Before You Fly

Japan entry documents One QR code, done

In 2026 Japan merged the immigration and customs forms into a single QR code, and the big airports now have joint scanning kiosks — this page covers what to prepare, how to fill it in, and what must never go in your bag.

Last updated 10 Sep 2026 · By the MjourneyGo team

The 30-second version

  • Visit Japan Web is free and optional — you can enter without it, but with it you clear the checkpoint far faster
  • In 2026 it is one QR code Valid for both immigration and customs (it used to be two scans at two separate points)
  • Thai ePassport holders can still use their 15-day visa exemption. For qualifying short stays Always check official announcements before flying.
  • Register 1–2 weeks ahead To have time to edit the information and save the QR offline before traveling.
  • Do not carry processed meat or fresh fruit — pork floss, sausage, ham; the penalties are far heavier than people expect
  • From 1 Nov 2026 you can shop tax-free with the QR code from Visit Japan Web instead of handing over your physical passport at stores that support it, then claim the refund at the airport on your departure day (see the Japan tax-free guide)
Open the official Visit Japan Web site → Next, budget your trip
1. First check whether you need a visa

Holders of an Electronic Passport (ePassport) Thailand that meets the conditions Visa exemptions can be used for short-term stays. no more than 15 days For tourism, visiting relatives, or short-term business, work is prohibited. Immigration officers are the ones who consider permission to enter.

  • The 15 days count both your arrival day and your departure day from Japan
  • No working or paid employment during your stay, even short jobs
  • To stay longer than 15 days, get a visa from the embassy or application centre in Thailand before you travel — it cannot be extended in Japan
  • Official and diplomatic passports have different conditions
⚠️ Overstaying is a serious offence Overstaying can mean detention, deportation and amulti-year ban on re-entering Japan If your return flight is delayed past midnight and you overstay, contact the local immigration office immediately — do not let it slide
2. Have these 4 things ready before you open the site
  • Your actual passport — The volume number and expiration date must be filled in exactly. And must be used throughout the trip according to the conditions of Japan and the airline.
  • Flight details — airline andinbound flight number (e.g. TG660), from your booking confirmation email
  • First night’s accommodation address — hotel name, address in English, postcode and phone number
  • A working email address — used to verify your account and reset a forgotten password
3. Register, step by step
  1. Create an account on Visit Japan Web Use an email and set a password, then confirm with the code sent to your inbox — the site is in English, not Thai
    Visit Japan Web

    Create account

    Email addressyourname@email.com
    Password••••••••••
    8-32 characters, with at least one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter and one digit
    Confirmation code4 8 2 9 1 5
    A 6-digit code sent to your email — it expires, so request a fresh one if you are slow
    Create account
    Use an email you can open while in Japan — a forgotten password is reset through a link sent there
  2. Fill in your details Name as in your passport, date of birth, sex, nationality, passport number. Travelling as a group? Tap “add member” for up to 10 people
    Visit Japan Web

    Traveller details

    Family nameJAIDEE
    All capitals, spelled exactly as on your passport page — never in Thai script
    Given nameSOMCHAI
    Date of birth1990 / 05 / 14
    NationalityTHAILAND
    Passport numberAB1234567
    Letters and digits exactly as printed on the passport, with no spaces
    + Add companion  up to 10 people per account
    A family travelling together can share one account — add each companion and fill in their details one by one
  3. Add your trip plan Arrival date, airline, flight number and first-night accommodation. The system links this plan to every traveller you select
    Visit Japan Web

    Trip plan

    Date of arrival in Japan2026 / 10 / 12
    AirlineThai Airways
    Flight numberTG 640
    The flight number on your ticket — not the seat number and not the booking reference
    Accommodation (first night)Hotel Gracery Shinjuku
    Address / Tel1-19-1 Kabukicho, Shinjuku · 03-6833-1111
    Only the first night is needed — copy the address and phone number straight from your booking confirmation email
    You can create the plan before the flight is booked and come back to edit it any time before departure
  4. Answer the immigration questions Purpose of travel, length of stay, and any history of refused entry or convictions — always answer truthfully
    Visit Japan Web

    Immigration questions

    Purpose of visitTourism
    Intended length of stay7 days
    Have you ever been deported from Japan?No
    Any conviction, in Japan or elsewhere?No
    Possession of prohibited drugs, firearms?No
    Answer every question honestly. If you have ever been refused entry you must answer Yes and an officer will ask more at the counter — hiding it is far more serious
    The same questions as the paper arrival card you used to fill in on the plane, just answered in advance
  5. Complete the customs declaration Whether you carry prohibited items, parcels given to you by others, or over ¥1,000,000 in cash (details in the next section)
    Visit Japan Web

    Customs declaration

    Prohibited or restricted articles?No
    Items you were asked to carry for someone?No
    Cash or securities over ¥1,000,000?No
    Unaccompanied baggage?No
    Pork floss, sausage, ham and fresh fruit all count as restricted goods — if you are carrying them, answer Yes and declare rather than stay quiet
    If you carry something for someone else, or someone asked you to carry something, always answer Yes — even for a simple souvenir
  6. Get your QR code and screenshot it In 2026, there will be a single QR that can be used by both Immigration and Customs. You should do it in advance and check the information before leaving.
    Visit Japan Web

    Your QR code

    Entry & CustomsOne QR code works at both counters
    Screenshot it into your photo album in case there is no mobile signal in the arrivals hall
    Get it done before you leave, capture the QR for offline. and turn on screen brightness when scanning

