Visit Japan Web 2026: How to Use It, Step by Step
Short answer: Visit Japan Web is the Japanese government's free website for your arrival paperwork. You fill in the immigration card and customs declaration before you land and get one QR code for both.
It is not mandatory. Paper arrival cards and paper customs forms are still accepted.
Do it at home: make an account, register your passport and flight, fill in "Immigration clearance and Customs declaration", then show the QR code at the airport.
This guide follows the order you will actually do things: decide if you need it, set it up before the trip, get the QR code, use it at the airport, and fix problems.
Everything below comes from official Japanese government pages that I opened on 2026-11-04. Each section ends with its source.
1. Do I need Visit Japan Web?
No, it is optional. Every foreign visitor must hand in an arrival record (ED card) and a customs declaration. Visit Japan Web is just the electronic way to do both.
The Immigration Services Agency recommends the online version for a smoother entry. It also says that if you are not comfortable using a smartphone, you should submit the paper ED card instead.
Japan Customs says the paper customs form "can still be used" and you can print it on A4 paper before your trip. Forms are also available on the plane and at customs.
| Procedure | Online | Paper |
|---|---|---|
| Immigration (ED card) | Visit Japan Web QR | Still accepted |
| Customs declaration | Same QR | Still accepted |
Four more things to know:
- It costs nothing. The Digital Agency warns that sites asking for an "application fee" are not official. It never charges users.
- There is no app. The Digital Agency says Visit Japan Web "does not provide any apps" and warned about fake apps such as "Visit Japan Web Info". Use the website: vjw.digital.go.jp.
- It is not a visa. Whether you need a visa is a separate question, answered by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- It is not JESTA. JESTA is Japan's planned pre-travel authorisation. The law creating it passed on May 29, 2026, but it starts on a date set by Cabinet Order, no later than March 31, 2029. There is nothing to apply for yet.
Source: Immigration Services Agency, ED card page, Japan Customs, declaration page, Digital Agency, fee notice, Digital Agency, fake app notice, Immigration Services Agency, 2026 law (JESTA) (checked 2026-11-04)
2. What you need before you start
- An email address (needed to create the account)
- Your passport
- Your flight: airline, flight number, departure airport, arrival date
- Your first address in Japan (hotel name, address, phone)
- A smartphone or tablet to show the QR code. You can type everything on a PC, but you must show the code on a phone or tablet.
Supported browsers: Safari or Chrome on iPhone, Chrome on Android, Chrome on PC. The site works in Japanese, English, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, German and French.
Source: Digital Agency, Visit Japan Web, Visit Japan Web FAQ, Instruction Manual v3.17 (Nov 1, 2026) (checked 2026-11-04)
3. Before the trip: set it up in 4 steps
Step 0. Create an account
Open vjw.digital.go.jp, choose your language, and select "Create an account". You need a valid email address.
After login you are offered multi-factor authentication. It is optional. If you turn it on, you will need the code from your authenticator app (for example Google Authenticator) every time you log in, including at the airport. If you are not sure, skip it.
Step 1. Register yourself (passport)
Tap "Your Details", answer the category questions, then add your passport by "Scan with camera" or "Enter by yourself".
If your passport has less than 6 months left, the site shows a warning.
Scan the passport with the camera if you can. Japan's tax-free QR code only works if the passport was scanned. More on that in my guide to Japan's 2026 tax-free refund system.
Step 2. Register your trip ("planned entry/return")
Tap "Register new planned entry/return" and enter your arrival date, airline, flight number, point of embarkation and where you will stay in Japan.
One account can hold up to 100 trips. You can copy an earlier trip to save typing.
Step 3. Fill in the procedures
Open the trip you registered. You will see:
- Quarantine (Confirmation of Health Condition): answer the health questions and read the guidance. Your answers are not saved in the service.
- Immigration clearance and Customs declaration: this is the important one. It is your arrival card and customs form in one.
For length of stay, the Immigration Services Agency says many people get this wrong. Tourists on a short-term stay should enter 90 days or less, counted in days.
Source: Digital Agency, How to use, Instruction Manual v3.17, Immigration Services Agency (checked 2026-11-04)
4. When should I do it?
Before you fly, at home on Wi-Fi. The official pages I checked give no deadline in hours. The Immigration Services Agency asks you to finish it before you reach the immigration hall.
Most of the setup (account, passport, new trip) needs an internet connection, so do not leave it for the plane.
If something changes after you make the QR code (flight, hotel, dates), edit the details and show the new code. The Immigration Services Agency says changed details require a re-made code.
Source: Immigration Services Agency, Instruction Manual, offline appendix (checked 2026-11-04)
5. Travelling with family
Each person needs their own QR code, but not their own account.
- One person (the representative) can add up to 10 family members travelling with them, if they go through immigration at the same time.
- You fill in each person's details and make a QR code for each one in the same account.
- For customs, the representative can choose "Declaration for accompanying family members at the same time" so you do not type everyone's customs form separately.
- One email address can only have one account. Family members who travel separately need their own accounts.
At the airport, every person is processed one by one, kids included. At the joint kiosks, people under 135 cm cannot use the machine. At the customs e-Gates, a child under 100 cm can walk through with a family member.
