Procedures of Passenger Clearance (Japan Customs, English)

1. The green channel is for passengers who have no goods subject to duty and/or tax and goods not prohibited or restricted for import.

2. The red channel is for all other passengers. 　 ## Exemption Personal effects and unaccompanied baggage for personal use are free of duty and/or tax within the allowance specified below. (As for rice, the limit is 100KG a year.) If you have both personal effects and unaccompanied baggage, please consider them together and refer to the allowance. - **-Personal Effects and Professional Equipment** Clothes, toiletries, and other personal effects for your personal use, as well as portable professional equipment that will be used during your stay in Japan, are all free of duty and/or tax, if they are considered quantitatively appropriate and are not for sale. - **-Alcoholic Beverages, Tobacco Products, Perfume, etc** Moreover, allowances will be made for certain other articles within the limits specified below. - **-Household Effects (including Automobiles)** If you are to move to Japan and to stay for more than one year, your or your family's household effects being used by the members of your family may be imported free of duty and/or tax within the limit deemed reasonable. Such household effects may include automobiles, boats, and other vehicles, provided that a registration certificates or sales receipts are presented to prove that the automobiles are used and that the boats have been in use for more than one year prior to its arrival in Japan. Automobiles and other vehicles may be imported temporarily free of duty and/or tax provided they are subsequently exported. Duty-free/Tax-free Allowance Item Allowance (for an adult) Remarks Alcoholic Beverages 3 bottles A bottle contains approximately 760cc Tobacco Products Cigars 50 cigars If a visitor brings in more than one kind of tobacco product, the total allowance is equivalent to 250 grams. Examples of the allowance for heat-not-burn tobacco - IQOS: 200 pieces - glo: 200 pieces - Ploom TECH: 50 capsules Cigarettes 200 cigarettes Heat-not-burn tobacco 10 individual packages,etc Other kinds of tobacco 250 grams Perfume 2 ounces One ounce is about 28ml. Others 200,000yen The total overseas market value of all articles other than the above items must be under 200,000yen. Any item whose overseas market value is under 10,000yen is free of duty and/or tax and is not included in the calculation of the total overseas market value of all articles.There is no duty-free allowance for articles having a market value of more than 200,000yen each or each set. **(Notes)** \*1 Commodities and commercial samples are subject to duty and/or tax since they are not regarded as being for personal use. \*2 In the case of applying duty-free allowance for rice, please submit a "Report for the Import of Rice" to the Local Food Office or other competent organization, then submit one of the copies which are returned to you to the Customs Office. \*3 For additional information of the new exemption of tobacco, please see the brochure([Announcement\[PDF:464KB\]](./cigarette_leaflet_e.pdf)).   ## Simplified Customs Duty and Tax Rates When your belongings exceed the limit of the allowances, the following simplified Customs duty and tax rates will be applied, in most cases, to that amount which is in excess. Simplified Customs Duty and Tax Rate Item Rate Alcoholic Beverages Whisky, Brandy 800yen per liter Rum, Gin, Vodka 500yen per liter Liquor 400yen per liter Distilled alcoholic beverages 300yen per liter Wine, beer, and other liquor 200yen per liter Tobacco Products Cigarettes 15yen per cigarette Heat-not-burn tobacco ⑴ Products that use tobacco sticks (Example: IQOS, glo,etc.) 15yen per stick ⑵ Products sold as a packaged set of tobacco capsules and liquid cartridges, etc. \*Also includes products sold as a packaged set of liquid cartridges only. (Example: Ploom TECH,etc.) 50yen per capsule 50yen per cartridge Other articles (except for those free of Customs duty) 15%   ## Unaccompanied Baggage When you have unaccompanied baggage, two copies of written declaration forms are required to submit at the time of your entry, one of which will be returned to you with the seal of certification by a Customs officer. Such declaration is necessary to obtain duty and/or tax exemption status. Such unaccompanied baggage must be in your custody within six months after your arrival. The sealed declaration must be presented at the time of clearance of the unaccompanied goods. If baggage is imported by mail, you are required to list this unaccompanied baggage on your declaration, and you should identify the parcel by placing the words "unaccompanied baggage" on the parcel. 　 ## Currency If you are carrying cash or other means of payment exceeding 1 million yen（\*0.1million JPY in a case that you are bound for North Korea）, you are required to declare to Customs. Please ask a Customs officer at seaport or airport for a blank form. Form：[DECLARATION OF CARRYING OF MEANS OF PAYMENT,ETC](http://www.customs.go.jp/kaigairyoko/H20k591_e.pdf)(PDF) - To whom depart or enter Japan with currency and coins or other means of payment exceeding 1 million JPY. [〔English \[pdf:210kb\]〕](/kaigairyoko/H20k591_er.pdf) - To whom depart Japan for North Korea with currency and coins or other means of payment, etc exceeding 0.1 million JPY\! [〔English \[pdf:216kb\]〕](/kaigairyoko/H28reafret_e.pdf) ／[〔Korean \[pdf:229kb\]〕](/kaigairyoko/H28reafret_k.pdf) What you have to declare： Following items in excess of 1 million yen or their equivalent （\*0.1 million JPY in a case that you are bound for North Korea） - Cash (including foreign currency) - Checks - Travelers checks - Promissory notes - Securities Gold bullion (not less than 90% purity) exceeding 1kg. ## Gold Import Declaration When carrying gold bullion or gold products into Japan, please check“Yes”for the question “1. ③ Gold bullion or products of gold” on the “Declaration of Accompanied Articles and Unaccompanied Articles”regardless of their quantity, wight, value, or whether they are new or not. When carrying more than 1kg of gold bullion of 90% or more of purity into Japan, “Declaration of Carrying of Means of Payment, etc.” must be submitted in addition to “Declaration of Accompanied Articles and Unaccompanied Articles”. If the quantity and value of gold exceeds the scope of “[Customs Clearance for Traveler’s Baggage](https://www.customs.go.jp/english/c-answer_e/keitaibetsuso/7103_e.htm)”, general import declaration procedures are required.   ## Prohibited Articles The following articles are prohibited from entry by law:

