Japan Tax Refund Problems at the Airport: Records, Status and Who to Ask

A guide to Japan’s online airport tax-free procedure: read the status, identify the next step and choose the right contact. Original editorial icons, not an official screen. Japan Drugstore Guides
2026.10.29

System and procedure information checked: November 1, 2026 (Japan time). This guide follows published official instructions for purchases from November 1, 2026. It is not a report of testing the new system at an airport after launch.

If your airport tax-free procedure stalls, keep the goods with you before bag drop. First find your departure-terminal location and choose the kiosk or VJW steps below. If something goes wrong, identify whether it concerns a purchase record, customs confirmation or payment. Our Japan tax-free shopping guide covers the overall process.

Have the passport and goods ready

Customs must be able to inspect your tax-free goods. Keep receipts available too: officers may ask to see them, but receipts cannot replace the goods.

Use the official airport and seaport maps to locate both the procedure terminal and inspection area at your departure terminal. Some locations lack a permanent kiosk or published map; ask the local customs office. With a domestic connection, confirmation is at your final departure airport from Japan. Check baggage arrangements with the airline in advance.

Once baggage has been checked in, it cannot be retrieved for the tax-free procedure. Complete any required customs confirmation before handing it over.

Choose your departure airport and terminal

Choose an airport, then expand its terminal information. These are customs procedure locations, not cash-refund machines. Complete the required procedure before security and bag drop. On the map, distinguish the kiosk symbol from the staffed inspection-area symbol.

Narita

Terminal 1, 4F
Open the official customs map: kiosks and inspection area

Terminal 2, 3F
Open the official customs map: kiosks and inspection area

Terminal 3, 2F
Open the official customs map: kiosks and inspection area

Haneda

Terminal 2, international area, 3F
Open the official customs map: kiosks and inspection area

Terminal 3, 3F
Open the official customs map: kiosks and inspection area

In Terminal 3, the kiosk and inspection area are separate locations. If inspection is required, find the inspection area too. Haneda Terminal 1 has no tax-refund facility; check your actual international departure terminal.

Kansai

Terminal 1, 4F
Open the official customs map: kiosks and inspection area

Terminal 2, 1F
Open the official customs map: kiosks and inspection area

Chubu Centrair

Terminal 1, 3F: in front of international check-in counters
Open the official customs map: kiosks and inspection area

Terminal 2, 2F: CIQ information corner beside the check-in counters
Open the official customs map: kiosks and inspection area

Terminal 1 inspection is near the kiosks in front of international check-in counters. In Terminal 2, the inspection area is on the way from the CIQ information corner toward security. Dedicated Wi-Fi is available near the kiosks, not necessarily throughout the building.

New Chitose

International terminal, 3F
Open the official customs map: kiosks and inspection area

Fukuoka

International terminal, 3F south side: in front of counters J–M
Open the official customs map: kiosks and inspection area

The inspection area is beside the kiosks. The airport lists 06:00–21:00 for both; dedicated Wi-Fi is available only in the international 3F departure lobby. Recheck the airport’s latest information before departure.

Naha

International area, 3F
Open the official customs map: kiosks and inspection area

Official information lists online VJW procedures for these seven airports, but this does not mean dedicated Wi-Fi covers each entire terminal. The maps do not establish full wireless coverage, waiting times or live equipment availability. For other airports or seaports, use the official map index linked above.

At the kiosk: read the result after scanning your passport

If you have consumed any consumables, or replaced your passport after shopping, first follow the customs-reporting guidance later in this article rather than simply proceeding through the steps below.

  1. Keep your passport and all tax-free goods with you, then scan your passport at the tax-free procedure terminal.
  2. GREEN means customs confirmation is complete. RED means you must take your passport and goods to the designated inspection area and complete the inspection as instructed.
  3. Finish all required confirmation and inspection before bag drop. Customs completion does not mean the refund has arrived; follow the shop’s refund arrangements.
Kiosk route: keep passport and all eligible tax-free goods available. GREEN means customs confirmation is complete; RED leads to goods inspection at the designated location, and bag drop follows customs confirmation. If not complete, follow Customs instructions.
Check the official airport maps above for actual kiosk and customs inspection locations. Customs confirmation is not refund payment; the shop handles its refund process. A kiosk does not resolve consumed goods or other eligibility problems. Incomplete processing and a record not confirmed by Customs are not the same status. Records without customs confirmation are not eligible for a refund; this does not mean a general ban on departure or bag drop.

