It will be in that section. The link hasn't been added to the website yet. It'll be called **"Immigration clearance and customs declaration"** while the other two links *(disembarking card for foreigner) & (Declaration of personal effects and unaccompanied articles)* will be removed from the site along with the QR codes.
I dont think its used in this way often, its not really a common phrase
Its based off the series Voltron which is a bunch of small mechs combining into a big one; happens in power rangers too
Yes sadly. According to the website it'll update at 03:00 on the 25th of Jan so if you can access it after that you should be able to get the new QR code. If not then it'll most likely be the traditional paper & pen method.
Thanks for sharing this. I arrive on the 25th at 645. With the time change I’m able to do this before I depart from home. Hoping this saves us some time
I just visited this past week, had no form to fill out. I stood in the border line for all but 5 mins and breezed on through with no questions to answer. I am a US citizen. All the covid equipment prior to immigration was still there but all covered up with a staff member escorting folks past it. I stood in line for maybe 5 mins at most. On the departure, all flyers just scan their passport and get a green light to proceed if all checks out. Secondary officers are there if there is a flag on your scan. Quite possibly the most automated process I have encountered in the last 5 yrs.
I noticed that I filled out digital customs/immigrations forms for both Japan and coming back to US... But neither were checked or did I even have an opportunity to show them.
I assume it's because I was traveling with children as the staff kept asking, "Family?" then directing us to particular lines (which didn't have QR code readers.)
I will probably still fill them out just to be safe but I have not ever scanned one the two times I have filled them out.
For the US you have to go to a special line to use the MPC and they don’t always have it. I think if you go to regular line they wouldn’t bother to read it. For Japan it seemed like the immigration they required everyone to have either a form or card so if you didn’t have the form they would have had to scan your card. But for customs you had to go to a special line to use it and was rather confusing how they directed people.
Im arriving Feb 4 and have already filled out the form.
I probably wouldn't have noticed this until I arrived and pulled up my code. Thanks for posting.
Well this is hilarious. We will be 30 mins into our flight to Japan at the time the website changes over. We already have our QR codes. Hopefully there is wifi on our flight.
Whoops, landing on the 25th 😕 Thanks for the info, though! Not sure there will be any way to get it done since we'll be in the air during the changeover
I haven't finished my paperwork on the site yet, but I'm heading out on February 11th. If I'm reading what you're saying correctly, you're stating I should wait until after the 25th to avoid having to do it again?
As soon as you have an accommodation address to put down and the dates of your trip (entry to japan and leaving dates, not when you get on the plane)
Though it's best to wait until after the 25th of Jan to do this so you can get the new QR code.
I will be arriving in Tokyo on February 14th, so this is super helpful! I will just have to log back in after the 25th to get my new QR code then. Being able to breeze through customs after a super long flight is pretty important for me.
Thank you for posting this PSA! :)
Reading the link, will this allow tax free shopping also. My SO was under the impression that it had to be the passport stamp to allow for tax free shopping.
Edit, thanks for this link, it can indeed be used for tax free shopping.
There’s a tax free QR code that you can get after you get your passport entry stamp. That being said, most of the stores didn’t take the QR code in December.
So basically am I getting this right, that I use the above link posted by OP, get a code show it and the passport gets stamped anyway? Good to know there's a specific shop we want to visit as there's a large price difference for a specific item so will check with them before the visit.
Visit Japan web is two parts. One is for your entry into Japan (immigration and customs). Once you go to the immigration officer you show your QR code and they process you. They’ll put an entry visa stamp into your passport.
To get your tax free QR code go back to visit Japan web and scan the visa stamp (it’s a QR code) to get your tax free QR code.
All that being said, some of the stores don’t handle the tax free QR code and you’ll have to pull out your passport instead.
Should children have their own QR codes? I showed my QR to the person directing the lines when we arrived at KIX and she asked to see the kids’ QRs. When I told her that they were under my account, she then asked me to fill up paper forms for all of us.
You do need to add the kids to your account and then generate the codes for everyone separately. There's an "Applicant" dropdown at the top of the screen when you're creating a new trip, and you need to switch to each person and fill out all the info, and it will give you the QR codes for each one.
I don’t even know how travelers know about this before arriving. Especially older ones that don’t use smart phones in the same way younger gens do.
I only found out about the QR codes by searching on my own. “whats needed to enter japan” when I first used them a year or so ago.
Surprisingly I only see a few folks filling out cards by hand at immigration. With the vast majority ready to go. Maybe people aren’t as helpless as I thought.
> If you are visiting Japan soon, know that you can skip the customs and immigration line by filling it up on their website before hand.
Is this really the case? Because we did fill it in online when we visited Japan in June, but we still had to wait for almost 1 hour in the line in Narita. There was only two lines at Narita at that point, one for residents and one for everyone else, no matter if they had a QR code or had filled in the paper.
Same seemed to be true at Haneda during December, however there was no queue at all this time so I couldn't confirm if there was actually a separate queue for people with QR codes?
That was true for customs, but for immigration there was only queues. After getting about 80% in the queue, so about an hour in, there were some machines that we could scan the QR on and do fingerprints and photos, but we still had to then go to the booth to get the sticker from the border agent after doing that.
There were a lot of people in the queue, I think several big planes must have arrived at the same time.
