Trip prep
Everything worth knowing before you go to Japan. Rules and perks can change, so double-check official sources before you leave.
Entry
Check visas, Visit Japan Web registration and what you can't bring in.
Visa
- Many passports can visit Japan visa-free for short tourist stays (often up to 90 days). Check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan for your nationality.
- Your passport must be valid for your whole stay. Airlines may have their own rules, so six months or more left is safest.
- Immigration may ask about your return flight or accommodation, so keep your booking confirmations on your phone.
- Japan is preparing a pre-travel authorization (JESTA), but it isn't in effect yet.
How to register on Visit Japan Web
A Japanese government service for doing immigration and customs forms online in advance. It cuts your time in airport queues.
- Go to the Visit Japan Web website (it isn't an app) and create an account with your email.
- Register your passport in your profile. Scan it with your phone camera or type it in, with your name exactly as on the passport.
- Under the planned entry/return registration, enter your arrival date, flight number, and your Japanese accommodation's address and phone number.
- Fill in both the foreigner's entry record and the customs declaration.
- Screenshot your QR codes so you can show them even without internet at the airport.
- Family members can be added to one account, but each person gets their own QR code.
At big airports like Haneda, Narita and Kansai, kiosks read your passport and QR code together. At smaller airports, show your QR codes separately at immigration and customs.
Your details can be reused on your next trip. Entering them on a computer leads to fewer mistakes than on a phone.
What you can't bring in
- No meat products, even processed ones: jerky, ham, sausage, bacon, meat dumplings and so on, even for personal use or as gifts.
- Bringing in meat products without inspection can mean up to 3 years in prison or a fine of up to 3 million yen.
- Fresh fruit, vegetables and plants with soil are subject to plant quarantine, and many are banned. It's safest not to bring them.
- You can bring up to a 2-month supply of over-the-counter medicine and a 1-month supply of prescription medicine without paperwork, if they contain no controlled ingredients.
- Some cold and nasal medicines with stimulant ingredients such as pseudoephedrine, and ADHD drugs like Adderall, are banned or need prior permission. Always check the ingredients.
- Keep prescription medicine in its original packaging and carry a copy of the prescription or a doctor's letter in English.
- Besides drugs and cannabis, leave CBD products at home because the limits are strict. Counterfeit or pirated goods, firearms and swords are also banned.
Duty-free allowances: 3 bottles of alcohol (about 760 ml each), 200 cigarettes, and other goods up to 200,000 yen in total overseas value.
As of October 2026