Visit Japan Web: how to fast track your arrival forms

Visit Japan Web is a free government website that lets you fill in your arrival forms for Japan before you fly. It covers immigration and customs, and you show QR codes at the airport instead of paper forms. Japan's Digital Agency runs it, and it works for visitors and for Japanese citizens.

This guide explains what the site does, how to register in four steps, and one change that matters right now: the quarantine part is no longer needed.

Sources for this section: Digital Agency of Japan, Visit Japan Web (official site, as shown in January 2023).

What Visit Japan Web does

The site is an online service for arrival procedures at the airport. Its official page says it can be used for three things: quarantine, immigration and customs declaration. In practice, that means you enter your details at home, on your phone or computer, and get QR codes you can show on arrival.

The official site lists these airports as taking part: Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu Centrair, Fukuoka, New Chitose and Naha. Quarantine is available at all airports and some seaports. Check that your arrival airport is on the list before you rely on it.

Sources for this section: Digital Agency of Japan, Visit Japan Web (official site, as shown in January 2023).

The four steps

The official instructions split the process into steps before you board and one step at the airport.

1. Create an account. You need an email address to register and log in.
2. Register your user information. Add your own details and those of any family members travelling with you.
3. Register your arrival schedule. Enter when you will land in Japan.
4. Register your arrival procedures. This is where you fill in the immigration form (the disembarkation card) and the customs declaration for personal effects and unaccompanied articles.

At the airport you then show the QR codes on your screen at each desk. The official page says the codes for immigration and customs are different, so keep both ready. Japanese citizens and foreigners with a re-entry permission do not need to register for immigration.

Sources for this section: Digital Agency of Japan, Visit Japan Web (official site, as shown in January 2023).

The quarantine change you should know about

Many early guides talk about the "Fast Track" service. It let you upload your vaccine or test certificates online so quarantine took less time. The Digital Agency says Fast Track became available in Visit Japan Web on 1 November 2022.

That has now changed. A notice on the official page says travellers no longer need to register their passport or answer the quarantine questions on the web from 28 December 2022. Because of this, the quarantine QR code is no longer shown. If an older article tells you to complete Fast Track, it is out of date.

Sources for this section: Digital Agency of Japan, Visit Japan Web (official site, as shown in January 2023).

What Japan still asks for at the border

Skipping the quarantine web steps does not mean there are no health rules. The Japan National Tourism Organization page, last updated on 5 January 2023, says all entrants must show one of two things. The first is a valid vaccination certificate for 3 doses of a vaccine on the World Health Organization emergency use list. The second is a negative result from a COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours before departure.

The same page says on-arrival testing and self-quarantine are not required in principle, unless you are suspected of having COVID-19. Extra rules apply to people coming from mainland China. Rules can change quickly, so read the latest notice from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare before you go.

Sources for this section: Japan National Tourism Organization, Coronavirus (COVID-19) Measures by the Government (updated 5 January 2023).

Japan is open to tourists again

Japan lifted its rules on foreign tourists in stages. The tourism organization says the limit to package tours has ended and that visa exemption arrangements resumed on 11 October 2022. Visas that had been suspended also became valid again on that date. Japan is now open to travellers from all countries and regions.

Which passports can enter without a visa is set by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so check its short-stay exemption list for your country. Then do your Visit Japan Web registration a few days before you fly, once you know your flight details.

Sources for this section: Japan National Tourism Organization, Coronavirus (COVID-19) Measures by the Government (updated 5 January 2023).

Tips before you fly

• Register early. Do it at home on good wifi, not in the queue.
• Save your QR codes. Take screenshots in case your phone has no signal at the airport.
• Charge your phone. A flat battery makes the digital forms useless.
• Keep your certificate or test result ready. Have it on paper or on your phone.
• Check the official site. Use the Digital Agency's page, not a copy.

Sources for this section: Digital Agency of Japan, Visit Japan Web (official site, as shown in January 2023); Japan National Tourism Organization, Coronavirus (COVID-19) Measures by the Government (updated 5 January 2023).

Sources

1. Digital Agency of Japan, Visit Japan Web: vjw-lp.digital.go.jp
2. Japan National Tourism Organization, Coronavirus (COVID-19) Measures by the Government: japan.travel