It’s nearly time to head back to Japan for many of us, and there is now a new website in place to make sure you meet all entry requirements and will speed up the process of passing immigration and customs when you arrive in Japan.

IMPORTANT!

MAKE SURE YOU SIGN UP TO THE JAPAN VISIT WEB(SITE), CREATE AN ACCOUNT, AND FOLLOW ALL REQUIRED STEPS BEFORE YOU ARE AT THE AIRPORT!

The process can take up to an hour or more.

A quick overview on the vaccination related requirements is below, followed by a step by step on how to use the Visit Japan Web system.

OVERVIEW

Visa and Vaccination requirements
(Links to official Japanese Government information)

• Travel to Japan is now allowed. No visa is required. See Details
• Proof of negative pre-departure COVID19 test results is no longer required for vaccinated travellers with a booster dose (3 shots). See Details
• Travellers under the age of 18 also don’t need a negative COVID19 test result before travelling to Japan if accompanied by a fully-vaccinated parent (who has received their booster shot) who supervises their activities.
• If you have only 2 shots or are unvaccinated you must provide a negative PCR test (taken up to 72 hours prior to departure) to the airline staff at check in. Ensure you request a Japanese certificate. Most international airports have a testing facility.
• Travellers don’t need to quarantine on arrival in Japan. See Details

Entry Fast Track
Before you travel you should pre-register through the Visit Japan Website. This will speed up COVID19 entry procedures and reduce delays. Follow these steps:

• Scan or take a photo of your passport photo page.
• Get a digital copy of your (international if available) vaccination certificate issued by your home country’s government.
• Pre-select your international flight seats.
• Follow the steps on the Visit Japan Website to input your information for both immigration and customs.
• Once the information is approved you will receive two QR codes, one for immigration and one for customs to be presented on arrival.

STEP BY STEP

STEP 1
Visit the Visit Japan Web website and create an account here:

You will need to do this for each person travelling. It may be quicker during entry if each person in your group has their own mobile device to show relevant QR codes to customs and immigration in Japan.

STEP 2
Once you have a registered your account, move on to Register Planned Entry/Return section and choose + New Registration

You will then enter your flight details, as well as the intended address of where you will be staying in Japan (Hotel/Lodging). Once complete, you will be back on the main screen and can proceed.

STEP 3
Complete the Preparation for Immigration Clearance section: This will be your digital disembarkation card when arriving in Japan. It will show “not registered” in red to begin with.

The next screen you see will require you to upload a picture of your passport, fill in a questionnaire, and either upload your vaccine certificate or PCR test results.

Click on the ‘Passport’ link in blue. You can then upload an image – makes sure the quality is good, as the system will scan the image to confirm your passport and date of birth.

The passport scanning process will take 10 minutes or so. 

Click back to top and you’ll return to the previous page, where you’ll see ‘Scanning’ next to the passport link.

You will now need to wait for your passport to be scanned, and your information verified. If you click on “Passport” again while scanning, you will be given the option to Skip, but do not Skip! This will result in you having to use the normal Immigration cues, which will take longer.

You will receive an email when your passport has been scanned. Refreshing the web browser will also show you any updated status for the scanning process.

Once complete, clicking on the blue ‘Passport’ link will show the following screen, where you can check the details and then “Register” your passport.

Once registered, you can move on to the Questionnaire section.

The Questionnaire will then ask for all the details of your ARRIVAL flight into Japan, as well what regions you have visited in the last 14 days.

STEP 4
Now move on to the Vaccination certificate section (and Test result certificate, needed for those who are unvaccinated for COVID19).

Once details have been entered and you have uploaded your vaccination certificate, you will see a preview of the certificate.

Once you click Register the certificate will commence scanning. You will receive an email once scanning is complete, or you can refresh your browser now and again to check. This also took about 10 minutes for me.

STEP 5
Once your passport and relevant certificate have been scanned, your Pre-registration for quarantine procedures status will now be completed and shown in blue. You will need to show this page on your mobile device while checking in at the airport when you leave your home country.

Go back to the Japan entry/return procedure page and you will now see buttons to view QR codes for both Immigration and Customs, on the main screen.

You will need to show these QR codes as you pass through Immigration and Customs when arriving in Japan. Tokyo Haneda Airport had good wifi available in the arrivals sections which made the process of using the website on a mobile device easy when arriving. It may be worth taking a screenshot of both QR codes on your phone in case there is no wifi available at other entry points to Japan.

You are now ready to head to the airport counter and depart your home country, as you will be asked to show your Pre-registration for quarantine procedures status when checking in, as well as your proof of vaccination (or test results certificate, if applicable).

You’ll be glad you didn’t try to sort all of this out while in the cue at the airport on the day!

Next stop, JAPOW!