refund to a card or an app. Ask at the till when you buy: "At which airport can I take the refund in cash?"
• Two steps, two places. At Haneda and KIX you confirm at the customs kiosk first (before check-in), then collect the cash after immigration. At Narita the "Self Tax Refund" machines are also before the security check, but the Cash Japan machines are after it (Narita official site, 1 Nov 2026).
• Goods bought in the duty-free shops after immigration don't need this procedure.

4. Four traps in the official FAQ

(Official FAQ of the National Tax Agency & Japan Customs, and the Japan Tourism Agency's traveller FAQ; re-checked 27 October 2026.)

• One missing item voids the whole receipt. Inspection is per purchase transaction (receipt). If even one item on that receipt has been eaten or used, none of the goods on it qualify. So snacks you plan to eat in Japan go on a separate receipt, without tax-free.
• Already ate some? Don't scan at the kiosk. Official FAQ: if some consumables have been used, don't do the kiosk procedure — tell a customs officer at the counter instead.
• Sealed bags are gone, the no-use rule is not. Food, drinks and cosmetics used in Japan are not eligible.
• Goods of ¥1 million or more (before tax): customs may ask for certificates of authenticity or warranties along with the item. Keep them in your hand luggage.

One more: goods confirmed by customs but not taken out of Japan are taxed again with a penalty. Buy only what you yourself can carry out.

5. Questions people ask

I buy on 30 October and fly home on 3 November. Which way? By purchase date: 30 October is the old way (no tax at the till). Purchases on 1–3 November follow the refund method.

Do discount coupons still work? Shop coupons are separate from the tax. For example, the Don Quijote tourist coupon on Klook reads "up to 10% tax free + 5% or 7% additional discount" (Klook page, checked 22 Sept 2026); conditions after 1 November are up to the shop.

No time for the procedure at the airport? JNTO: the inspection counts as incomplete and you may not be eligible for a refund. The leaflets mention no way to do it after you get home.

Kiosk locations and airport cash refunds were added on 27 Oct 2026; as of 27 Oct, no official announcement from the big chains (Don Quijote, Bic Camera and others) on their refund routes had been found. The day-one check on 1 Nov 2026, shops included: the day-one news.

Links in this article may be affiliate links (Klook, Trip.com). The price you pay does not change; it helps me keep the numbers updated every month.

Travelling in 2027? The refund method stays in place after 2026 — the Japan Tourism Agency's official traveller page gives no end date (checked 16 Oct 2026). Plan a March or December 2027 school-holiday trip with the same steps: pay first, confirm at the customs kiosk before check-in, refund later.

Sources

Book for this trip

Affiliate links may be used; your price does not change.

• Hotels near Osaka's shopping districts (Namba/Shinsaibashi), rooms for four: Trip.com Osaka list, 2 adults + 2 children (prices vary by date; checked 22 Sept 2026)
• Tokyo (Shinjuku/Ueno/Asakusa): Trip.com Tokyo list, 2 adults + 2 children
• Free tourist coupon: Don Quijote Tourist Privilege Discount Coupon on Klook ("5% or 7% additional discount" per the Klook page, checked 22 Sept 2026)