Two things used to slow down a Japan arrival and exit: paper immigration forms, and tax-free shopping that felt like a scavenger hunt. Visit Japan Web handles the first. Japan's new tax-refund rules, effective November 1, 2026, flip the second. Here's the practical playbook so your points trip doesn't stall at a kiosk.
Visit Japan Web, the free official one
Visit Japan Web is the Japanese government's free pre-arrival service at vjw.digital.go.jp. Use that URL only. Paid lookalike sites that charge a "processing fee" for the same forms are scams.
One account per person. Register before you fly. A computer is fine for setup; you need a smartphone or tablet at the airport to show the live QR.
Setup steps
- Create an account with your email
- Register passport and user info
- Register your entry plan (flight and stay details)
- Fill Immigration clearance and Customs declaration (plus the quarantine health questions)
- At the airport, display the unified 2D/QR code
Since January 25, 2024, Visit Japan Web issues one unified QR for both immigration and customs. You no longer juggle two separate codes.
| Where | What you do |
|---|---|
| Immigration | Show the QR plus your passport |
| Customs | Scan at the electronic declaration terminal, then use the e-gate if you're eligible |
You can display the immigration/customs QR offline once it's set up. Tax-free QR registration and display need an online connection first.
The Tax-Free QR after you land
After arrival, use Visit Japan Web to create a Tax-Free QR by scanning your passport and landing permission. Show the live QR at participating stores. Screenshots do not work.
The Tax-Free 2D code is for travelers with Temporary Visitor, Diplomat, or Official status. If your landing permission seal is not registered in Visit Japan Web, you won't get the online departure confirmation path either.
This QR is how many shops recognize you as eligible under the new refund system. Keep the phone charged; Ginza and department-store floors eat battery.
What changed on November 1, 2026
Until October 31, 2026, tax-free shops sold goods at tax-exclusive prices at the register. From November 1, 2026, Japan Customs and JNTO describe a refund-at-exit system instead:
| Until Oct 31, 2026 | From Nov 1, 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| At the shop | Pay tax-exclusive (tax-free) price | Pay the tax-inclusive price |
| When you get the tax back | Immediately at purchase | After customs confirms the goods are leaving Japan |
| Who pays the refund | Built into the sale | The retailer (credit card, payment apps, and similar), after customs confirmation |
Rules that still matter
- Minimum: 5,000 yen or more (tax excluded) per store per day
- Goods must leave Japan with you; personal carry quantities only
- Gold and platinum bullion, and items that are already tax-exempt, are excluded
- Consumables no longer need special sealed packaging. If you eat, drink, or use cosmetics in Japan, that purchase does not get a refund
- Claim within 90 days of purchase
How to claim at departure
Do the tax-refund customs procedure at your final international departure point from Japan (Haneda, Narita, Kansai, and so on), not at a domestic connection airport. Do it in the international lobby before baggage check-in. You cannot pull items out of checked bags later.
You must bring all tax-free items from each purchase with you to the terminal.
Two ways to get customs confirmation
- Tax Refund Kiosk / procedure terminal: present your passport. Green result means you're done. Red result means take the goods to the customs inspection area.
- Online via Visit Japan Web at these airports: Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu Centrair, Fukuoka, New Chitose, and Naha. Over the dedicated Wi-Fi in the international departure lobby (before security), complete the departure tax-refund customs confirmation in Visit Japan Web. You must have Visit Japan Web set up beforehand, and your landing permission seal registered. If the online path fails, use the kiosk.
After customs confirmation, the retailer pays the consumption-tax refund through your original payment method (card, app, and similar). Allow extra time before your flight. There is no compensation if you miss boarding because the line ran long.
How this fits a Tokyo points trip
| Trip moment | Move |
|---|---|
| Before you fly | Create Visit Japan Web; fill immigration, customs, and entry plan |
| After landing at Haneda or Narita | Create the Tax-Free QR once you have landing permission; set up Suica or a tourist IC card before leaving the terminal |
| Shopping days from your Tokyo luxury hotel | Pay tax-inclusive; keep receipts and the goods with you |
| Peak sakura week | Build refund time into departure day on the 10-night itinerary |
| Final international flight out | Confirm at the lobby (VJW Wi-Fi or kiosk) before check-in |
If you're also weighing rail costs for a multi-city trip, see whether a Japan Rail Pass is worth it in 2027. Shopping refunds and rail math are separate budgets; don't mix them when you decide on the Pass.
Practical checklist
- Register Visit Japan Web days before departure, not in the Uber to the airport
- Screenshot nothing for tax-free; live QR only
- Keep consumables sealed in the sense that you simply don't open or use them if you want the refund
- Pack a soft tote for departure day so every tax-free purchase is carry-accessible
- Arrive earlier than usual on exit day; refund lines stack behind check-in queues
- Confirm current steps on Visit Japan Web and Japan Customs before you travel. Rules change.
Want arrival and exit handled in the plan?
Lie Flat Club builds Visit Japan Web timing, airport choice, and a departure-day buffer into Trip Design so tax refunds and immigration don't collide with your last hotel night or your business-class seat home. Tell us your dates and which points you hold, and we map the logistics around the trip you actually want.
Travel information only, accurate as of November 2026. Confirm procedures on Visit Japan Web and Japan Customs before travel. Not financial advice.
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