Visit Japan Web

Upon reopening its borders after the Covid crisis in October 2022, the Japanese government has updated entry procedures on its territory with a new Website and smartphone 📱 app called Visit Japan Web.

Every traveler (tourist, foreign resident as well as Japanese citizen) can now make an advance online registration, before boarding their flight, of their personal information that will be required by Japanese immigration and customs 🛂 services. This new digitized process aims at making easier entry procedures by avoiding paperwork and not wasting time at arrival at the airport in Japan.

As a reminder, during the Covid pandemic, the Japanese government already asked its few visitors to install specific app on their smartphones:

• MySOS, for advance registration of information regarding vaccine status / PCR test, for faster airport procedures in Japan (the "fast track" system)
• COCOA, an app to track contact-cases and infected persons, but it was discontinued in September 2022.

These 2 apps are now outdated but were precursors of Visit Japan Web.

Digital counter for immigration and customs

Launched on November 1rst, 2022, Visit Japan Web is a free, single portal to group formalities related to:

1. Immigration: the Disembarkation Card for Foreigner that was formerly handed in the plane ✈️ just before landing (does not concern Japanese citizens and foreign permanent residents);
2. Customs, with the Declaration of Personal effects and Unaccompanied Articles, to fill upon arrival, formerly either on a paper form or on the Japanese government’s Zeikan shinkoku app (税関申告アプリ); and,
3. Duty Free, with the digitized Tax-free shopping service for international visitors in Japan.

In the facts, registration on the website is available since November 1, 2022, for any arrival in Japan from November 14 in one of its largest airports:

• Tokyo-Narita,
• Tokyo-Haneda,
• Osaka-Kansai (KIX),
• Chubu (Nagoya),
• Fukuoka (Kyushu),
• New Chitose (Hokkaido), and,
• Naha (Okinawa).

At the time of release, Visit Japan Web was also used for quarantine procedures (with a Pre-registration for Quarantine Procedures section). Users were requested to upload their vaccination certificate translated in English and / or negative PCR test results.

On April 23, 2023, Kono Taro, Minister for Digital transformation announced that submission of documents for quarantine procedure is not necessary anymore. However, travelers are still required to fill in forms related to immigration and customs, as well as a vaccine certificate.

Unified QR Code to show on a smartphone

At each step of the registration, the user is given confirmation of progression in the process. Once all steps are completed a unified QR Code for immigration clearance and customs declaration is generated (until late 2023, 2 distinct QR Codes were required). The unified QR Code must be shown and scanned at the 2 checkpoints. The Duty Free QR Code is not mandatory.

Since April 29, 2023, according to March 10 and April 26 latest announcements of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, entry restrictions were eased and the Covid-19 🦠 quarantine procedure (blue screen) is not required anymore.

It is highly recommended to register before departing for Japan: at the latest 6h prior to the flight’s departure, and ideally within the 10 preceding days, in order to allow time for the review of the submitted documents. Reviews are sorted by date of arrival in Japan. Visit Japan Web is available in English.

The necessary documents are:

• A valid email address (will be used as a user ID to each access to Visit Japan Web);
• Passport;
• Flight number;
• An address in Japan (for example, of the first accommodation you will be staying at).

If traveling with underage children, it is possible to register them on the same Visit Japan Web account (up to 10 travelers). Dependent or handicapped adults who cannot go through the procedures alone can also be registered in the Family members traveling with you section. However, each of them has to have their own passport or equivalent immigration document.

Each member of the family registered on the same account will also have their own QR Codes, to show at checkpoints at the arrival airport in Japan.

Registering with Visit Japan Web is not mandatory, however it helps going through the entry procedures in Japan faster, and reduces the hurdles of tedious formalities after 12 hours of more spent in a plane.

In 2024, to tackle the increasing touristic attractiveness of the country, the Japanese government announced that a new entry procedure, more simple and digitized, the Preclearance program will be put to test. Travelers who register in advance with Visit Japan Web will be able to self-check their immigration procedure at automatic terminals upon arrival. This new procedure is scheduled for implementation in early 2025 in the 3 internationals airports of Tokyo and Kansai (KIX), first targeting travelers from Taiwan.

In the meantime, the Japanese government is considering setting up a mandatory entry authorization form (similar to the US’ ESTA) by 2030. The "ETA" Electronic Travel Authorization is aimed at citizens of 71 countries taking part into a visa waiver agreement with Japan, including most of European countries and the Americas.

Additional tips and advice

An Internet 📶 connection is required to use the Visit Japan Web site, especially to:

• Create the account;
• Fill in the user’s information, and their family’s when applicable (name, passport number, etc.); and,
• Generate the QR Code.

The digital Disembarkation Card for Foreigners and custom procedures can be completed offline and the QR codes created upon arrival at the airport.

Creating a Visit Japan Web account is possible on a computer (Chrome browser is recommended) or on a smartphone (Chrome browser recommended on Android). In any case, before departure, make sure to be logged in only on the device you will use to travel (a smartphone ideally), and check that all information is up-to-date.

Questions asked at immigration and customs procedures are the same than on the paper forms. In any event, official Japanese sources (the Embassy of Japan or the Border Control page of the Japanese Ministry of Health for example) are the ultimate references regarding entry procedures in Japan and should be checked frequently.