The illustrations above aremock-up screens we drew ourselves so you can see what each field asks for and how to fill it in. They are not screenshots of the real site, and the real layout may change when the authorities update the system

💡 You can do it as soon as your tickets are booked Every field stays editable up to departure, so there is no need to wait for the last minute — and do it at home on a stable connection, far better than filling it in at the airport while queuing to check in
4. What to do once you land in Japan

In 2026 Haneda · Narita · Kansai have joint kiosks up and running — scan your passport and QR code at one machine and both immigration and customs are done, with no second queue as before

Other airports such as Chubu (Nagoya) · Fukuoka · Naha still use the old flow: scan at immigration, then scan again at customs on your way out of the terminal — the same QR code works at both points

📵 Always have a backup Mobile signal is unusable in parts of some arrival halls, and Wi-Fi may not connect in time Soscreenshot your QR code into your photo album and turn screen brightness to maximum when scanning
5. Banned items Thai travellers carry without knowing

This matters more than most people think: under Japan’s plant and animal quarantine laws the penalty is up to 3 years in prison or a fine of up to ¥3,000,000 and sniffer dogs really do check bags at the airport

TypeCommon examplesAllowed in?
Meat and meat products Pork floss, dried pork, Chinese sausage, sausage, ham, bacon, gyoza, meat sandwiches, dried food containing meat ❌ Banned, even in small amounts or vacuum packs
Fresh fruit and vegetables Mango, longan, guava, apple — including fruit handed out on the plane ❌ Almost all types banned
Plants and seeds Plants, cuttings, seeds, soil on roots ⚠️ Requires a phytosanitary certificate
Cash Cash and traveller’s cheques, all currencies combined ⚠️ Over ¥1,000,000 must be declared (not illegal, but must be reported)
Medicines Cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine, cough syrup containing codeine ❌ Some are illegal in Japan, even if sold over the counter in Thailand

How much personal medication can I bring?

  • Household remedies and prescription medicines, carried inquantities enough for the tripare fine as normal
  • For larger amounts (generally more than 1 month of prescription medicine or 2 months of household remedies) you may need paperwork Yakkan Shoumei obtained in advance from Japan’s Ministry of Health
  • Keep medicines in their original labelled boxes or blister packs, and if you have a chronic condition bring an English prescription too
  • Always check the ingredients before you fly, especially decongestant cold medicines and cough syrups sold freely in Thailand
🚫 The simplest safe rule If it isfood made from meat, or fresh fruit, just leave it at home That includes gifts other people ask you to carry when you do not know what is inside, because the person carrying it is the one held responsible
6. Mistakes that leave you stuck in the queue
  • Flight number does not match the actual ticket — the most common one, especially if you changed flights later and forgot to update it
  • Wrong hotel address or postcode — copying and pasting from the booking confirmation email is the safest way
  • Details that do not match between sections e.g. the name spelled differently in the traveller section and on the passport
  • No screenshot of the QR code and then no data connection when your turn comes
  • Registering too late — It's best to do this in advance to have time to fix your name, flight, and accommodation information.
  • Group members forgetting their own — everyone needs their own QR code, even if registered from the same account
7. What is about to change
  • 1 Nov 2026 — the tourist tax refund system changes format From tax deducted at the till to paying the tax-inclusive price first, then scanning your passport at the airport processing point on your departure day,before you check your bags The refund is paid after Customs confirms the goods are leaving Japan, so budget more cash and more time at the airport. At the till, stores that support it let you show the Visit Japan Web QR code instead of your physical passport (the code lasts 24 hours and screenshots are not accepted). (full details in the Japan Tax-Free 2026 guide)
  • JESTA — pre-travel authorisation Japan has announced plans to start it later this decade In 2026 Not yet in force Nothing extra to do

Frequently asked questions

Can I enter Japan without registering on Visit Japan Web?
Yes. It is not mandatory. Every airport still hands out paper immigration and customs forms on board, and nobody is refused entry for not registering. But the paper lanes are usually slower when several planes land at once.
Do I have to print the QR code?
No, you can show it on your phone screen. Still, save a screenshot to your photo album, because mobile signal is dead in parts of some arrival halls, and a page that will not load when your turn comes costs a lot of time.
Can I register on behalf of my family?
Yes. One account can add up to 10 people travelling together, which suits families with children or older relatives who are less comfortable with phones. Each person gets their own QR code.
I have not booked every night yet — what do I put for accommodation?
Just enter the first night you have booked; the field is only your contact address during the stay, and you can edit it any time before boarding. Staying with friends or relatives? Give the real address plus a contact number.
Do Thai citizens still get visa exemption for Japan?
Qualifying Thai e-passport holders can also use visa exemption for short-term stays of up to 15 days for tourism, visiting relatives or short-term business without work. If you will be staying longer than the specified period, you must apply for a visa before traveling. And you should always check the announcement from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs before flying.
Telephone and internet for traveling in JapanSIM · eSIM · travel insurance Sort out your data and your coverage before you fly Etiquette and things to know before traveling to JapanEtiquette · plugs · money Know it beforehand and you will not feel lost once you are there Yen for calculating budget for traveling to JapanTrip budget calculator See the total before you book, broken down by category for your actual dates

Check the latest information 10 Sep 2026 · Sources: Visit Japan Web (Digital Agency) · Plant Protection Station, Japan Ministry of Agriculture (in Thai) · Japan Customs · Embassy of Japan in Thailand
Entry rules can change at any time. Please confirm with the official sites again before you travel.