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Travel tips · 2026

Which travel rules changed in 2026?

By Gallivanting GadaboutResearched, not travelledSources: European Union and Government of Japan, checked 24 Sep 2026
TL;DR

In 2026 the EU's Entry/Exit System became fully operational on 10 April, cabin rules on power banks tightened from 27 March, Japan widened its no-drone zones around eight airports from 14 July, and Japan's tax-free shopping becomes a refund system on 1 November. ETIAS still has no start date.167102

Check the latest before you rely on it. Rates, limits and rules change, and some figures on this page may be out of date. Each amount links to the official page it comes from: check the current figure there before you travel, pay or declare anything. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice, and to the extent the law allows we accept no liability for any loss or problem arising from its use.

What changed, and when?

Every row links to the page that explains the change in full. We re-check these rules and show the date we last did so; if a date has passed, check the official source before you travel.

Travel rule changes in 2026 for Europe and Japan, in date order, with their status when we checked on 24 September 2026
DateWhat changedWhereStatus when we checked
1 January 2026Ukraine and Moldova joined “roam like at home”.4EU roamingIn force. Roaming
25 February 2026The Commission proposed opening negotiations to bring Albania, Montenegro, Serbia and other Western Balkan partners into EU roaming; no start date was given.5EU roamingProposal only. Roaming
27 March 2026An emergency revision of the international standard limited the number of power banks in the cabin and restricted charging.6FlightsApplies at once, as Japan's transport ministry reports it. Cabin bags
10 April 2026The EU's Entry/Exit System became fully operational at all external border crossing points; passports of non-EU short-stay travellers are no longer stamped.129 European countriesIn force. EES and ETIAS
24 April 2026Japan applied the power-bank limits: no more than two in the cabin, each of 160 Wh or less; no charging power banks on board, and no charging other devices from them on board.6Flights in JapanIn force. Cabin bags
5 June 2026Japan published the law creating JESTA, its electronic travel authorisation; it takes effect on a date set by Cabinet Order, no later than 31 March 2029.3JapanNot yet in force. JESTA
1 July 2026Japan's International Tourist Tax rose from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000 per departure; a transitional rule keeps the old rate for some tickets bought before then.1213Leaving JapanIn force. Japan travel taxes
14 July 2026Japan widened the area around eight designated airports where drone flights are restricted, from about 300 m to about 1,000 m.7JapanIn force. Drone rules
16 September 2026The final act of the EU air passenger rights reform was signed; it is a pending change, not yet in force. The Parliament's file read Procedure completed, awaiting publication in Official Journal8EU flightsNot yet in force. Flight delays
1 November 2026Japan's tax-free shop system switches to a refund method: visitors pay the tax and get it back after customs confirms the goods are leaving Japan.1011JapanFrom 1 November 2026. Tax-free shopping
No date yetETIAS, the EU's travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors: ETIAS is currently not in operation and no applications for travel authorisations are collected at this point.230 European countriesNot in operation. ETIAS

Amounts in this table change. Check the latest: National Tax Agency, No.7195 国際観光旅客税のあらまし National Tax Agency, 国際観光旅客税に関するＱ＆Ａ

What is still to be confirmed?

  • The EU flight reform. The Parliament says the updated rules would enter into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal, and EU countries and companies would then have one year to prepare for their implementation.9 Until the reform applies, today's rules apply; see what the reform changes and the Parliament's own press release, linked in the sources.
  • ETIAS. The EU says it will announce the start date several months before launch.2
  • JESTA. Japan's law sets a latest date, not a start date.3

What this page cannot tell you

  • Only the rules we cover. This list follows the topics on our own pages; other rules may have changed too.
  • This is not legal advice. Each rule has conditions and exceptions, set out on its page and in the official source; follow the links to check them yourself.

Related: Travel tips · EES and ETIAS.

Key takeaways

  • The EES has been fully operational since 10 April 2026; ETIAS has no start date.
  • Power banks: in Japan since 24 April 2026, no more than two in the cabin, no charging them on board and no charging other devices from them on board.
  • Japan's tax-free shopping becomes a refund system on 1 November 2026.
  • What we would skip: any site offering to “apply for ETIAS” or “claim under the new flight rules” today. Neither is in operation yet.

