Japan Tax Refund at the Airport: Departure-Day Steps from Nov 2026

2026년 10월 29일

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Key points: For goods bought at tax-free shops on or after November 1, 2026, you pay the tax-inclusive price at the shop, and you can get a refund after a customs check when you leave Japan. That airport step is short but strict. Before you check in your luggage, scan your passport at a terminal for tax-free procedures in the international departure lobby. The screen shows Green (customs check complete) or Red (show your goods at the customs inspection area). All of this happens before the security check, in the general access area.

Have every item from each receipt with you. If one item on a receipt is missing, nothing on that receipt is refunded.
Once your luggage is checked in, you cannot get it back to do the procedure.
At Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, Fukuoka, New Chitose and Naha, you can use Visit Japan Web instead of the terminal, but only if you registered beforehand.
Connecting from a domestic flight? Do the procedure at the last airport where you leave Japan.

Based on official materials from Japan's National Tax Agency, the Japan Tourism Agency and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. By TaxFreeOnline.jp | Sources last checked: October 22, 2026

Do you have to show tax-free items when leaving Japan? Airport steps in order

Yes: before you check in your bags, scan your passport at a terminal for tax-free procedures, and if the screen shows Red, customs will ask to see the goods. In order: tax-free terminal first, airline check-in counter second, security check third. The Japan Tourism Agency says the terminals and the customs inspection areas are set up in the international departure lobby and similar areas, before the baggage drop.

Table 1: Departure-day order at the airport

Step	Where	What you do
1. Arrive	International departure lobby	Keep all your tax-free goods with you. They can be in your suitcase, but do not check it in yet.
2. Terminal for tax-free procedures	Departure lobby, before the baggage drop	Scan your passport. Reading the passport and showing the result takes a few seconds.
3a. Green	—	The customs check is complete. Go to step 4.
3b. Red	Customs inspection area (also before the baggage drop)	Show your tax-free goods to customs officers. They may also ask to see your receipts.
4. Airline check-in counter	Departure lobby	Check in your luggage, including tax-free goods packed in it.
5. Security check	—	Continue with the rest of your departure procedures.

If you get Red and you have all the goods, the procedure is complete and you remain eligible for a refund. If any goods are not with you, the goods on that receipt are not eligible.

If you have shopped tax-free in Japan before, note the change: under the old system the customs check took place after security, in the restricted area. Under the Refund Method it takes place before security, in the general access area.

Sources: National Tax Agency, Refund Method pamphlet and Q&A (detailed edition), Q32; Japan Tourism Agency, tax-free shopping page, FAQ for travelers and English leaflet for travelers.

Before you leave for the airport

Check these before you leave your hotel. Each one can affect your refund.

Your passport. Bring the same passport you showed at the shops. If you lost your passport, got a new one and shopped with both, scan the new one at the terminal and tell a customs officer at the counter that you also shopped with the old one.
All your tax-free goods, grouped by receipt. Customs checks each purchase record, which is generally one receipt. Keep items in their original boxes and bags. If you separate an item from its packaging, or throw away packaging that shows the model number, customs may not be able to identify it.
Your receipts, if you have them. Receipts are not a required document, because the shop sends the purchase record electronically. But officers at the customs inspection area may ask you to show the receipts from the shops.
Documents for expensive items. For an item of ¥1 million or more excluding tax, customs may ask for a certificate of authenticity or a warranty together with the item.
Visit Japan Web, if you plan to use it. Register before you go through the customs check (see the next section).
The 90-day deadline. You must complete the customs check when you leave Japan within 90 days of the date of purchase, counted from the day after purchase. Goods bought on November 1 must be checked by January 30 of the following year. If you leave Japan after this deadline, the goods cannot go through the customs check and are not refunded.

Packing liquids: on international flights from Japan, liquids in cabin baggage must be in containers of 100 ml or less, placed in one resealable transparent plastic bag of up to 1 liter per passenger. Most liquids in larger containers can go in checked baggage, but some cannot, such as drinks over 70% alcohol. So if you bought large bottles of drinks or cosmetics, pack them in your suitcase, then scan your passport at the terminal before you check that suitcase in.

We also suggest packing your tax-free goods where you can reach them quickly, in case you get Red.

Sources: National Tax Agency, Refund Method pamphlet; National Tax Agency, Q&A (detailed edition), Q32, Q35, Q36, Q37 and Q39; Japan Tourism Agency, FAQ for travelers; Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (Civil Aviation Bureau), rules on liquids in cabin baggage on international flights and list of restricted items.

Using Visit Japan Web instead of the terminal

At seven airports, you can complete the customs check online with your smartphone through Visit Japan Web instead of using the terminal.

