So a couple years ago just after coming to Japan I got a new iphone at an apple store and the shop assistant convinced me to get it tax free.
I told her Im a resident and I thought we dont get to do tax free shopping but she insisted on doing tax free and said If I go out of Japan withing the 6 month period after coming here I dont have to pay tax. Even after saying I dont intend to leave Japan withing 6 months since my visa is longer than that she still insisted on having me buy it tax free since I can get it cheaper. Unfortunately I was stupid and naive so I didnt try to argue further and went with it.
Now that im finally planning to go abroad for vacation after X years here Im worried about what I should do? Go back to the store and ask them to pay tax? Will it be sorted out at the airport? I love Japan and would hate to get in trouble over such a thing, especially that it was only due to the clerk insisting and not me trying to get a better deal
I still have the receipt stapled in my passport. I dont have the phone in question anymore
5 comments
Just take the receipt out of your passport. I see no way they would know that you didn’t pay tax on a phone you bought years ago.
You won’t get into trouble.
No one’s gonna ask.
They’re not about to check for something a few years ago.
I don’t think it’s likely anyone will ever find out about it.
If it ever comes up play dumb and immediately offer to pay. Like “oh my gosh I had no idea, how much do I owe?”
According to this document, you would have to go to the tax office to pay the tax, but it also date from 2018.
>●If you are no longer eligible for tax-free purchases after purchasing the tax-free goods (such as when you change your status of residence to something other than “temporary stay”), the consumption tax will be collected from the director of the tax office having jurisdiction over the address or location of residence at the time you are no longer eligible for tax-free purchases. In this case, please present your passport and other documents to the Tax Office.
[https://www.nta.go.jp/publication/pamph/shohi/menzei/201805/pdf/explanation_eng.pdf](https://www.nta.go.jp/publication/pamph/shohi/menzei/201805/pdf/explanation_eng.pdf)
​
Also the procedure changed a bit, before you used to have the receipts stapled in your passport, no idea if anything was registered in a database, but now they only scan your passport in the shops and you scan your passport yourself at the airport, you no longer have to remove the receipts from your passport, so now they should know what people purchase.
So, is it possible that they have no idea that you purchased something tax free when you were not supposed to… yes, possible, but difficult to say 100% sure.
but from the same document ….
>➣You may be subject to penalty (imprisonment up to one year or a fine up to a maximum of 500,000 yen) if you have transferred the tax-free goods prior to your departure from Japan.
So… even if you can likely get away with it, if you want to be 1000% sure to not have any problem, seems that you can go to your local tax office to sort it out.
You seem to have bought it when the system was to have the receipt in your passport which is no longer the case. Just take it out of your passport and throw it away.
As a resident I don’t have experience, but the new system seems to be more high-tech. I just left Narita Airport last week and I was randomly pulled aside by a staff member to scan my passport for duty-free stuff. I said I was a resident and didn’t have anything like that so they let me go without scanning. Not sure what would happen and what situation would cause people problems