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Japan's International Tourist Tax: The Departure Tax Every Visitor Pays

The Japan departure tax is a flat national levy charged on almost every international departure from Japan by air or sea.12 Older guides still quote the original amount, so check the rate date before you budget.3

Confirm current details with official sources

Fees, rules, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at the National Tax Agency.

Overview​

This is the tax most visitors pay without noticing. It is collected through the ticket, not at the airport, and it applies per departure regardless of nationality or residency.1

Japan's National Tourism Organization describes the levy as a ¥3,000 departure payment supporting tourism infrastructure (as of 2026-09-04; confirm current figures with the National Tax Agency).12 The rate rose from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000 on 1 July 2026 (as of 2026-09-04).134

What the Departure Tax Is​

The formal name is the International Tourist Tax, or 国際観光旅客税 (kokusai kanko ryokyaku zei, "international tourist tax").13 Its informal English nickname is the Sayonara tax.3

The levy is tied to the act of leaving Japan, not to entering it. It is not a visa fee and not an entry charge.15 It has existed since 2019, when it was introduced at ¥1,000 per departure.35

Official name and nickname​

Search results mix the official name and the nickname freely. Both refer to the same levy, so a page about the Sayonara tax and a page about the International Tourist Tax describe the same payment.3

How collection works through your ticket​

As a general rule, air and sea carriers collect the tax by adding it to the ticket price and remitting it to the national government.16 You do not queue or pay cash at the airport for it. The payment happens when you buy the ticket.

Carriers settle what they collect with the government on a fixed schedule, paying by the end of the month after the next month of departure.1 Travelers departing by private vessel such as a private jet are the exception: they pay directly by the time of boarding rather than through a carrier.1

Find the tax in your fare breakdown

Check the taxes and fees detail on your booking confirmation. The line may read "International Tourist Tax" or "Japan Departure Tax" depending on the ticketing system, though exact label wording varies by airline (limitation: label variants from a secondary guide).5

On ANA tickets the levy appears under tax code TK, and it is exempt from Japanese consumption tax.7

Who Pays and Who Is Exempt​

Everyone pays unless they fall into a narrow exemption. There is no discount tier and no nationality-based split.

Who pays​

Taxpayers are international tourists departing Japan by aircraft or ship regardless of purpose or nationality.1 That universality covers foreign visitors of every visa type, Japanese citizens, business travelers, and long-term residents alike.13

Reporting on the increase confirms the tripled rate applies to all travelers leaving Japan regardless of nationality (as of 2026-07-01).4 The flat amount does not vary by cabin class, airline, or trip purpose.5

The decision looks like this:

The chart above simplifies the full exemption list, which the National Tax Agency states in detail.1 Read the next section for the remaining categories.

Exemptions​

Passengers under the age of 2 are exempt. From the second birthday, the full amount applies.15

Transit passengers who leave Japan within 24 hours after entry are exempt.1 Crew members of the departing aircraft or ship are exempt, as are persons subject to deportation and persons leaving on an official airplane or ship such as a government plane.1

Two emergency-routing cases are also exempt: passengers who stopped in Japan unscheduled on a third-country itinerary because of conditions such as bad weather, and passengers who returned to Japan after a planned departure for the same kind of reason.1

Certain foreign diplomats and military personnel dispatched to Japan and departing for official purposes are exempt. The National Tax Agency publishes dedicated exemption leaflets for ambassadors and state guests dated May and July 2026.18

Stay airside to keep a transit connection exempt

Secondary guides state the practical condition as not clearing immigration, so entering Japan during a layover ends the exemption (limitation: the clearance condition comes from secondary guides; the primary wording keys on leaving within 24 hours).159

How Much It Costs and How to Budget for It​

Budget per departure, not per trip: Planning Your Cash Strategy Before You Fly covers the rest of the advance budgeting this line item belongs with. Each international exit from Japan triggers the levy separately.

Rate snapshot​

The table below states the current rate and the previous rate as dated snapshots rather than permanent figures (as of 2026-09-04; confirm current figures with the National Tax Agency).12

ItemAmountAs ofNotes
Per departure, 2019 introduction rate¥1,0002026-05-113Superseded 1 July 2026
Per departure, current rate¥3,0002026-09-041Flat rate, no cabin or nationality tiers
Family of four, all aged 2 or older, one departure¥12,0002026-05-275Versus ¥4,000 under the old rate (as of 2026-05-27)

Collected funds support public works, airport and tourist-site infrastructure, restoration of historic assets, and online tourist resources, per JNTO's summary of ministry materials.3 For the broader crowding and cost context behind that spending, see Should You Visit Japan Right Now?.

