Archived Report: Don Quijote’s Planned November 2026 Tax-Refund Fee Policy

How Was the New Tax-Free System Expected to Change Shopping?

The tax included in Japanese retail prices is called consumption tax. Tax-free shopping means qualifying purchases can avoid that tax under specified conditions, while a refund means money paid first is returned later.

Buying gifts at Don Quijote before heading to the airport is a familiar final-day scene. The original report said that for purchases from November 1, 2026, both the amount paid at checkout and the departure procedure would change: pay tax-inclusive prices first, then receive the tax-equivalent refund after export is confirmed.

Operator PPIH announced that its refund application fee would remain free under the new system. However, ‘no application fee’ did not mean every method of receiving the money would be cost-free. The report explained the sequence and exceptions below.

Customs is the authority checking goods across borders. This report calls confirmation that purchases are being taken out of Japan ‘export confirmation.’

The source article was based on PPIH’s release and official guidance from Japan’s National Tax Agency, Tourism Agency, Customs and Digital Agency, checked on October 14, 2026.

1. From Store Tax-Free Processing to a Refund after Export Confirmation

The reported change did not abolish the tax benefit; it changed when the tax-equivalent money would be returned. Travelers would initially need a larger tax-inclusive shopping budget and would need to complete departure confirmation and the refund process.

The Main Shopping Changes Described in the Report

Item	Through October 2026	Purchases from November 1
Payment at the Store	Buy at a tax-excluded price or settle through the store’s tax-free counter	Pay the tax-inclusive price
Departure Confirmation	Under the existing rules for exporting tax-free goods	Within 90 days of purchase, before checking baggage
When Money Is Returned	Tax-free settlement at the store	Refund from the store or its provider after export confirmation

Old and New Tax-Free Methods — Explanatory Source Graphic

 

The report emphasized that not every item bought at a tax-free shop automatically qualifies. The pre-tax total of eligible goods bought at the same shop on the same day must be at least JPY 5,000, according to the cited guidance. Receipts from different stores could not simply be combined to reach the threshold. The source described ordinary Korean visitors qualifying as nonresident foreigners with Temporary Visitor status and fewer than six months since entry, subject to the actual requirements. A foreign passport alone was not automatic eligibility; the store had to check the passport and status. This English translation does not independently establish eligibility for any nationality.

Paying JPY 11,000 Does Not Mean a JPY 1,100 Refund

For a simple example, assume a product taxed at 10% has a pre-tax price of JPY 10,000, bought without discount or extra costs and meeting every condition. Tax is JPY 1,000, so the initial payment is JPY 11,000. The tax-equivalent refund is JPY 1,000, not 10% of the tax-inclusive payment, or JPY 1,100.

This example concerns one 10%-rated item. Some food and drink are subject to the reduced 8% rate, so mixed-rate purchases require different calculations. Actual refunds depend on receipt tax, discounts and any receiving costs under the applicable rules.

2. Five Steps Described from Shopping to Refund

Shopping-to-Refund Sequence — Explanatory Source Graphic

 

1) Check the Goods, Status and Refund Method before Buying

The original advised asking the counter whether the goods and your status qualify. Budget for the tax-inclusive payment, and ask how money would be returned and what costs apply. Spending the anticipated refund in advance could leave your travel budget short.

2) Present the Passport and Check Purchase and Refund Registration

Follow the shop’s passport and purchase-registration process. Check that recorded details are correct and whether you must enter extra information or apply separately. Card, account or app requirements and registration timing may vary by provider; the report did not establish that a particular app was mandatory or that every card would work.

Keep the instructions and receipt together. Finishing payment may not mean finishing refund registration. The source recommended checking whether the application was complete and whether anything remained to do after departure.

3) Keep the Goods Grouped by Purchase Record

The report said all qualifying purchased goods must be available at the airport. Confirmation is made by a purchase transaction, such as a receipt, and missing even one item could prevent confirmation and refund for that whole transaction.

For example, eating gift snacks from the same transaction in Japan would not leave the cosmetics on that receipt independently refundable under the guidance described. Ending special sealed packaging for consumables in November did not mean the goods could be consumed or disappear before export. The source said to tell Customs rather than proceed at the terminal if any goods were no longer held.

4) Obtain Confirmation when Leaving within 90 Days of Purchase

Under the reported new system, confirmation had to take place on departure within 90 days of the purchase, rather than merely applying to the shop within 90 days.

Have the passport and all qualifying goods ready in the landside area before baggage check-in and security, such as the departure lobby. The airport sequence is described below.