Sources

Every change comes from the EU's official EES and ETIAS website, the European Commission, the European Parliament, or Japanese ministries, as cited on the linked pages. See how we research.

  1. European Union, travel-europe.europa.eu, EES: frequently asked questions. Read it. Accessed 24 September 2026. CC BY 4.0; we summarised.
  2. European Union, travel-europe.europa.eu, ETIAS. Read it. Accessed 24 September 2026. CC BY 4.0; we summarised.
  3. 出典：出入国在留管理庁ホームページ（https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/01_00643.html）. Immigration Services Agency of Japan, on the 2026 amendment of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (Law No. 32 of 2026). Accessed 24 September 2026. PDL1.0; edited by Gallivanting Gadabout (English summary).
  4. European Commission, Shaping Europe's digital future, Roaming: connected anywhere in the EU at no extra charge (last update 13 July 2026). Read it. Accessed 24 September 2026. © European Union, licensed under CC BY 4.0; we summarised it.
  5. European Commission, Shaping Europe's digital future, 'Roam Like at Home': Commission proposes to open negotiations to extend EU Roaming to the Western Balkans, press release, 25 February 2026. Read it. Accessed 24 September 2026. © European Union, licensed under CC BY 4.0; we summarised it.
  6. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (Japan), モバイルバッテリーの機内持込みの新たなルールについて (new rules on carrying power banks on board), press release, 14 April 2026, with its PDF. Read it. Accessed 24 September 2026. 出典：国土交通省ウェブサイト（https://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/kouku10_hh_000310.html）
  7. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (Japan), 小型無人機等飛行禁止法に基づき小型無人機等の飛行が禁止される空港の指定 (airports designated under the Small Unmanned Aircraft Flight Prohibition Act) read it, and 無人航空機（ドローン・ラジコン機等）の飛行ルール (drone flight rules) read it; National Police Agency, 小型無人機等飛行禁止法関係 read it. All in Japanese. Accessed 24 September 2026. 出典：国土交通省ウェブサイト (https://www.mlit.go.jp/koku/koku_tk2_000023.html, https://www.mlit.go.jp/koku/koku_tk10_000003.html); 警察庁ウェブサイト (https://www.npa.go.jp/bureau/security/kogatamujinki/index.html). PDL1.0; edited by Gallivanting Gadabout (English summary).
  8. European Parliament, Legislative Observatory, Procedure file 2013/0072(COD): Air transport: enforcement of passenger rights; air carrier liability limits. Read the complete item. Accessed 24 September 2026 and again 28 September 2026. Source: European Parliament; short quotation with the URL of the complete item cited.
  9. European Parliament, European Parliament achieves upgrade to air passenger rights, press release, 7 July 2026. Read the complete item. Accessed 24 September 2026. Source: European Parliament; partial reproduction and summary, with the URL of the complete item cited as its legal notice requires.
  10. National Tax Agency, 輸出物品販売場制度のリファンド方式への見直し (the change of the tax-free shop system to the refund method). Read it. Accessed 24 September 2026. 出典：国税庁ホームページ（https://www.nta.go.jp/publication/pamph/shohi/menzei/201805/format/002.htm）
  11. Japan Tourism Agency, 旅行者向け特設ページ (special page for travellers, tax-free shop site). Read it. Accessed 24 September 2026. 出典：「旅行者向け特設ページ」（観光庁）（https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/tax-free/page01_000001_00021.html）
  12. National Tax Agency, No.7195 国際観光旅客税のあらまし (outline of the International Tourist Tax), as of 1 July 2026. Read it. Accessed 24 September 2026. 出典：国税庁ホームページ（https://www.nta.go.jp/taxes/shiraberu/taxanswer/inshi/7195.htm）
  13. National Tax Agency, 国際観光旅客税に関するＱ＆Ａ (Q&A on the International Tourist Tax), April 2018, revised April 2026 (PDF). Read it. Accessed 24 September 2026. 出典：国税庁ホームページ（https://www.nta.go.jp/publication/pamph/kansetsu/kanko/pdf/01.pdf）

Changes made. We summarised each rule in plain English and put the changes in date order. EU content: CC BY 4.0. Japanese government content: 「…」を加工して作成 (PDL1.0). None of the bodies endorses this page.