A reader question we saw in our search data: can you do tax-free shopping online in Japan? It makes sense to ask, since so much in Japan is sold online. The short answer is no, and Japan’s tax office says why in one sentence.
The exceptions: a shop can ship your purchase overseas for you under a separate export exemption, if it offers that. Posting tax-free goods home yourself ended on March 31, 2025.
The rest of this guide covers what that means in practice: the five ways people try to buy tax-free at a distance, why the system needs a physical shop, and what you can do instead. For the whole system, including the change in shops on November 1, see our tax-free shopping guide.
Tax-free shopping online: five cases and the official answer
These are the five ways people try to buy tax-free without carrying the goods out of a shop. 3 get a no. 2 can work, but only through the shop, and only if the shop offers it.
| What you want to do | Tax-free? | Where it is written |
|---|---|---|
| Buy on a Japanese shopping website and have it delivered to your hotel in Japan | No. A website is not a tax-free sales location; the shop has to physically exist | National Tax Agency Q&A for the refund system, notes to the permit requirements |
| Order in a shop, and have it sent to your home after you leave Japan | No, not under the tax-free shop system: the procedure cannot be done when the goods are handed over | National Tax Agency Q&A, question 19 |
| Buy in a shop, sign a shipping contract there, and the shop ships it abroad (direct shipping) | Can be, under the export exemption, if the shop offers it | National Tax Agency Q&A, question 41; Japan Tourism Agency FAQ |
| The shop or business exports the goods abroad itself, at your request | Can be, under the export exemption. The shop keeps the proof, so the shop decides | National Tax Agency Q&A, question 42 |
| Buy tax-free, then post it home yourself by EMS or similar (separate shipping) | No. Abolished on March 31, 2025 | National Tax Agency Q&A, question 43; Japan Tourism Agency FAQ |
Why two different answers for shipping?
Because there are two systems. The tax-free shop system covers what you buy in a shop and carry out of Japan yourself, with a 5,000 yen minimum. The export exemption covers goods that leave Japan as an export, shipped by or through the business. The National Tax Agency places direct shipping and a shop’s own exports under the export exemption, not the tax-free shop system.
Why a website is not a tax-free shop
What exactly does the National Tax Agency say?
In the notes to the permit requirements for tax-free shops, its Q&A on the refund system says a “sales location” under the tax-free shop system means one that physically exists in a fixed place. It gives an example: a place for selling goods set up on an internet website does not count as a sales location. The same note appears three times in the document, including the sections on regular shops and on vending-machine tax-free sales.
Which edition says it, and from when?
The July 2026 edition of the National Tax Agency’s Q&A for the refund system. Its cover says it explains the tax-free system after the refund method starts on November 1, 2026. This guide is published in October 2026, while the current system still applies, so the timing matters.
What does the Q&A for the current system say?
We did not find the same sentence in the agency’s Q&A for the current system (revised February 2025), which applies to purchases up to October 31, 2026: a search of its text for “web” turned up nothing. That Q&A still places the procedure in the shop. Even for shipping from a shop, it has you show your passport to the shop and hand the goods over there and then.
Why does the system need a physical shop?
Because each step happens in person. The National Tax Agency says the tax-free procedure is done when the shop hands the goods to you. You may only buy quantities you can carry out of Japan yourself when you leave, and customs cannot confirm goods you do not have with you at departure. From November 1, 2026, the Japan Tourism Agency says you pay the price including tax and get the consumption tax back after customs confirms you are taking the goods out. A delivery from a website breaks that chain at the first step.
Will the new system run alongside the old one?
No. The National Tax Agency’s leaflet says there is no transition period in which the current system and the refund system are used together. What you buy in a shop up to October 31 follows the current system, and what you buy from November 1 follows the refund system. To see whether a purchase qualifies under the new rules, try our Japan tax refund checker.
Ordering in a shop and shipping home after you leave
Can a shop send my purchase home tax-free after I fly out?
Not under the tax-free shop system. The National Tax Agency gives this exact case: an order taken in the shop, with the item sent to the buyer’s home after they return to their country. Because the tax-free procedure cannot be done when the goods are handed over, the tax-free shop system does not apply.
What about made-to-order items?
The same Q&A answer covers them. The agency says the tax-free procedure is done when the shop hands the goods to you, so for a made-to-order item, that is when you come back to collect it. If you cannot come back before you leave, the agency names two other routes: direct shipping arranged in the shop, or the business exporting the item to the address abroad you give. Both fall under the export exemption.
When a shop ships overseas for you: direct shipping
How does direct shipping from a shop work?