5) The Store or Its Appointed Provider Makes the Refund

After Customs confirmation, the refund comes from the tax-free shop that sold the goods or its appointed refund provider, not a Customs payment to every traveler. The cited tax guidance gave card, bank-account, app and airport-cash refunds as possible examples, without requiring every shop to offer all methods.

The report did not establish Don Quijote’s precise available payment methods, required information, processing time or airport-cash fee. These needed checking with the chosen store. Immediate cash after Customs confirmation could not be assumed.

3. What Is Easier about Shopping in One Place?

Buying necessities in one place can simplify receipts and refund contacts. Splitting cosmetics, snacks and household items among stores creates separate registration and refund processes to track.

Don Quijote is one possible shop for varied goods, but stock and hours differ by branch. The source cautioned against assuming every location operates 24 hours.

Buying in one place does not automatically merge several payment transactions into one refund procedure.That also applies to different Don Quijote branches or repeated payments. Keep goods and application status by receipt, and ask the shop about processing. A simpler shopping route and automatic consolidation are different claims.

4. What ‘No Refund Application Fee’ Covered—and What It Did Not

PPIH’s October 5, 2026 announcement stated that the new refund application fee at PPIH group stores nationwide would remain free from November 1. The announcement separately noted provider-set airport-cash fees and possible change or termination of the free-service conditions. The source distinguished these points as follows.

The Scope of the Fee-Free Service — Explanatory Source Graphic

 

• The Don Quijote refund application fee: described as covered by the free service.
• Currency-conversion costs: ask the provider about exchange rates and separate charges when receiving another currency, such as Korean won or U.S. dollars. A free application fee does not establish free conversion.
• Airport cash collection: a fee set by the refund provider would apply, an exception explicitly noted in the PPIH announcement.
• Period and conditions: the service and free-fee conditions could change or end without notice. No announced end date did not mean a permanent guarantee.

A JPY 1,000 tax amount therefore would not necessarily leave exactly JPY 1,000 after every receiving method. Receiving fees and conversion costs needed separate checking. The official release reviewed by the source did not specify the cash-fee amount or deposit date.

Coupon Discounts and Consumption-Tax Refunds Are Different

A coupon discount reduces the purchase price, while a consumption-tax refund returns the tax-equivalent amount when tax-free conditions are met. Product scope, minimum spend, validity and compatibility with tax-free shopping still require separate confirmation.

The source advised checking official coupon information for use after November rather than assuming old offers would continue unchanged.

5. Visit Japan Web and the Airport Sequence

Visit Japan Web is Japan’s Digital Agency web service for information used in immigration, Customs declarations and tax-free purchasing. The report said the new system would also use it for departure tax-free confirmation at designated airports.

The Tourism Agency guidance cited seven airports: Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, Fukuoka, New Chitose and Naha. In their international departure lobbies, designated zones with the procedure’s dedicated wireless LAN would allow online processing through Visit Japan Web instead of a tax-free terminal. Hotel preregistration did not complete departure confirmation, and ordinary airport Wi-Fi anywhere was not equivalent.

Confirm before Checking Baggage — Explanatory Source Graphic

 

1. Arrive at the airport with time to spare. Prepare the passport and all qualifying goods, then locate the tax-free confirmation area before checking bags.
2. Present the passport at the tax-free terminal in the departure lobby. At the seven listed airports, the source also described Visit Japan Web in designated zones using the dedicated wireless network.
3. Check whether inspection is required. A green result completes Customs confirmation under the guidance described. A red result requires going to the indicated inspection place for a goods check; seeing red and leaving is not completion.
4. Check baggage only after the required inspection is finished. The source said already-checked baggage could not be retrieved solely for this procedure. Security, departure formalities and boarding follow afterward.

For a domestic-to-international connection, confirmation belongs at the final airport from which you leave Japan. Checking the goods earlier for a domestic flight could make presenting everything at that last airport difficult. The report advised discussing baggage handling with the airline and allowing inspection time to avoid missing a flight.

The linked official Korean-language leaflet also explains the sequence. The article’s graphics are explanatory illustrations, not actual official screens or a particular airport plan. Follow local signs and staff instructions.

Japan Tourism Agency Korean Leaflet: Tax-Free Shopping Procedures from November 2026 (PDF)

3 Minute Travel’s Advice in the Original Report

Budget for Tax-Inclusive Prices and Organize Goods by ReceiptThe report recommended checking refund methods and completed registration when buying, and separating snacks for consumption in Japan from gifts to take home before payment, with the shop’s advice.

At the airport, remember the reported order: tax-free confirmation and required inspection → baggage check-in → security. Even when the application fee is free, checking receiving costs and updated conditions is part of completing the process. This advice belongs to the dated source report, not a substitute for the rules applying on your travel date.