Where’s my refund?
Customs confirms that your goods are leaving Japan. The money comes from somewhere else: the shop, or a refund operator the shop hires. That decides how you are paid, when, and what it costs.
How the money reaches you
- Who pays
- The tax-free shop, or a refund service provider it has entrusted. Not Customs, not the airport.
- How
- Bank transfer, credit card refund, app-based refund, or cash at the port of departure. It varies by shop.
- When
- Generally after the customs confirmation at the airport or seaport reaches the shop.
- Set up where
- At the shop, when you buy. The shop tells you how to register your refund method.
Source: Japan Tourism Agency FAQ.
Three questions to ask at the register
- Who refunds me, you or an operator? If an operator, which one, and do I need their app?
- How is it paid? Card, cash at the airport, app balance or bank transfer, and in what currency.
- Is there a fee? Department stores have quoted 1.55% of the pre-tax price. If the answer is a percentage, ask “of the price or of the refund?”
Then put the answers in the calculator as the fee model, and keep the receipt and any refund registration slip until the money arrives.
About fees
The law does not fix a fee or say who pays it. Under the current system, major department stores charge a handling fee of 1.55% of the pre-tax price at their tax-free counters, which leaves 8.45% instead of 10% on standard goods. Most retailers have not said what they will charge from 1 November 2026, and refund operators have not published traveller-facing rates. Until they do, treat any fee as unknown and ask.
Major retailers
| Retailer | Status | What we know |
|---|---|---|
| Takashimaya Department store | Current-system fee known | Tax-free counters charge a system handling fee under the current system. The Kyoto store says its counter is operated with Global Blue. Terms from 1 November have not been published. Fee: 1.55% of the pre-tax price (current system) Takashimaya tax refund procedure (English) |
| Hankyu Hanshin Department Stores Department store | Current-system fee known | A service fee is deducted at the tax refund counter under the current system; it is not returned if the goods are returned. Terms from 1 November have not been published. Fee: 1.55% of the pre-tax price (current system) Hankyu Hanshin tax refund page |
| Loft Variety store | Current-system fee known | Charges a tax refund commission on tax-free goods under the current system. Terms from 1 November have not been published. Fee: 1.55% of the goods price (current system) Loft tax-free page (English) |
| Don Quijote (PPIH) Discount store | Not announced yet | No public statement of the refund method or fee was found. Ask at the tax-free counter when you pay. |
| Bic Camera Electronics | Not announced yet | No public statement of the refund method or fee was found. Ask at the register. |
| UNIQLO Apparel | Not announced yet | No public statement of the refund method or fee was found. Ask at the register. |
| Matsumoto Kiyoshi Drugstore | Not announced yet | No public statement of the refund method or fee was found. Ask at the register. |
Refund operators and system providers
| Operator | Status | What we know |
|---|---|---|
| Global Blue Refund operator | Not announced yet | Operates tax-free counters for some department stores (Takashimaya Kyoto names it). Its refund methods and fees under the new system have not been published in English. Global Blue |
| Pie VAT Refund operator (app) | Not announced yet | App-based refund operator used at shopping centres such as Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku. It has published a Japanese explainer of the 2026 change for merchants; traveller-facing fees were not found. Pie VAT |
| J&J Tax Free Tax-free system provider | Not announced yet | Provides tax-free sales systems to shops and explains the refund method in Japanese. Whether it refunds travellers directly, and at what fee, was not found. J&J Tax Free: refund method (Japanese) |
Last checked 16 Oct 2026. This table is updated as retailers and operators publish their terms.
If the refund does not arrive
- Contact the shop (or the operator it named), not Customs. Have the receipt, your passport number and the date of your customs check ready.
- Check the refund method you registered. A wrong card number or account detail is the most likely cause.
- Refunds are per receipt. If one item from a receipt was missing at the airport, that receipt will not be refunded.
This is an estimate. Refund amounts, fees and payout methods are set by each shop or its refund operator, and this site cannot guarantee a refund.