How much you can buy tax-free is now
what your hands can carry at the airport.
From 1 November 2026, Japan's tax-free shopping changes from "taken off at the till" to "pay it first, get it back later". And you cannot get the customs check once your bags are checked in.
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Here is the conclusion first. From 1 November 2026, Japan's tax-free shopping changes from "taken off at the till" to "pay it first, get it back later." And the dividing line is not your departure date - it is the date on the receipt.
We are writing for a family buying souvenirs and daily goods for five or six people at once. The volume is large, the totals are large, and the shopping is spread over several days. That is exactly why this change bites: it shows up as two different procedures mixed into a single trip. The money examples use a family of six, but the thinking is the same for five or seven.
Everything we say about the rules is based on the Q&A published by Japan's National Tax Agency (refund method, overview edition). This is information from before the system goes live, so where something has not been decided, we say it has not been decided.
The shape of the systemWhat changes in November 2026 - you pay tax in the shop and get it back after you leave
Conclusion: from 1 November 2026, tax-free shops will sell even eligible goods at the tax-inclusive price. The consumption tax amount comes back to you after you receive a customs check on the way out of the country. This is the refund method.
One thing to get straight first: this only applies to purchases at a tax-free shop (an export goods sales place). Tax does not come back automatically wherever you shop.
Drawn from the National Tax Agency Q&A on the export goods sales place system (refund method, overview edition). At step 1, the tax-free shop sells at the tax-inclusive price. You still need to show your passport as before, and without it the tax-free procedure cannot be carried out at all (a Visit Japan Web QR code carrying your passport details is also accepted).
Consumption tax is 10% at the standard rate (7.8% national plus 2.2% local), and 8% on food and drink other than alcohol and eating out. What comes back is the amount corresponding to that tax.
Where the date fallsThe tax-free cut-off is the purchase date - a trip across the end of October mixes two procedures
Conclusion: the new method applies to sales made at a tax-free shop on or after 1 November 2026. Not the purchaser's departure date. And there is no period in which the old and new systems run side by side.
- Bought on or before 31 October ... as before, the tax comes off at the till
- Bought on or after 1 November ... you pay tax-inclusive and it is refunded after you leave
- On a trip that crosses from 31 October to 1 November 2026, two kinds of receipt end up in the same trip
- It applies to transactions from 00:00 on 1 November. That said, where a shop's established basis for recording sales means a sale between 00:00 and 01:00 on 1 November is treated as belonging to 31 October, the previous procedure may be used without issue
This matters to a large family because the shopping does not finish in one day. Daily goods on arrival, souvenirs mid-trip, a top-up on the last day - shop that way across the November boundary and you will have both "purchases you wait for a refund on" and "purchases that got cheaper on the spot." Keep the receipts sorted.
The real damageNever put tax-free goods in your checked bags
Conclusion: you cannot receive the customs check once you have handed your bags over at the airport. Pack six people's souvenirs into the suitcases and head straight for the check-in counter, and the refund disappears at that moment.
For a large family, this is the single most damaging part of the change.
- The customs check cannot be received after your baggage has been checked into the hold. You need the check before you hand the bags over
- If you do not have the goods with you when you leave, you cannot receive confirmation that you are taking them out. So the amount you can buy tax-free is limited to what you can carry out in your own possession at departure
- The "separate shipment" route ended on 31 March 2025. Posting things ahead yourself and getting confirmation on paper is no longer possible. Direct shipment from the tax-free shop to an overseas address at the time of purchase still exists, but we have not been able to confirm its conditions or costs for this article
- If the customs check does not happen, the shop that sold the goods cannot apply the tax exemption, and no refund is made to the purchaser
In other words, "how much you can buy tax-free" now equals "how much the whole family can hold in their hands at the customs desk." A family of five has ten hands, a family of six has twelve - but some of those are children's hands, and some are pushing a stroller. When you decide how much to buy, picture yourselves at the airport rather than at the till.
One more thing. Goods that have received the customs check must be exported without delay, and failing to export them without good reason is subject to penalties, with the exempted consumption tax amount collected as well. "Take the refund and leave the goods in Japan" is not something the system allows.
Because tax-free goods have to travel in your hands, how light you can make everything else starts to matter. See also our guide to forwarding luggage in Japan and travelling hands-free.
The scope widensMore becomes eligible - the sealed bag goes, and so does the 500,000 yen cap
Conclusion: the split between general goods and consumables is abolished, and with it go the special sealed packaging for consumables and the 500,000 yen per shop per day ceiling.