The ticket-date transitional rule​

The rate can turn on when the ticket was bought, not when the trip happens. Departures using eligible tickets issued on or before 30 June 2026 keep the previous ¥1,000 rate (as of 2026-09-04).1

Some secondary reporting paraphrases the boundary as contracts of carriage concluded before 1 July 2026 with a fixed departure date, with date changes on or after 1 July moving to the ¥3,000 rate (as of 2026-06-11) (limitation: date-change mechanics from secondary reporting; the primary wording keys on ticket issuance).9 JNTO's contemporaneous advice was simpler: travelers booking before 1 July 2026 saved ¥2,000 per departure (as of 2026-05-11).3

What This Tax Does Not Cover​

This article covers only the national departure tax. Two other cost systems sound similar and are deliberately excluded here.

Accommodation taxes are separate​

Municipal accommodation taxes set by cities or prefectures are a different system. They are paid at the lodging, not through the air or sea ticket.5

Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka, and other municipalities set their own lodging levies with their own rates and tiers, and those figures move on local schedules (as of 2026-05-27) (limitation: secondary-guide summary).5 Full detail lives in Extra Fees When Visiting Japan: Destination and Activity Charges, not in this article.

Activity and access fees are separate​

Activity and access charges such as the Mount Fuji climbing-season fee are separate destination or seasonal mechanisms.5 Their procedures and current amounts live in Extra Fees When Visiting Japan: Destination and Activity Charges and the destination and seasonal-travel categories.

Good to know​

You will probably never see a separate payment step​

The bundled collection means no airport queue, which leads some travelers to assume no tax exists at all. For ordinary airline or ferry passengers, the levy sits inside the ticket price as a rule, so the absence of a payment step is normal, not a sign of an error.16

The rate you pay can turn on when you bought the ticket​

An older booking can carry the old ¥1,000 rate even for travel after the 2026 increase. The transitional measure keys the rate to eligible tickets issued on or before 30 June 2026, not to the travel date alone (as of 2026-09-04; confirm current figures with the National Tax Agency).1 Check the ticket issue date before assuming the newest figure applies.

Transit only stays exempt if you stay airside​

Leaving the airport during a layover can remove the transit exemption. The National Tax Agency exempts transit passengers who leave Japan within 24 hours after entry, and secondary guides state the practical condition as not clearing immigration, so entering Japan during the connection ends the exemption (limitation: clearance condition from secondary guides).159

See also​

References​

Footnotes​

  1. 国税庁 National Tax Agency (NTA). "Basic knowledge" (International Tourist Tax outline: taxpayers, exemptions, tax rate, collection/payment). https://www.nta.go.jp/english/taxes/indirect/basic_knowledge.htm ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19 ↩20 ↩21 ↩22 ↩23 ↩24

  2. Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). "International Tourist Tax" (visitor guidance page). https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/international-tourist-tax/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). "Japan's International Tourist Tax is Increasing" (news, 2026-05-11). https://www.japan.travel/en/ca/news/japans-international-tourist-tax-is-increasing ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10

  4. The Japan Times (Yukana Inoue). "Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism" (2026-07-01). https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/07/01/japan/tourist-tax-increase ↩ ↩2

  5. MailMate (Yuriko Matsuoka). "Japan Departure Tax: Everything Travelers Need to Know in 2026" (guide, updated 2026-05-27). https://mailmate.jp/blog/japan-departure-tax ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11

  6. 国土交通省観光庁 Japan Tourism Agency (MLIT). "The International Tourist Tax will be increased to JPY 3,000" (leaflet PDF, linked from JNTO visitor page). https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/content/001996466.pdf ↩ ↩2

  7. ANA. "[International] Does the international fare, various charges or fees include Japanese consumption tax?" (FAQ, 2025-01-27; lists International tourist tax, tax code TK, as exempt from consumption tax). https://ana-support.my.site.com/enjp/s/article/answers4133en ↩

  8. 国税庁 National Tax Agency (NTA). "Information about International Tourist tax" (index page; notes Q&A revised April 2026 and points to Japan Tourism Agency leaflet for the July 2026 rate revision). https://www.nta.go.jp/english/taxes/indirect/tourist_tax.htm ↩

  9. Upgraded Points. "Japan's International Tourist Tax To Triple Starting July 1" (2026-06-11). https://upgradedpoints.com/news/japan-increases-international-tourist-tax ↩ ↩2 ↩3