Departure-Day Checklist: Japan Tax-Free Refund (Nov 2026+)

Print or screenshot this. The order matters: do the tax-free procedure before you check your bags.

Before departure day

• Every purchase was ≥ ¥5,000 before tax at one shop on one day
• I registered a refund method (card / app / bank) at each shop and kept receipts or QR codes
• Nothing from a tax-free receipt has been eaten, used up or given away
• I'm leaving within 90 days of each purchase
• Tax-free items are packed where I can show them (carry-on or top of suitcase)

At the airport or seaport

• Arrive with 20–30 extra minutes (our suggestion, not an official figure)
• Go to the tax-free procedure terminal (kiosk) in the departure lobby, before baggage check-in. At Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, Fukuoka, New Chitose and Naha you can also use Visit Japan Web on the dedicated Wi-Fi (Customs)
• Scan passport → Green = done. Red = show the goods at the customs inspection area
• Only now check in your bags
• Domestic connection? Do it at your final departure point from Japan (JNTO)

If you check bags first, or run out of time before boarding, you may get no refund. Customs and airlines do not compensate missed flights (JNTO).

Print checklist