1. Heroin, cocaine, MDMA, opium, cannabis, stimulants, psychotropic substances, and other narcotic drugs (excluding those designated by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Ordinance);

2. Firearms (pistols, etc.), ammunition (bullets) thereof, and pistol parts;

3. Explosives (dynamite, gunpowder, etc.) ;

4. Precursor materials for chemical weapons;

5. Counterfeit, altered, or imitation coins, paper money, bank notes, or securities, and forged credit cards;

6. Books, drawings, carvings, and any other article which may harm public safety or morals (obscene or immoral materials, e.g., pornography);

7. Child pornography; and

8. Articles which infringe upon intellectual property rights. 　 ## Restricted Articles Some other goods are restricted by other laws and regulations. When you import such goods, permits and approval under laws and regulations other than the Customs Law are required, or the goods must be examined by a government agency, as the case may be. Major restricted items are listed below:

1. Plants and animals must be presented to the plant or animal quarantine officer for quarantine inspection prior to Customs examination.

2. There are quantity restrictions on the import of medicine and cosmetics. (e.g., for pharmaceutical products: amount for use for a period of 2 months; quasi-drugs: amount for use for a period of 2 months; cosmetics: 24 applications) [Web-site of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare](https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/policy/health-medical/pharmaceuticals/01.html) \*Click here for details.

3. No person shall bring hunting guns, air guns, swords, etc. into Japan without a permit to possess. 　 ## Purchase of Tax-Free Goods You are required to export the tax-free goods. Do not transfer or consume the tax-free goods in Japan. When leaving Japan, at the airport or seaport of departure,please present your passport at customs. Customs inspect your possession of the tax-free goods as necessary. If you DO NOT EXPORT the tax-free goods, you have to pay the consumption tax at customs. - [Notice to Foreign Travelers Who Purchase Tax-Free Goods](/english/summary/tax-free%20goods_leaflet_e%20.pdf) **\[Note\]** - You may be subject to penalty (Imprisonment up to 1 year or a fine up to maximum of 500,000 yen) if you have transferred the tax-free goods prior to departure. - If you become a resident of Japan after purchasing the tax-free goods, you have to pay the consumption tax to the Tax Office in charge of domicile or residence. Please refer to the website of National Tax Agency for more detail. [https://www.nta.go.jp/publication/pamph/shohi/menzei/201805/0523.htm](https://www.nta.go.jp/publication/pamph/shohi/menzei/201805/0523.htm%20) [Top of Page](#blockskip) [Top of Page](#spTop) - [Notice](/copyright_e.htm) - [Privacy Policy](/personal_e.htm) - [Inquiry](/question_e.htm) Customs and Tariff Bureau, 3-1-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8940, JAPAN Copyright(C) Ministry of Finance Japan