| Category | Eligible amount | Eligible goods | Special packaging |
|---|---|---|---|
| General goods (to Oct 2026) | From 5,000 yen | Goods for ordinary daily use | Not required |
| Consumables (to Oct 2026) | 5,000 yen to 500,000 yen | Same as above | Required |
| From Nov 2026 | From 5,000 yen (no cap) | Use does not matter | Not required |
- The seal goes. Until now, consumables bought tax-free (food, medicine, cosmetics and so on) were sealed into a dedicated bag that could not be opened until you left the country. That is why "daily goods to use during the trip" could not be bought tax-free
- No more judging whether something is "for ordinary daily use" (the use requirement is abolished)
- The 500,000 yen ceiling disappears. For a family buying for six at once, that ceiling was, if anything, in the way
- The only things that stay outside the scheme are gold and platinum bullion, gold coins and platinum coins, and goods that are not subject to consumption tax in the first place
- The 5,000 yen minimum stays. It is now judged without splitting general goods from consumables, and the judgment is still made on the pre-tax amount. A family shopping for five or six almost never falls short of 5,000 yen, so in practice this is not a constraint for a large family
Do not misread this, though. The seal disappearing does not mean "you may now use it during your stay." If you do not have the goods with you at departure, you get no confirmation and no refund. It is more accurate to say that a physical restriction (the seal) has been replaced by a condition (do you still have it when you leave).
Receiving the refundWhen and how the tax-free refund reaches you - the law does not say
Conclusion: consumption tax legislation sets no rules at all about the refund method. It might be a bank transfer, it might be a credit card refund, it might be cash inside the airport you depart from. It varies by shop.
- The refund procedure may be carried out by the business operating the tax-free shop itself, or entrusted to an approved transmission service provider or similar
- The concrete refund methods the National Tax Agency Q&A lists are bank transfer, credit card transfer, app-based transfer, and cash inside the departure port after the customs check. It is phrased as "methods that could be considered" - nothing is mandated
- Refunding before the customs check is also allowed (advance refund). But in that case, if the purchaser does not receive the check at departure, the shop cannot apply the exemption and is treated as having made a taxable sale at the post-refund price. An advance refund is made at the shop's own risk
So there is exactly one thing a large family should settle in advance. When you choose where to shop, ask about the refund method rather than the price. In particular, if the refund goes to a credit card, that card has to still be valid after you get home. Use a temporary card opened for the trip, or a card in one family member's name that only works during the stay, and the refund has nowhere to land.
Because advance refunds are permitted, some shops may well operate in a way that still looks like "tax off on the spot". But that is an optional practice the shop takes a risk to offer, not the principle of the system. Do not build your shopping plan around it.
We cannot tell you how many days the refund takes. The law sets no rule, and the system has not started operating. Until it does, no source exists that can give you a number.
What it does to your walletFronting the tax - what grows is not the cost but the amount you pay up front
Conclusion: the amount eligible for exemption does not change. What changes is the cash and credit headroom you need to have with you during the trip.
| Eligible shopping (pre-tax) | Added at the time of payment |
|---|---|
| 50,000 yen | 5,000 yen |
| 100,000 yen | 10,000 yen |
| 300,000 yen | 30,000 yen |
- A family of six buying 100,000 yen pre-tax in souvenirs and daily goods fronts 10,000 yen temporarily
- Food and drink carry the reduced 8% rate, so a food-heavy shop adds a little less
- The later in the trip you shop, the more this squeezes your wallet. If you planned to run your balance down before flying home, fronting the tax can leave you short of credit
There are other points in a large family's trip where the means of payment itself jams up. See also our complete guide to cash and IC cards in Japan.
Your questions answeredJapan's November 2026 tax-free change: frequently asked questions
On a trip that crosses 1 November 2026, which system applies?
The purchase date decides. Your departure date is irrelevant. There is no transition period in which both can be used, so a stay that crosses 1 November leaves you holding two kinds of receipt.
Can I put tax-free purchases in my suitcase and check it in?
No. Once the bags are checked in you cannot receive the customs check, and without the check there is no refund. Keep what you buy tax-free down to what your family can hold in their hands at airport customs.
When and in what form will I get the refund?
It has not been decided. The legislation sets no refund method, so it varies by shop. Ask the shop about its refund method before you buy. There is no rule about the number of days either, so we are not going to put a number in this article.
Can I shop using a Visit Japan Web QR code instead of carrying my passport?
A Visit Japan Web QR code carrying your passport details is accepted. But showing your passport or equivalent in some form is mandatory, and without it the tax-free procedure cannot be carried out at all. What must be shown is the passport of the person actually buying. If the family splits the shopping you need one for each buyer, so decide in advance whose name each purchase goes under and the checkout will not stall.
I heard some shops will still take the tax off on the spot after November. Is that true?
It is possible. The system does allow refunding before the customs check (an advance refund). But that is an optional practice the shop takes a risk to offer, not the principle of the system. You cannot know in advance whether a given shop will do it, so budget on the assumption that you pay tax-inclusive.
Can I buy nappies and formula tax-free and use them during the stay?
From November 2026 the seal is gone, so opening the bag is possible in itself. But anything you do not have with you at departure cannot receive the customs check, and is not refunded. The National Tax Agency Q&A takes food bought tax-free and eaten before departure as its example and states that, on being told, the shop cancels the purchase record information (question 21). For anything you intend to consume during the stay, buying it tax-inclusive and not counting on the exemption keeps your plan intact.
Is shopping under 5,000 yen tax-free?
No. The 5,000 yen pre-tax minimum stays. However, it can now be judged on the combined total without separating general goods from consumables, so buying for five or six at the same shop on the same day almost never falls short of the minimum.
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