Japan guide

Getting around

Arriving & leaving Japan

Landing goes faster if the forms are done before you fly. Leaving, the departure tax is usually already in your ticket price.

5 steps · 2 common mistakes· Show in Japanese (1)
A wide, bright airport lobby with flight information boards and travellers with luggage.

Photo: Kentaro Iemoto / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

On arrival

Step by step

  1. Before you fly, you can fill in immigration and customs online with Visit Japan Web and get QR codes — one per traveller. Otherwise, fill in the paper forms on the plane.

  2. At immigration, show your passport; you'll have your fingerprints and photo taken.

  3. Collect your bags, then go through customs and show the customs QR code or form.

Common mistakes

  • Expecting Visit Japan Web to be a visa — if your country needs a visa, get it before you travel.

When you leave

At departure, a traveller shows the passport and the tax-free shopping bag to a customs officer at a counter marked 税関.

Japan charges an International Tourist Tax on every departure: 3,000 yen from 1 July 2026 (1,000 yen before). Airlines and ferry companies add it to the ticket price. Some cities also charge an accommodation tax, collected by your hotel.

Step by step

  1. Get to the airport early if you have tax-free goods to show at customs.

  2. Keep some yen for the train to the airport, or check that your card or IC card works on it.

Common mistakes

  • Being surprised by a small accommodation tax at check-out — it's a local tax, not a hotel fee.

Sources

Sources (checked 2026-11-04). Facts, numbers and prices on this page come from these official pages.

  1. Japan Tourism Agency国際観光旅客税の税率引上げ（観光庁）Japanese(opens in a new tab)Japan Tourism Agency: rise in the international departure tax
  2. Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)Japan Travel Planning(opens in a new tab)JNTO: official Japan travel planning pages
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