Airports: Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, Fukuoka, New Chitose and Naha.
Where: only in the international departure lobby, within the area where you can connect to the dedicated Wi-Fi for this procedure, up to the security checkpoint.
Registration: you must register on Visit Japan Web before you go through the customs check. Without it, use the terminal.
What you can see: your purchase records from tax-free shops, and the details of the records that become eligible for a refund after the customs check. The terminal does not show this.

Visit Japan Web is an option, not a requirement. The rule about timing is the same: finish the customs check before you check in your luggage.

Sources: National Tax Agency, Q&A (detailed edition), Q33; Japan Tourism Agency, tax-free shopping page and FAQ for travelers.

If something goes wrong

Four situations to know about before departure day, and what official materials say about each.

You ate or used up a consumable

Do not use the terminal. Tell a customs officer at the counter instead. A consumable such as food, drinks, medicine or cosmetics that has been eaten or used up, even partly, cannot go through the customs check. Because customs checks each receipt as one unit, none of the goods on that receipt can be refunded. Receipts from other purchases are judged separately. Goods that are not consumables can still go through the check even if you used them in Japan, as long as you have them with you.

One item is missing

If even one item on a receipt is not with you, none of the goods on that receipt can go through the customs check, and none of them are refunded. The option of mailing tax-free goods abroad yourself ended on March 31, 2025. Whether a shop can ship goods overseas for you depends on the shop.

You already checked in your luggage

The National Tax Agency states that you cannot use the terminal after checking in your luggage, and the Japan Tourism Agency states that checked luggage cannot be taken back for the tax-free procedure. Goods in checked luggage therefore cannot be shown to customs.

You are running out of time

You must finish the customs check, including any inspection, before you check in for your flight. If you stop an inspection partway, for example because you are late for your flight, it does not count as a completed customs check. The Japan Tourism Agency also states that if you cannot depart because you did not leave enough time for the tax-free procedure, neither the airline nor customs will compensate you.

One more rule: if goods have already passed the customs check but you do not take them out of Japan, customs will collect an amount equal to the consumption tax, and you may face penalties.

Sources: National Tax Agency, Q&A (detailed edition), Q32, Q36, Q37, Q38 and Q39; National Tax Agency, Refund Method pamphlet; Japan Tourism Agency, tax-free shopping page and FAQ for travelers.

Connecting flights and cruises

Do the procedure where you actually leave Japan.

Table 2: Where to do the procedure

Your trip	Where to do it
Domestic flight connecting to an international flight	At the departure airport, which is the last airport where you leave Japan
Leaving Japan by ship from a seaport	At the seaport you leave from, before handing over your luggage
Cruise that starts and ends outside Japan	At the last port of call in Japan, before handing over your luggage, using the terminal
Cruise that starts in Japan, calls at foreign ports and returns to Japan, after which you fly home	At the airport you fly out from, before checking in your luggage. You do not need to do it when the ship leaves Japan for its foreign ports of call.

Sources: National Tax Agency, Q&A (detailed edition), Q32 and Q34; Japan Tourism Agency, tax-free shopping page and FAQ for travelers.

How much time to allow

The terminal itself is fast: a few seconds from reading your passport to showing the result. If you get Red, you have to show your goods to customs officers, and official materials do not say how long that takes.

The Japan Tourism Agency asks travelers to arrive at the airport early and finish the tax-free procedure. Follow your airline's guidance on when to arrive, and leave extra time on top of it for the tax-free procedure and a possible customs inspection.

Sources: Japan Tourism Agency, FAQ for travelers; National Tax Agency, Q&A (detailed edition), Q32.

FAQ

Is the tax-free procedure before or after the security check?

Before. The terminals and the customs inspection areas are set up in the international departure lobby before the baggage drop, which comes before security, and the Visit Japan Web option works only up to the security checkpoint. Finish the procedure before you go through security.

Do I need my receipts at the airport?

Not required — the purchase record is sent electronically. But customs may ask you to show receipts at the inspection area (National Tax Agency, Q&A, detailed edition, Q32 note 5), so keep them if you have them.

Is Visit Japan Web required?

No. If you do not use Visit Japan Web, use the terminal. Visit Japan Web is an alternative at seven airports, and you must register before the customs check to use it.

When will I get my refund?

In principle, after the customs check at the airport or seaport completes the tax-free sale. The tax-free shop, or a company it uses, makes the refund. The method depends on the shop, and official materials do not set the number of days until you receive the refund. Ask the shop when you buy.

Is the refund paid at the airport?

Not necessarily. The airport step is the customs check. The refund itself is made by the tax-free shop or a company it uses, and the method depends on the shop. Ask the shop when you buy.

I lost my passport and got a new one. What do I do at the airport?

Scan the new passport at the terminal, and tell a customs officer at the counter that you also made tax-free purchases with your old passport. This lets goods bought with the old passport go through the customs check too.

Sources

By TaxFreeOnline.jp | Sources last checked: October 22, 2026. We will update this article when official information changes.