Japan Tax-Free Changes November 2026: Pay Full Price, Get the Tax Back After Customs (With Flowchart)

Updated October 19, 2026 — PPIH, the company behind Don Quijote, announced that refund applications will be free of charge at its stores from November 1. Details added to step 2.

Showing your passport at Don Quijote and getting the tax taken off right at the register has been a standard part of any Japan trip.

That changes for purchases made on or after November 1, 2026. You’ll pay the full tax-included price at the store, and you only get the consumption tax back after customs confirms at the airport that you’re actually taking the items out of Japan. Japan calls this the “refund method.”

The idea is simple, but one wrong step at the airport can cost you the whole refund. Here’s how it works, in the order you’ll actually go through it, based on official information from the Japan Tourism Agency and the National Tax Agency.

When does Japan tax-free change, and what are the new rules?

	Bought by Oct 31	Bought from Nov 1
At the register	Tax removed when you show your passport	Pay the full tax-included price
When you get the tax back	Instantly at checkout	After customs confirms at departure
Deadline to leave Japan	—	Within 90 days of purchase
Minimum spend	¥5,000+ before tax, same store, same day	No change
General vs. consumable split, ¥500,000 cap on consumables	Yes	Abolished
Sealed bags for consumables	Yes	Abolished

What matters is when you bought it, not when you leave. Anything bought by October 31 follows the old rules, even if you fly out in November.

Step-by-step: getting your Japan tax refund (Don Quijote ¥5,500 example)

Flowchart of the Japan tax refund process: buying at Don Quijote, the airport tax-free kiosk, checking bags, and receiving the refund

1. Spend ¥5,500 at Don Quijote

To qualify, you need to spend ¥5,000 or more before tax at the same store on the same day. For items taxed at 10%, that’s ¥5,500 including tax. For food like snacks (taxed at 8%), it starts at ¥5,400.

2. Show your passport at the tax-free register and pay the full price

This is where things change. You pay the full ¥5,500, and this is when you choose how you’ll get the refund. According to the Japan Tourism Agency, the store explains how to register your refund method when you buy.

4 ways to get your refund

Refund methods aren’t set by law, so they vary by store (or by the refund company the store uses). These are the 4 examples given by the Japan Tourism Agency and the National Tax Agency. A store may offer only some of them.

Refund method	When and where you get it
Back to your credit card	Sent by the store or refund company after customs confirms at the airport
Bank transfer	Sent by the store or refund company after customs confirms at the airport
App transfer	Sent by the store or refund company after customs confirms at the airport
Cash	Handed to you inside the departure airport or port, after customs confirms

So what happens at the airport is the customs check. The money comes after that confirmation reaches the store. The only way to get money on the spot at the airport is to choose cash. How many days it takes to arrive isn’t in the official materials and depends on the store.

Yen or your own currency?

The amount you get back is the consumption tax, calculated in yen. If you paid ¥5,500, that’s ¥500.

But which currency it’s paid in (yen, or converted to your currency) isn’t set in the Japan Tourism Agency or National Tax Agency materials (as of October 19, 2026). It may depend on the refund method and the store, so ask at the register.

What to check at the register

Check	Why
Refund method	Each store offers different options
Fee	Varies by store and method
Currency	No official rule
Receipt	Keep it until the refund is done

Don Quijote: no refund fee (updated October 19, 2026)

On October 5, Don Quijote’s operator PPIH announced that from November 1, refund applications will be free at all PPIH group stores in Japan.

Method chosen at Don Quijote	Fee
Cash at the airport	Yes (the refund company’s own fee)
Any other method	Free

PPIH notes the service and the fee-free conditions may change or end without notice. The announcement doesn’t say which methods (card, app, etc.) Don Quijote will actually offer, or which refund company handles it (as of October 19). I couldn’t find any other major store that has announced its specific methods yet either.

3. Keep everything as-is during your trip

Consumables like cosmetics, snacks, and medicine won’t be refunded if you open or use them before leaving Japan. The sealed bags are gone, but that rule stays. You also need to leave Japan within 90 days of purchase.

4. On departure day, go to the tax-free kiosk before checking your bags

When you get to the airport, find the tax-free kiosk in the international departure lobby before heading to the airline counter. The kiosks are placed before the baggage check-in area.

5. Scan your passport at the kiosk

You’ll get one of two results:

Green: You’re done. Move on to the next step
Red: Take all your purchases to the customs counter so an officer can check them

Reading your passport and showing the result only takes a few seconds, but a red result takes longer.

6. Pack your items and check your bags

Once you’re confirmed, it’s fine to pack everything into your suitcase. Then it’s security → immigration → boarding as usual.

7. Receive your refund

Once the customs confirmation reaches the store, you get your money back through the method you chose in step 2. In this example, that’s ¥500 (minus any fee).

Note that you get back the tax included in the price, not 10% of what you paid. Pay ¥5,500 and you get ¥500 back, not ¥550.

The one airport mistake that costs you the refund

The key rule: kiosk first, bags second.

Once your suitcase is checked, you can’t get anything back out of it. If the kiosk gives you a red result, you won’t be able to show the items, so you won’t get the refund. And if the tax-free procedure makes you miss your flight, neither the airline nor customs will compensate you. Get to the airport with extra time.

If you’re connecting within Japan, do this at the last airport you depart Japan from.

You can also use Visit Japan Web (7 airports)

At airports with many travelers (Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, Fukuoka, New Chitose, and Naha), in addition to the tax-free kiosks, you can use Visit Japan Web to complete the procedure online instead of using a kiosk, within the area of the international departure lobby where you can connect to the dedicated wireless LAN for the procedure (up to the security checkpoint).

The actual screen-by-screen steps haven’t been published yet. I’ll update this section once the new system starts in November.

4 cases where you won’t get the refund

Any item on the receipt is missing: If even one tax-free item on a receipt can’t be confirmed, that whole receipt is excluded from the refund. That includes something you already gave away as a gift
You opened or used consumables: Consumables opened, used, or eaten before departure aren’t refunded. In that case, don’t use the kiosk; tell a customs officer directly
You checked your bags first: The mistake above
More than 90 days have passed since purchase

What’s gone, what stays

Gone

The general vs. consumable split and the ¥500,000 cap on consumables
Sealed bags for consumables
The “for everyday personal use” requirement

Stays the same

¥5,000+ before tax, same store, same day
Showing your original passport (no photos or copies)
You can only buy tax-free what you can carry out yourself
Gold and platinum bullion aren’t eligible

Also, for items worth ¥1,000,000 or more each, customs may ask to see a warranty or certificate of authenticity.

FAQ

What if I buy at the end of October and leave in November?

It goes by purchase date, so anything bought by October 31 is handled the old way (tax removed at the register).

Can I leave Japan by ferry?

Yes. Tax-free kiosks are installed at seaports as well as airports. Visit Japan Web is only listed for the 7 airports above, so use the kiosk at the port. You need to finish before boarding procedures, just like at an airport.

Can I get the refund in cash?

Some stores may offer cash refunds at the airport, but it varies. Ask when you buy.

How much is the refund fee?

There’s no set amount. Whether the store or the buyer pays the fee also depends on the store. If the buyer pays, you’ll get back less than the full tax amount.

Summary: just remember these 3 things

Pay the full price at the register
At the airport, go to the tax-free kiosk before checking your bags
Keep items sealed, and bring everything on each receipt

Sources

This post is based on the following official information. The Japan Tourism Agency page also has leaflets in English.