Visit Japan Web & Customs Checker
Tell us where you land and what is in your bags. You get a declare / nothing-to-declare answer based on Japan's duty-free allowance, plus your Visit Japan Web steps before the flight and at the airport.
Checked against Japan Customs, Digital Agency and Animal Quarantine Service pages · October 2026This checker follows the official allowance per person. Customs officers make the final decision at the airport, and your bags may be inspected even if you have nothing to declare.
How to use
- 1. Choose who you are and where you landForeign visitors use the Immigration clearance and Customs declaration menu in Visit Japan Web. Japanese citizens and foreign residents with a re-entry permit only do the customs declaration.
- 2. Enter what is in your bagsCount bottles of alcohol, tobacco, perfume and the total price of things you bought abroad. Tick anything special such as meat, cash over ¥1,000,000 or items sent separately.
- 3. Read your answerYou see whether you need to declare and why, how many QR codes you need, and whether your airport has customs e-Gates.
- 4. Do the steps before you flyCreate a Visit Japan Web account, register your passport and flight, fill in the declaration, and stay logged in so the QR code opens offline.
Japan's duty-free allowance (per person)
Children under 6 only get the allowance for things clearly for the child, such as toys. The allowance applies to each person, so family members cannot pool it.
| Item | Allowance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol | 3 bottles | One bottle is about 760 ml. None for anyone under 20. |
| Cigarettes only | 200 | None for anyone under 20. |
| Heated tobacco only | 10 individual packages | One package is the equivalent of 20 cigarettes. |
| Cigars only | 50 | |
| Other tobacco, or more than one kind | 250 g | Customs judges the total. |
| Perfume | 2 ounces | About 56 ml. Eau de cologne and eau de toilette are not counted. |
| Everything else | ¥200,000 | Total overseas price. Items of ¥10,000 or less per kind are not counted. A single item over ¥200,000 is taxed in full. |
Sources: Japan Customs: duty-free allowance (Japanese), Japan Customs: procedures of passenger clearance
What you must declare even if you are under the allowance
- Cash and other means of payment over ¥1,000,000 (cash in any currency, checks, traveler's checks, promissory notes, securities). This uses a separate form.
- Gold bullion or gold products, in any amount.
- Items you sent separately (unaccompanied baggage). Submit the declaration form in duplicate.
- Commercial goods and samples. They are not treated as personal use.
- Plants and animal products, which must go to plant or animal quarantine before customs.
- Medicine and cosmetics above personal limits (for example, about 2 months of medicine, or 24 units of cosmetics).
If you go over: simplified tax rates
In most cases these rates apply to the part over the allowance. You pay at the bank counter in the customs area. If dutiable goods exceed ¥300,000, normal commercial import procedures are needed.
| Item | Rate |
|---|---|
| Whisky, brandy | ¥800 per liter |
| Rum, gin, vodka | ¥500 per liter |
| Liquor | ¥400 per liter |
| Distilled alcoholic beverages | ¥300 per liter |
| Wine, beer and others | ¥200 per liter |
| Cigarettes | ¥15 per cigarette |
| Heated tobacco sticks | ¥15 per stick |
| Other goods (except duty-free items) | 15% |
Meat, eggs and fruit
Japan's Animal Quarantine Service says you generally cannot bring in meat or animal products for personal use, because they need an inspection certificate from the exporting country's government. This includes jerky, ham, sausages, bacon, meat buns and eggs, and applies to gifts, airport shop items, home-made and vacuum-packed food. Fruits and vegetables are also restricted. Penalties go up to 3 years in prison or a ¥3,000,000 fine.
Sources: Animal Quarantine Service: bringing animal products into Japan
Visit Japan Web step by step
- Create an account with your email address. The service is free; the Digital Agency warns about sites that ask for a fee.
- Register yourself: scan your passport with the camera or type it in.
- Register your entry schedule (flight and dates).
- For the length of stay, enter days. The Immigration Services Agency says this is often entered wrongly: for sightseeing or other short stays, it is 90 days or less.
- Fill in the procedure. Foreign visitors use Immigration clearance and Customs declaration (one QR code for both since January 25, 2024). Japanese citizens and re-entering residents only do the customs declaration.
- Family members entering with you can be added as accompanying family in one account, and each gets a QR code. The representative can make the customs declaration for them at the same time.
- Stay logged in. Then the QR code can be shown offline.
- For immigration, a screenshot of the QR code can be used. If you edit your details, make a new QR code.
Sources: Digital Agency: how to use Visit Japan Web, Visit Japan Web FAQ, Immigration Services Agency: submit the Disembarkation Card electronically (Japanese)
Airports with customs e-Gates
New Chitose, Narita, Haneda, Chubu Centrair, Kansai, Fukuoka and Naha have electronic declaration terminals and e-Gates. You can declare at the terminal while you wait for your bags, then walk through the gate. You need an IC passport, everyone in a family does the terminal one by one, and a child under 100 cm can go through the gate with a family member. At other airports and seaports, show your QR code or paper form at the customs desk.
FAQ
Do I have to use Visit Japan Web?
No. Paper forms are available on the plane, on the ship and at customs, and you can print the customs declaration form on A4 paper in advance. Japan Customs recommends declaring electronically with Visit Japan Web.
How many bottles of alcohol can I bring into Japan?
3 bottles of about 760 ml each per person aged 20 or over, free of duty. Anyone under 20 has no alcohol allowance.
How many cigarettes can I bring into Japan?
200 cigarettes, or 10 packages of heated tobacco, or 50 cigars, per person aged 20 or over. If you bring more than one kind, the allowance is the equivalent of 250 g in total.
Can I use a screenshot of the Visit Japan Web QR code?
For immigration, yes, according to the Immigration Services Agency. If you change your details, make a new QR code.
Do I need one QR code per person?
Yes. Each person needs a QR code, but family members entering with you can be added to one account as accompanying family.
Does the QR code work without internet?
Yes, if you logged in and stayed logged in before losing connection. Editing family information needs internet.
Can I bring beef jerky or sausages into Japan?
Generally no. Meat and meat products need an inspection certificate from the exporting country's government, even as gifts or when bought at an airport shop.
What if I have more than ¥1,000,000 in cash?
Declare it to customs on the Declaration of Carrying of Means of Payment form, in addition to the normal declaration.
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