Japan Tax-Free 2026: Which Rules If a Trip Crosses November 1?

The date on the receipt decides it. A purchase made through October 31 is handled under the old system, and a purchase made from November 1, 2026 is handled under the new one — Japan Tourism Agency (checked August 19, 2026).

There is no transition period between the two, so a single trip can contain both. The qualifying amount stays at ¥5,000 before tax on either side of the date.

Does the purchase date decide it?

Yes, and nothing else does. Not the day you fly out, not how long you stay, not the day you go through the customs confirmation, and not the date you booked the trip.

• Purchases through October 31 follow the old system.
• Purchases from November 1, 2026 follow the new system.
• There is no transition period, so the two never blend into a middle version.

If your shopping falls on both sides of that date, you are not in one system or the other. You are in both, one receipt at a time.

What is different between the old and the new system?

The difference travellers feel is where the money moves.

• Old system: the tax comes off at the register, so you pay the lower amount in the shop.
• New system: you pay the tax-included price in the shop, the customs confirmation happens at departure, and the refund follows that confirmation.

That is why a receipt from October and a receipt from November behave differently for the rest of the trip. On the October receipt the benefit has already been applied. On the November receipt it has not been applied yet — Japan Customs (checked August 19, 2026).

Reading it the other way around is the expensive mistake. Waiting at the airport for money to come back on a purchase that was already discounted at the register means waiting for something that was settled in the shop.

What changes on November 1, 2026?

• The date on the receipt selects the system. Through October 31 the old rules, from November 1, 2026 the new rules, with no transition period.
• The refund arrives after the customs confirmation instead of at the register.
• The general goods and consumables split is abolished for purchases from that date, so one shop on one day is one total.
• The sealed packaging is not required for purchases from that date, so those goods can be used during the trip.
• Purchases through October 31 keep the old treatment, including the sealed packaging for consumables.
• The former daily ceiling on consumables is abolished.

The order to read it in is simple. Look at the date, then read that receipt under the rules of its own date.

What does not change when a trip crosses the date?

• The minimum is ¥5,000 before tax — ¥5,500 on a tax-included tag.
• Receipts from different shops never combine, and the same shop on two different days is two separate days.
• The passport has to be presented before payment is finalised.
• The goods have to leave Japan with the buyer.
• The buyer has to be a non-resident, meaning a visitor staying under six months.
• Separate shipment was abolished at the end of March 2025.
• A purchase of ¥1,000,000 or more needs a serial number or similar registered at the shop.

Because the day is the unit, the two systems never have to be added together in one total. October 31 is one day and November 1 is another day, and days do not combine even in the same shop.

How does the 90-day deadline run?

It runs from the purchase date. The counting starts on the day of the purchase, not at the start of the trip and not at the end of it.

So a receipt from October and a receipt from November each have their own deadline running, and the earlier purchase reaches its deadline earlier. On a single trip, one departure satisfies both.

The practical consequence is that the earliest receipt sets the outer edge of the schedule. If you shop early and stay a long time, the first receipt is the one to watch.

When does this come up?

Your stay covers the end of October and the start of November

Sort your receipts by date first. Everything else follows from that one sort.

You shopped on October 31

That receipt is an old-system receipt. The tax came off at the register, and nothing further comes back to you afterwards.

You shopped on November 1, 2026

That receipt is a new-system receipt. You paid the tax-included price, and the refund follows the customs confirmation at departure.

You visited the same shop on both days

Two days, two totals, two systems. The same shop does not merge them, because the day is the unit.

You are waiting at the airport for a refund on an October purchase

That one was settled in the shop. Waiting for it at departure is waiting for a payment that was already made as a discount.

You are counting the 90 days across the date

Each receipt counts from its own purchase date, so the October and November receipts do not share a single clock.

Consumables you bought in October were sealed at the shop

Purchases through October 31 keep the old treatment for those goods. The requirement being removed applies to purchases from November 1, 2026.

You are buying consumables in November

Sealed packaging is not required for those, and they can be used during the trip.

You are buying something expensive

A purchase of ¥1,000,000 or more needs a serial number or similar registered at the shop, whichever side of the date it falls on.

You are travelling as a family

Japan counts per passport at the register, and each passport's receipts are still read by their own dates.

You want to add an October receipt to a November receipt

They do not add up. Different days never combine, and here the days also sit under different rules.

Your departure falls after the date but your shopping did not

Departing later does not move a purchase into the new system. The receipt keeps the date it was printed with.

Someone tells you that you can pick the system on the switchover day

There is no such choice. The date of the purchase decides, and a shopper does not select between the two.

You want to check before you buy

The rules for both sides come from the Japan Tourism Agency and Japan Customs, and the shop applies the rules of the day you are standing in it.

What is unannounced as of August 19, 2026?

On the new-system side, whether a handling fee is deducted, how many days the refund takes, where the terminals are placed, whether cash remains available, how a mismatch between the card name and the passport is treated, and how the reduced rate is handled are unannounced as of August 19, 2026. Answers would appear via the Japan Tax-free Shop Association (checked August 19, 2026) or the Japan Tourism Agency (checked August 19, 2026).

What is not unannounced as of August 19, 2026 is the rule this page is about. The effective date is published, and so is the fact that there is no transition period around it.

Questions people ask

Is it my departure date that decides which system applies?

No. The purchase date decides.

Does an October purchase get refunded after I leave?

No. Under the old system the tax comes off at the register.

Can I choose which system to use on the switchover day?

No. There is no such choice in the rules.

Is there a transition period?

No. Purchases through October 31 are old system and purchases from November 1, 2026 are new system.

Can I combine an October receipt with a November receipt?

No. Receipts from different days never combine, in the same shop or not.

When does the 90-day deadline start?

On the purchase date of each receipt.

When does the sealed packaging stop being required?

For purchases from November 1, 2026. Purchases through October 31 keep the old treatment.

What is the minimum spend?

¥5,000 before tax, per buyer, per shop, per day.

How much comes back under the new system?

One eleventh of the tax-included price, before any deduction that may exist.

What happens with a purchase of ¥1,000,000 or more?

A serial number or similar has to be registered at the shop.

Can I post the goods home instead of carrying them?

No. Separate shipment was abolished at the end of March 2025.

Who qualifies as a buyer?

A non-resident, meaning a visitor staying under six months.

What happens at the customs terminal?

The passport is read at the terminal. A green result means you pass, and a red result means the goods are presented.

Where do I check all of this?

The Japan Tourism Agency, Japan Customs and the Japan Tax-free Shop Association.