Source: Visit Japan Web FAQ, Instruction Manual v3.17, Japan Customs, joint kiosk, Japan Customs, e-Gates (checked 2026-11-04)
6. Get your QR code
Open your trip, tap to display the QR code, read the notes and tap "Agree and display QR code".
There is only one code for immigration and customs. The two were merged on January 25, 2024. Old guides that mention two codes are out of date, and codes from the old Customs Declaration App no longer work.
Can you use a screenshot? For the arrival QR code, yes: the Immigration Services Agency says a screenshot can be used, but if you change any details you must make a new code. The tax-free shopping QR code is different: screenshots cannot be used for it.
Source: Digital Agency, unified 2D code, Immigration Services Agency, Digital Agency, How to use, Japan Customs, e-Gates (checked 2026-11-04)
7. At the airport
At most airports you show the same QR code at two places:
- Immigration: show the code to the immigration officer. You still go through a face-to-face immigration check.
- Customs: scan the code at an electronic declaration terminal (or show it at the inspection desk). After the terminal, you may be sent to an e-Gate or to a customs officer.
At customs e-Gate airports, you hold your QR code and your IC (chip) passport over the terminal, which takes your photo. You can do this while waiting for your bags, then walk through the gate. Officers can still inspect your bags.
At terminals with a joint kiosk (table below), you scan the QR code and passport once at the kiosk for both immigration and customs, then go to the kiosk users' immigration booth.
| Feature | Airports | Needs |
|---|---|---|
| Customs e-Gates | New Chitose, Narita, Haneda, Chubu, Kansai, Fukuoka, Naha | IC passport + QR |
| Joint kiosk (immigration + customs in one stop) | Narita T1/T2/T3, Haneda T2/T3, Kansai T1/T2, Fukuoka | QR + passport, 135 cm or taller |
More on joint kiosks
The joint kiosk reads your QR code and passport and sends your passport details, face photo, fingerprints and declaration to immigration and customs at once. Foreign visitors then use a dedicated immigration booth for kiosk users.
A non-IC passport can use the kiosk, but you cannot use the customs e-Gate afterwards.
Remove masks and sunglasses for the photo. Wheelchair users can use the kiosks. If you have goods over the duty-free allowance or items shipped separately, you will be sent to a customs officer.
Kiosk hours differ by terminal and can change with flight schedules (for example, Haneda T3 is listed as 24 hours, Narita 7:00 to 21:30).
Source: Digital Agency, How to use, Japan Customs, e-Gates, Immigration Services Agency, joint kiosks, Japan Customs, joint kiosk (checked 2026-11-04)
8. Stuck? Common problems
I have no data / no internet when I land
The arrival QR code works offline if you logged in online beforehand and stayed logged in. The manual explains how to install the site on your phone for offline use (tap "Use the Visit Japan Web site offline" on the login screen).
Offline you cannot create an account, register a passport or add a new trip, and editing family members needs a connection. If you need internet, use the free airport Wi-Fi.
Sorting out phone payments too? See how to add Suica or PASMO to iPhone and Android.
I have no smartphone, or my phone died
Use paper. The Immigration Services Agency tells people who are not comfortable with smartphones to submit the paper ED card, and Japan Customs still accepts the paper declaration form (available on the plane and at customs, or printed at home). Fill in the paper ED card in English or Japanese.
If you travel with family, a family member's account can hold your details and QR code.
The QR code does not scan or my details are wrong
Fix the details in the site, then make a new code. A screenshot taken before the change will be out of date. Paper forms remain a fallback.
The passport camera scan fails
Go back to the method screen and choose "Enter by yourself". Note that tax-free shopping with the QR code requires a scanned passport, so try the scan again later in good light.
I cannot log in
- Check the email and password for typos, or use "When you forgot your password".
- No reset email? Check spam and allow mail from "@vjw.digital.go.jp".
- Multi-factor code: it comes from your authenticator app, not by email. If you lost the phone with the app, the FAQ says to delete the account and create a new one.
- If pages behave oddly, clear the browser cache.
How long is my data kept?
Your account and data are deleted 1.5 years after your last login. You can also delete your account yourself from the login screen. Information already sent to government agencies is kept under each agency's rules.
Can I use it for tax-free shopping?
Yes, for foreign visitors with Temporary Visitor (or Diplomat/Official) status. You need your passport face image and landing permission sticker details registered, so this part is finished after you land. Show the Tax-Free QR code live in the site at shops that support it; screenshots are not accepted.
When you leave, Visit Japan Web can also replace the tax refund kiosk at New Chitose, Narita, Haneda, Chubu, Kansai, Fukuoka and Naha. Full steps: Japan tax-free refund system 2026.
Still stuck? The official route is the Visit Japan Web chatbot.
Source: Visit Japan Web FAQ, Instruction Manual v3.17, Digital Agency, How to use, Digital Agency, tax refund notice (Nov 2, 2026) (checked 2026-11-04)
Quick checklist
- Account created at vjw.digital.go.jp (no app)
- Passport scanned with the camera
- Family members added (up to 10)
- Trip registered with flight and hotel
- "Immigration clearance and Customs declaration" filled in, stay of 90 days or less
- QR code opened once while online, stay logged in
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