In the shop, you sign a contract to ship the goods out of Japan with an international freight forwarder, through the shop acting as the forwarder’s agent. You hand the goods over right there, the shop passes them to the forwarder, and the shop keeps the contract documents. You are the sender. The National Tax Agency calls this the direct shipping system, and the shop can sell at the price before tax.
Is there a minimum spend for direct shipping?
No, in the Q&A for the system from November 1, 2026. Because the export exemption applies, the tax-free shop steps, including the 5,000 yen minimum check, and the purchase record are not needed. The shop does not have to be a tax-free shop, and the buyer does not have to be a visitor: the agency says residents of Japan can use it too.
Do I need the customs check at the airport?
Not for those goods. The agency says that with direct shipping, a customs broker normally files the export declaration, so you do not need customs confirmation for them when you leave Japan.
Does paying in cash change anything?
It can, for the shop. If the shop takes cash, or another payment that does not clearly come from you, it must also keep a document equal to an import permit from the destination country to use the export exemption. With a credit card or similar, that document is not needed.
Does every shop offer direct shipping?
No. The Japan Tourism Agency’s traveler FAQ says overseas shipping differs from shop to shop and tells you to ask the shop. There is no official list of shops that do it, so we name none. In October 2026, under the current system, the current Q&A also has you show your passport for direct shipping, so ask the shop how it handles it before November.
When the shop exports the goods itself
Can any business ship goods abroad without the consumption tax?
Yes, under the export exemption. The National Tax Agency says that when a business exports goods itself to a place abroad the customer names, the export exemption can apply. It does not have to be a tax-free shop, and the customer does not have to be a tax-free buyer.
What proof does the shop keep?
An export permit, or for parcels by post worth 200,000 yen or less, the Japan Post acceptance receipt and a copy of the shipping slip for parcel post or EMS. The shop keeps these, which is why it is the shop’s call whether to sell this way. A shop selling online that ships abroad may or may not price without tax; that is its decision, not a right you can claim. Your own country may charge import duties and taxes on arrival.
Can I post my tax-free shopping home myself?
What changed on March 31, 2025?
The option for tax-free buyers to send their own purchases out of Japan by post was abolished on March 31, 2025, the Japan Tourism Agency says. The National Tax Agency adds that if you send tax-free goods abroad by EMS before you leave and do not have them at departure, customs cannot confirm them, even if you show the post office receipt and shipping slip.
Can I send a suitcase of tax-free goods to the airport?
Keep the tax-free goods with you instead. You must have them when customs checks them at departure. If you use a delivery service for your other bags, our luggage forwarding guide explains how those services work. For things you did not buy tax-free, ordinary shipping still works; see our guide to shipping things home from Japan.
What the official pages do not answer
Can I order online and pick up in store tax-free?
The official Q&A and FAQ do not address it. The National Tax Agency says the tax-free procedure happens when the shop hands over the goods, but it has no question on online orders collected in a shop, so we do not draw a conclusion. Ask the shop before you order.
Which online stores ship overseas without tax?
We do not know, and the official pages do not say. The Japan Tourism Agency refers you to each shop, and this guide covers only the national rules.
Tax-free shopping online FAQ
Can you do tax-free shopping online in Japan?
Can a Japanese online store deliver to my hotel tax-free?
Can a shop in Japan ship my purchase overseas without the consumption tax?
Is there a 5,000 yen minimum for direct shipping from a shop?
Can I send my tax-free shopping home by EMS?
If I order something in a shop, can it be sent home tax-free after I leave?
Can I order online and pick up in store tax-free?
Does the November 1, 2026 change allow online tax-free shopping?
Bottom line (2026): You cannot shop tax-free online in Japan. The National Tax Agency’s Q&A for the system from November 1, 2026 says a website is not a sales location; we did not find that line in the Q&A for the current system, which also places the procedure in the shop. An order taken in a shop and sent home after you leave is not tax-free either. A shop can ship your purchase abroad under the export exemption, if it offers that, and posting tax-free goods home yourself ended on March 31, 2025.
Sources
Read on October 5, 2026. The website rule, ordering in store, the carry-out rule, direct shipping, a business’s own exports and the EMS rule: the National Tax Agency Q&A on the refund system (July 2026 edition, in Japanese). Direct shipping under the current system: the National Tax Agency Q&A on the current system (revised February 2025, in Japanese). The November 1, 2026 start: the National Tax Agency refund system page. No transition period: the National Tax Agency leaflet on the refund system. Overseas shipping depending on the shop and the end of separate shipping: the Japan Tourism Agency traveler FAQ. Paying the price including tax and the carry-out rule: the Japan Tourism Agency tax-free page for travelers. This is a summary of published rules, not tax advice.
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