Every foreign visitor arriving in Japan passes two checks after landing: immigration, where your passport is stamped, and customs, where you declare what you are bringing in. Both used to mean paper cards handed out on the plane. Visit Japan Web, run by Japan’s Digital Agency, lets you enter the same information online at home and turn it into a QR code you show at the airport.
This guide explains what to prepare, how the QR code is used on arrival and what to do if something goes wrong. It is based on the Digital Agency’s own instructions, Japan’s Immigration Services Agency and Japan Customs, checked on October 3, 2026.
What Visit Japan Web does
Visit Japan Web replaces the paper disembarkation card and customs declaration with information you enter online, shown as a QR code on your phone. The Digital Agency describes it as a service for immigration clearance and customs declaration, and foreign visitors can also use it to create a QR code for tax-free shopping during their stay.
For a first-time visitor, the main benefit is simply not filling in forms with a pen at the end of a long flight. You type your details once, check them calmly at home, and arrive with everything ready.
| Step | Paper route | Visit Japan Web route |
|---|---|---|
| Immigration | Disembarkation card handed out on the plane, filled in by hand | QR code shown at the immigration counter or joint kiosk |
| Customs | Customs declaration form, filled in by hand and handed to an officer | Same QR code scanned at an electronic declaration terminal, then the e-gate |
| Tax-free shopping | Passport shown in each shop | Separate tax-free QR code shown at participating shops |
| Families | One form per person (customs: one per family) | Register accompanying family members; each person shows their own code at kiosks |
What to prepare before you fly
Have your passport, flight details and first hotel address in front of you; with those, registration takes about 15 minutes.
- Account: create one with an email address on the official site. You can register on a computer, but you will need a phone or tablet to show the QR code at the airport.
- Passport: the site can read the photo page with your phone camera, or you can type the details in.
- Trip details: arrival date, airline and flight number, and the address and phone number of where you will stay first.
- Customs answers: the same yes/no questions as the paper form, such as whether you carry more than ¥1 million in cash or goods above the duty-free allowance.
- Family: add accompanying family members to your account so each of them has a code.
Do it a few days before departure, after your flight is confirmed. If your flight changes, edit the trip and the QR code updates. If you plan to show a screenshot, take it again after any change, because the Immigration Services Agency notes that a screenshot only carries the information you had when you made it.
How the QR code is used at the airport
Show the QR code twice: first at immigration, then at customs after you collect your bags. According to the official instructions, foreign visitors use one combined code for both steps.
- Immigration: at some major airports you scan the code and your IC passport at a joint kiosk, which records your passport, photo and declaration in one go. You still go to an immigration officer afterwards.
- Baggage claim: at Haneda, Fukuoka and Naha airports you can complete the customs step at an electronic declaration terminal while you wait for your bags.
- Customs: scan the code at an electronic declaration terminal, then walk through the electronic declaration gate. Officers may still select you for an inspection.
- No terminal free? Show the code to a customs officer at the inspection desk.
Keep the code ready offline. Airport Wi-Fi works, but a screenshot or a working eSIM means you are not reloading a page at the front of the queue. Our eSIM guide covers the phone side.
Tax-free shopping with Visit Japan Web
The tax-free QR code is separate from the arrival code and only works in shops that accept it. The Digital Agency says it is available to foreign nationals with Temporary Visitor (or Diplomat or Official) status, and that you must scan your passport and the landing permission sticker you receive at immigration before you can create it.
Unlike the arrival code, the tax-free code must be shown live in the app; a screenshot is not accepted. Japan’s tax-free system also changes for purchases from November 1, 2026, when shoppers pay tax at the till and claim it back when leaving Japan. Our guide to the new tax-free system explains how the refund works.
What Visit Japan Web does not replace
Visit Japan Web is a form, not a permission to enter. You still need a passport valid for your stay and any visa your nationality requires; check JNTO’s visa information for the official rules.
- It does not replace airline document checks before boarding.
- It does not guarantee a faster lane; queues depend on how many flights land at once.
- It does not change what you must declare. Answer the customs questions honestly; the code simply carries your answers.
- Staff instructions on the day override anything you prepared.
If something goes wrong
If your code will not load or the kiosk rejects it, use the paper forms. Japan Customs says declaration forms are available on the plane, ship or at customs, so you can still complete arrival without the app.
- Typo in your details: correct it in Visit Japan Web and create a new code; old screenshots will show the old data.
- Flight changed: edit the trip, then refresh or re-screenshot the code.
- Passport chip not read at the kiosk: go to the staffed immigration counter and show the code there.
- Travelling with children: each family member needs their own code at a joint kiosk; prepare them all before you queue.
After immigration: your next three steps
Once you are through customs, the next decisions are money, phone and the ride to your hotel. Sorting them in that order avoids standing in the arrivals hall with no signal and no way to pay.
- Get a transit card: which IC card to buy at the airport.
- Check the full Japan arrival checklist for cash, SIM and luggage.
- Choose your route into the city: our Japan airports guide compares the options, and the Haneda late-night guide covers landings after about 23:00.
- Still planning? See what to book before your Japan trip.
FAQ
Is Visit Japan Web mandatory?
No. It is the government’s recommended way to prepare the arrival forms, but Japan Customs says paper declaration forms are still available on the plane or at customs.
Can I use a screenshot of the QR code?
For arrival, yes: the Immigration Services Agency says a screenshot can be used at joint kiosks, but you must create a new one if you change any details. The tax-free QR code cannot be used as a screenshot.
Does it cost anything?
No. Visit Japan Web is a free government service. Be wary of sites that charge to submit it for you.
Does each family member need a QR code?
Yes, at joint kiosks each person goes through one at a time with their own code. You can register accompanying family members under one account.
Can I fill it in after landing?
You can, but it is easier on a calm connection before you fly. If you land without it, use the paper forms.
Sources
Checked on October 3, 2026. Prices and rules can change, so confirm on the official page before you pay.
- Digital Agency: Visit Japan Web
- Digital Agency: how to use Visit Japan Web
- Immigration Services Agency: joint kiosks (Japanese)
- Japan Customs: passenger clearance
- JNTO: visa information
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