What is Visit Japan Web, do you have to use it, and how do you register before flying to Japan?

What Visit Japan Web actually is

It is a browser-based service run by Japan's Digital Agency, at vjw.digital.go.jp. It is entirely free, there is no official app in any app store, and it covers three things: the immigration entry record, the customs declaration, and tax-free shopping registration for the refund scheme.

Because it is free and looks official, look-alike sites and paid “assistant” apps exist that charge to submit the same forms. Anything asking for payment is not Visit Japan Web. Bookmark the URL rather than searching for it on arrival — that is where people land on the wrong site.

Do you have to use it?

No. Japan did not make it compulsory, and you will not be refused entry without it. Paper disembarkation cards and customs declaration forms are still handed out on flights and are stacked at the arrivals hall at Haneda, Narita, Kansai, Fukuoka and the rest.

What you get for using it is a shorter queue: at the major airports the QR code feeds the electronic immigration kiosks and the automated customs gates, which is a meaningfully different arrival on a busy morning than standing in the manual line with a pen. On a first trip, with a long flight behind you, that is worth fifteen minutes of admin at home.

How to register, step by step

1. Create an account at vjw.digital.go.jp with an email address and password, and confirm the verification email.

2. Enter your details — whether you hold a Japanese passport or are a foreign visitor, then name, nationality and date of birth.

3. Register your passport by photographing the photo page; OCR pulls out the number, name and expiry. Check what it extracted — a misread passport number causes a real delay at the kiosk.

4. Register your planned entry: arrival date, airline and flight number, and your address in Japan (hotel name and phone number is what it wants).

5. Complete the two declarations — the immigration entry record (purpose of visit, length of stay, the standard security questions) and the customs declaration (goods, cash over the threshold, restricted items). Medicines have their own limits, and some common ones are banned; check our guide to bringing medicine into Japan before you pack.

6. Get your QR codes and screenshot them. This is the step people skip and regret: airport WiFi is fine once you are through, but on landing you may have no data, and a QR code you cannot load is the same as not having one.

When to do it, and what changes it

Register about a week before you fly, once your flight and first accommodation are fixed. You can create the account and register your passport months earlier — that part does not change — but the entry record is tied to a specific flight, so doing it too early means redoing it if your schedule moves.

There is no countdown on the QR code itself: it stays valid for the trip you registered. But if your flight details change you must update the entry, because the code is tied to that arrival. The same applies if you renew your passport before travelling — update the passport record and regenerate, or the kiosk will not match you.

If your passport has less than six months of validity left, Visit Japan Web shows a warning when you register it. Take that seriously: it reflects the validity rule airlines and immigration actually apply.

Using it at the airport

At immigration, use the electronic kiosk or the Visit Japan Web lane: scan your passport, then the immigration QR code, and it prints or confirms your landing permission. At customs, the automated gate scans your passport and customs QR code, takes a photo for facial verification, and lets you through.

Travelling as a family? Add each person under family members in the same account so everyone's codes sit together rather than on four separate phones.

One thing to know before you rely on it: Visit Japan Web covers arrival admin only. It is not a visa and not an entry permission — US citizens still need to be eligible for visa-free entry or hold a visa, which is a separate question. Our Japan visa guide covers that, and the Japan tax-free shopping guide covers the refund side that Visit Japan Web now links into.

Frequently asked questions