Japan’s Departure Tax Triples This July — What It Means for You

From 1 July 2026, Japan’s departure tax triples from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000. The good news: it’s already baked into your airfare, so there’s nothing to pay at the airport. Here’s who pays, when to book to lock the old rate, and the other airport charges people mix it up with.

Last updated: June 2026

The short version

What’s changing	the departure tax (the ‘sayonara tax’) rises from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000 on 1 July 2026 — roughly US$6 to US$19.
How you pay	it’s already included in your air or ferry ticket. There’s no separate counter or cash payment at the airport.
How to pay less	tickets issued on or before 30 June 2026 keep the old ¥1,000 rate under a transitional rule — even if you fly later. It’s the ticketing date that counts, not the travel date.
Who’s exempt	infants under 2, and transit passengers who leave within 24 hours, don’t pay.
Don’t confuse it	the departure tax is not the shopping tax-free refund or the hotel accommodation tax — we’ll untangle all three below.

What this guide covers
1. The short answer: ¥3,000 from July, built into your ticket
2. What is the departure tax (sayonara tax)?
3. What’s changing (¥1,000 → ¥3,000)
4. Who pays, and who’s exempt
5. How do you pay it? (Not at the airport)
6. ⭐ How to pay less: book by 30 June
7. What about other airport charges?
8. Departure tax ≠ tax-free ≠ accommodation tax
9. So how much does it really affect your trip?

You don’t pay the departure tax at a counter — it’s inside your airfare. Photo: Daniel L. Lu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

1. The short answer: ¥3,000 from July, built into your ticket

You may have seen the headlines: Japan is raising its departure tax. Here’s the gist. The departure tax — officially the International Tourist Tax, nicknamed the ‘sayonara tax’ — goes from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000 on 1 July 2026. That’s about US$19, up from roughly US$6.

But don’t lose sleep over it. The tax is already included in the price of your plane or ferry ticket, so you never queue or hand over cash for it at the airport. It sits quietly inside the taxes line of your fare. Still, it’s worth knowing how much it is and when to book to pay less — so let’s walk through it.

💡 In one line: ¥3,000 from 1 July, included in your fare, nothing to pay at the airport. And if you book by 30 June, you keep the old ¥1,000 rate (see ‘How to pay less’ below).

2. What is the departure tax (sayonara tax)?

Its official name is the International Tourist Tax, but everyone calls it the ‘sayonara tax’. It’s a per-person charge on anyone leaving Japan by plane or ferry — Japanese nationals and foreign visitors alike.

It was introduced in 2019 at ¥1,000, with the money meant to fund tourism and airport infrastructure as visitor numbers climb. This is its first increase in seven years, tripling to ¥3,000 as Japan handles record inbound tourism.

3. What’s changing (¥1,000 → ¥3,000)

Only one thing changes: the amount.

When	Departure tax	Roughly
Until 30 June 2026	¥1,000	about US$6
From 1 July 2026	¥3,000	about US$19

That’s ¥2,000 more per person. Trivial if you’re solo, but for a family of four it’s ¥8,000 (around US$50) — enough that when you book starts to matter (next section).

4. Who pays, and who’s exempt

In short, almost everyone leaving Japan by air or sea pays it. There are a few exemptions:

Infants under 2: exempt.
Transit passengers leaving within 24 hours: if you’re only connecting through Japan and depart within 24 hours (without clearing immigration), you’re exempt.
A few others: diplomatic and official cases, which won’t apply to ordinary travellers.

💡 There’s no ‘foreigners are exempt’ rule — it applies regardless of nationality to anyone departing Japan. But since it’s bundled into your ticket, there’s nothing for you to do about it.

Ticket issued by 30 June? You keep the old ¥1,000 rate even if you fly in July. Photo: Katorisi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

5. How do you pay it? (Not at the airport)

This is where people get confused, so let’s be clear: you have nothing to pay separately.

The departure tax is automatically included when you buy your plane or ferry ticket. The carrier collects it and passes it to the Japanese government. So there’s no counter at departures where you line up or pay cash — it’s tucked into the taxes and fees portion of your fare, sometimes without its own line item.

💡 If you break down your ticket receipt, it’s mixed into the ‘Tax’ section. Either way, you’ve already paid it the moment you bought the ticket — no need to worry about being charged again at the airport.

6. ⭐ How to pay less: book by 30 June

This is the most practical part of the whole article, thanks to a transitional rule.

What matters is when your ticket is issued, not when you fly. Air and ferry tickets issued (purchased) on or before 30 June 2026 keep the old ¥1,000 rate — even if your departure is in July or later.