Using your phone: VJW needs the designated airport Wi-Fi

  1. Prepare first: create your VJW account and register user information, including passport and landing-permission details. If already registered, you do not need another account. Your passport and goods must still be available for customs verification.
  2. Connect in the designated area: use the dedicated customs Wi-Fi in the international departure lobby before security. The published SSID is Customs_WiFi_For_TaxRefund, with password jcustoms. Check official signs on site; ordinary airport Wi-Fi or a hotel connection does not replace this requirement.
  3. Open the procedure: sign in to VJW and select “Refund Procedure.”
NTA example showing the departure Tax Refund procedure menu in Visit Japan Web.
After registration and connection to the designated dedicated Wi-Fi, open the departure tax-refund procedure. The name shown is an official sample, not your information. Open the official full-size image. Image source: Japan National Tax Agency guide (original image unchanged).

4. Check purchase records: read the records covered by the procedure, then select “Confirm.” This is departure customs confirmation, not airline online check-in. If records are missing, use the missing-record guidance below.

NTA example of checking eligible purchase records and selecting Confirm before bag drop.
Proceed only for eligible purchase records. The passport number, shop, date and amount are official examples, not your record or a tax-free allowance. Open the official full-size image. Image source: Japan National Tax Agency guide (original image unchanged).

5. Read the result: “Not Completed” means taking your goods and passport to the inspection area. Pressing the button alone is not permission to check the goods in. The status section below explains what to do next.

NTA result examples: Completed means confirmation is finished; Not Completed requires taking the goods to the designated customs inspection location.
Completed does not mean the refund has arrived. With Not Completed, finish the required inspection; completing phone operation alone does not mean you can check the goods in. Open the official full-size image. Image source: Japan National Tax Agency guide (original image unchanged).

Official guidance is multilingual and some screens include multilingual prompts, but the official FAQ currently describes the online customs procedure interface as English-only. If you cannot use or complete it, use the passport-reading kiosk instead; that route does not require VJW registration.

A missing record does not explain the cause

If you see “No Purchase Records,” check “History” after a passport scan or similar action. Unprocessed records have a 90-day display period. Refresh missing records, then contact the original shop if they remain absent; the shop also handles incorrect information. Not using a Visit Japan Web code at checkout does not itself prevent a record appearing.

Match the status to the next step

Completed
Customs confirmation is finished. Follow the shop’s refund instructions; payment may still be outstanding.
Not Completed
Go to the designated customs inspection area with the goods.
Not approved or expired
The record is ineligible for a refund. Reconnecting to Wi-Fi does not reverse that result.
Completed means customs confirmation is finished, not payment. Not Completed requires goods inspection. Not approved or expired means the record is ineligible for a refund.

This is not a reproduction of the official operating screen. If a required goods inspection is stopped partway through because of boarding time or another reason, confirmation remains incomplete and no refund is available. Finish the required confirmation and inspection before bag drop; Completed does not mean payment has arrived.

Use the kiosk if the online route is difficult

Follow official error guidance to sign in again and check the dedicated Wi-Fi. If you still cannot proceed, use the passport-reading kiosk. See the VJW steps above for the normal process and conditions.

Choose the right contact

Ask departure customs about terminals, procedure Wi-Fi and goods inspection. Ask the original shop about purchase records or refunds, using its designated contact where provided. As a practical aid, keep the receipt, purchase date, shop details, screen message and refund instructions together.

For missing records, check History and refresh, then ask the shop. For missing payment, ask the shop or its refund contact. A terminal is an alternative to the online route; customs handles inspection questions.

Changing devices does not fix unsubmitted purchase records or consumed goods. Ask the shop about records or refunds, and customs about inspections or on-site operation.

Explain these situations directly

If you have consumed any of the consumables, speak to a customs officer before proceeding; do not continue through either the terminal or the online route yourself. See our medicine and cosmetics usage guide. If your passport was lost and replaced after shopping, use the new passport and also tell customs about purchases made with the old one.

The 90-day customs-confirmation period starts the day after purchase: the official example gives January 30 as the deadline for a November 1 purchase. It is not extra time to complete airport procedures after going home. Allow for queues and possible inspection, not just the passport scan.

Sources

Additional official sources and screen credits

The official images for VJW steps 3, 4 and 5 come from the NTA guide linked above and are reproduced without alteration; accompanying explanations are our own. Reuse follows the NTA’s stated PDL 1.0 conditions. Airport maps are linked to their official originals, not reproduced.

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