Since November 1, 2026 you pay tax in the shop and get it back later, so you register a card, bank or app with a refund provider. Travelers have posted worries about typing card details into these sites, and about purchases not appearing. Here is what official sources say, and what they don't.

What is official

• The shop tells you where to register. JTA: registration details are given at the shop when you buy; ask the shop or its refund provider.
• Different shops, different providers. Don Quijote: each shop may use a different provider; use the site the shop designates or the receipt QR code. Registering with the wrong provider means the refund can't be processed.
• Customs check is still required. JTA: within 90 days of purchase, at the kiosk before bag check-in. All items on a receipt must be with you.

Safety checks before you type a card number

1. Open the link from the receipt QR code or what the shop staff give you, not from a search ad, email or social post.
2. Check the domain name in the address bar (the part between https:// and the first /) against what the shop printed.
3. If you are unsure, ask the shop before entering anything. Japan's consumer center has warned that look-alike paid sites appear at the top of search results for official travel procedures.
4. Check your card statement afterwards.

Some travelers report being asked for the card security code. We could not find an official rule on this either way (not officially confirmed), so if it worries you, ask the shop or provider which details they need and why.

A purchase is missing

• Compare the provider name on that receipt with the site you registered on. Different shops (for example a theme park shop and a department store) may use different providers.
• Contact that shop or provider with your receipt. We could not find an official fix-it process published by JTA or Customs.
• Still do the customs check at the airport with all items from that receipt.

Related: Registration problems and late refunds · Refund fees and cash in town · How and when you get the money

Quick answers

Is it safe to enter my credit card on a tax refund site?

The Japan Tourism Agency says the shop tells you how to register your refund method when you buy, and refund providers may ask for card, bank or payment-app details. Only enter them on the site the shop gives you, for example by scanning the QR code on your receipt. We could not find an official statement on whether a card's security code should be requested.

A purchase doesn't show up in my refund registration. What do I do?

Contact the shop where you bought it, or the refund provider that shop named. Don Quijote says each shop may use a different refund provider and registering on another provider's site means the refund cannot be processed, so a purchase can be missing simply because it belongs to a different provider. Keep the receipt. Whatever happens with registration, the customs check at departure is still needed.

Can I skip the airport kiosk if registration failed?

No. The JTA says you get the refund only after the customs check at departure, within 90 days of purchase, done before checking in your bags.

I think I typed my card into a fake site. What now?

Japan's Council of Anti-Phishing advises contacting your card company and the relevant services right away to limit damage.

More Japan trip guides: Japan trip checklist (all guides)