Ticket issued	Departure date	Tax applied
On/before 30 June 2026	Even if July or later	¥1,000 (old rate)
From 1 July 2026	—	¥3,000 (new rate)

💡 Already planning a summer or autumn trip to Japan? Booking your flights in June locks the old rate and saves ¥2,000 per person (tens of dollars for a family). If you’re going anyway, booking a little earlier pays off. Just don’t chase it so hard that you miss a genuinely cheaper fare later — treat it as a tiebreaker when prices are similar.

7. What about other airport charges?

Besides the departure tax, there’s another charge people lump in as an ‘airport tax’: the Passenger Service Facility Charge (PSFC), for using the airport’s facilities. The bottom line is the same — it’s included in your airfare.

The amount varies by airport. Narita, Haneda, Kansai and others each set their own, and it differs for international vs domestic and departure vs arrival.
It’s also bundled into your ticket, so there’s rarely anything to pay at the airport (a few transit and edge cases aside).
For a traveller, that means departure tax and facility charges alike are already paid when you buy the ticket.

⚠️ When you see a rock-bottom budget-airline fare showing just the ‘base fare’, the taxes and facility charges get added at checkout, raising the final price. That’s not a scam — it’s the departure tax and facility charges being totalled up. Always compare the final checkout price.

The departure tax is separate from airport facility charges, the consumption-tax refund and accommodation tax. Photo: Kentagon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

8. Departure tax ≠ tax-free ≠ accommodation tax

Japan has several travel taxes that often get muddled. These three are completely different — here they are side by side.

Charge	What it is	Direction
Departure tax (sayonara tax)	A tax to leave Japan. ¥3,000 from July.	You pay (in your fare)
Tax-free (consumption-tax refund)	Getting back the 10% consumption tax on shopping over ¥5,000.	You get money back
Accommodation tax	A small per-night tax in some cities (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, etc.).	You pay (at the hotel)

So: the departure tax is paid in your fare when you leave, tax-free gives you money back on shopping, and the accommodation tax is paid at your hotel. The tax-free system changes significantly in November 2026, so if you plan to shop, read our guide to money, payments and tax-free too.

9. So how much does it really affect your trip?

Honestly, across a whole trip it’s not a big deal. It’s ¥2,000 more per person, and it’s folded into your airfare, so you never reach for your wallet for it.

Solo or couple: ¥2,000–4,000 difference — about one meal out.
Family: ¥8,000 for four (around US$50) — enough to make booking in June worthwhile.
Fine even if you didn’t know: because it’s in the fare, not knowing won’t trip you up at the airport. Knowing just lets you save a little on timing.

For how to plan your budget and handle cash and cards, see the complete Japan travel guide and our money and payments guide.

Japan departure tax: frequently asked questions

Q. How much is Japan’s departure tax?

From 1 July 2026 it’s ¥3,000 per person (about US$19), up from ¥1,000. It was introduced in 2019 at ¥1,000 and this is its first increase. It applies when you leave Japan by plane or ferry.

Q. Do I pay the departure tax at the airport?

No. It’s already included in the price of your plane or ferry ticket, so there’s no separate cash payment or queue at the airport. The carrier collects it and remits it to the Japanese government — it’s inside the taxes portion of your fare.

Q. Is it really ¥1,000 if I book in June?

Yes. Under a transitional rule, tickets issued on or before 30 June 2026 keep the old ¥1,000 rate, even if you fly in July or later. What matters is the issue date, not the travel date — so if you’re planning a summer or autumn trip, booking in June pays off.

Q. Are there any exemptions from the departure tax?

Infants under 2 and transit passengers who leave Japan within 24 hours (without clearing immigration) are exempt. Everyone else pays, regardless of nationality. Since it’s bundled into the ticket, there’s nothing for you to do.

Q. Do children pay the departure tax?

Children under 2 are exempt. From age 2, they pay the same as adults (¥3,000 from July). For a family of four, that’s ¥12,000 included in your fares after July.

Q. Is the ‘airport tax’ the same as the departure tax?

They sound alike but differ. The ‘departure tax’ (sayonara tax) is for leaving Japan; the ‘Passenger Service Facility Charge’ is for using the airport’s facilities. Both are included in your airfare, so as a traveller you can treat them as paid when you buy your ticket.

Q. Is the departure tax the same as a tax refund?

No — they’re opposites. The departure tax is something you pay to leave, while tax-free (the consumption-tax refund) gives you back the 10% tax on shopping. The tax-free system changes in November 2026, so check separately if you plan to shop.

Q. Do budget airlines charge the departure tax too?

Yes, regardless of airline. Budget carriers often show just the base fare and add taxes and facility charges at checkout, so the departure tax is in the final price. Compare the final checkout total, not the base fare.

Q. Will the increase really affect my budget?

It’s ¥2,000 more per person, so across a whole trip it’s minor — and it’s in your airfare, so you never pay it directly. For families, booking in June to keep the old ¥1,000 rate is a simple way to save.

Read the complete Japan travel guide 2026 →