Recently I purchased a pair of shoes at an Adidas store in Shibuya. I hadn’t looked into the tax free specifics yet, but I was under the assumption it simply applied to any foreigner in Japan. The store accepted the passport provided, which did state my student Visa within it; and it was accepted, so initially I had no concerns, as it’s stated that tax free stores confirm your eligibility
A friend led me to question if this was ok/legal to even do, and from my searching I’m not quite sure what to do.
From what I understand, students are no longer able to buy items tax free like this, however; why would the store allow me to purchase it with a 1 year student visa. I’ve already read the guidelines on the topic, but it’s still not clear to me for my specific situation.
Can I simply pay back the tax when I leave in a year? Do I have to declare it if I leave Japan at some point? Or can I pay back the tax now?
If anyone has any advice here it would be hugely hugely appreciated.
4 comments
You risk absolutely nothing. The shop staff may have stapled some receipt on your passport, you can remove them and forget about it.
Nike store Osaka gives a X% discount to anyone with a non Japanese passport. No questions asked straight up discount. (Or at least did)
It’s easier for them to offer the discount than deal with the hassle and paperwork of the tax free system, especially when the store is busy.
Anyhow, tell your friend to chill the F out and have a strong zero.
Dude , I don’t think they will deport you for like MAYBE 1000円 of tax 😂. If anything comes up just play the ignorance card. It’s one of the few perks of being an immigrant….use it 😂
Last time I talked to a HUMAN about my receipts was like 6+ years ago, and the last time I saw even so much as a drop-box for the tax-free receipts when leaving was about 4 years ago. I’ve bought a bunch of stuff (even a Surface Pro) and no one even asks anymore. Like others said, even if they suddenly start enforcing this strictly, just say you lost the receipt and you don’t know, act dumb, and pay the absolutely trivial amount of money if they REALLY drag it on.
TLDR: 99% chance you don’t even get asked, and 99% chance they just let you go if they do.