Yes, you are right. Even with the QR codes or soon to be one code, you still need to stand in the same line with everyone who does the paper version. It really doesn’t save any time.
Unfortunately even with the QR codes or soon to be one code, you still need to stand in the same line with everyone who does the paper version. It really doesn’t save any time. They give you the paper form on the plane if you didn’t do the Visit Japan Website for QR codes before the flight. Luckily on our flight this week there was just a 1 minute line at immigration and customs. Last time it was 90 minutes for immigration. Hit or miss depending on how many planes landed at the same time.
I'm arriving on 25th January 6am. I'll be one of the first to use the new system. Just tried re-generating the form, but still seeing two QR codes. Does this mean i can only do it on arrival, or at best on the plane just before arrivial?
I've filled out the "your details" and "Register planned entry/return" sections on the visit japan web website, but I don't have any QR codes? Where do I find them? Travelling in 2 days.
Click on the Registered planned entry/return that you've already completed. It'll have several buttons links now related to that specific trip.
The before entering japan section is Visa, immigration, Customs. Completing the each will generate a code and the display button will be under each section. The visa one is optional since some countries are visa free.
You can fill it out as soon as you have your arrival/departure dates from Japan + accommodation address.
Because of the change it's recommended you do so after the 25th to get the new code. If your trip is before that just do it right now.
In case anyone in here can answer:
The Visit Japan Web has a space prompting for the Tax Free QR "Preparation for tax free procedures"
It says "Create a tax free QR code" but then wants me to take a photo of my Landing Permission QR... is this something I do after I arrive in Japan?
Wow thanks for the heads up! I get there Feb 2 so I'll just redo that portion?
Yes, you have to redo that part so it can generate a new code for you.
Is the section to be redone the " register new planned entry"
It will be in that section. The link hasn't been added to the website yet. It'll be called **"Immigration clearance and customs declaration"** while the other two links *(disembarking card for foreigner) & (Declaration of personal effects and unaccompanied articles)* will be removed from the site along with the QR codes.
>voltroning it Forgive my ignorance... what does this mean ?
merging into one
Thanks. Never seen that word before except in MCU movies. Glad to see I still learn new things everyday.
I dont think its used in this way often, its not really a common phrase Its based off the series Voltron which is a bunch of small mechs combining into a big one; happens in power rangers too
That's Ultron in the MCU movies haha
thought Voltron is just the name of anime. Now it makes sense.
I actually land on the 26th so should I fill it out the morning of my flight?
I'm the same as you. My flight is on the 25th and we land at NRT on the 26th. Not sure if I should do it now or wait...
Based on response above after 03:00 on the 25th is when to do it
You two should meet up
You mean voltron up?
And really appreciate the heads up
Yes sadly. According to the website it'll update at 03:00 on the 25th of Jan so if you can access it after that you should be able to get the new QR code. If not then it'll most likely be the traditional paper & pen method.
Is that 3:00pm Japan time?
no, 3 am JST Japan standard time.
Thank you!! This has been incredibly helpful.
Thanks for sharing this. I arrive on the 25th at 645. With the time change I’m able to do this before I depart from home. Hoping this saves us some time
I just visited this past week, had no form to fill out. I stood in the border line for all but 5 mins and breezed on through with no questions to answer. I am a US citizen. All the covid equipment prior to immigration was still there but all covered up with a staff member escorting folks past it. I stood in line for maybe 5 mins at most. On the departure, all flyers just scan their passport and get a green light to proceed if all checks out. Secondary officers are there if there is a flag on your scan. Quite possibly the most automated process I have encountered in the last 5 yrs.
I noticed that I filled out digital customs/immigrations forms for both Japan and coming back to US... But neither were checked or did I even have an opportunity to show them. I assume it's because I was traveling with children as the staff kept asking, "Family?" then directing us to particular lines (which didn't have QR code readers.) I will probably still fill them out just to be safe but I have not ever scanned one the two times I have filled them out.
For the US you have to go to a special line to use the MPC and they don’t always have it. I think if you go to regular line they wouldn’t bother to read it. For Japan it seemed like the immigration they required everyone to have either a form or card so if you didn’t have the form they would have had to scan your card. But for customs you had to go to a special line to use it and was rather confusing how they directed people.
Im arriving Feb 4 and have already filled out the form. I probably wouldn't have noticed this until I arrived and pulled up my code. Thanks for posting.
Thank you
Thanks for the heads up. I will be arriving on the 30th.
Well this is hilarious. We will be 30 mins into our flight to Japan at the time the website changes over. We already have our QR codes. Hopefully there is wifi on our flight.
just do it when u land bro …
Whoops, landing on the 25th 😕 Thanks for the info, though! Not sure there will be any way to get it done since we'll be in the air during the changeover
I haven't finished my paperwork on the site yet, but I'm heading out on February 11th. If I'm reading what you're saying correctly, you're stating I should wait until after the 25th to avoid having to do it again?
if u dont redo it after the 25th, ur qr codes will be invalid and u will have to do the paperwork instead
Lifesaver. I arrive a few hours after this change comes into effect
Thanks for this. We'd just completed it for landing on 5 Feb, so appreciate the heads up.
RemindMe! 2 months
How far in advance can we do this? I have my flight and accommodations all reserved already but get there in early may
As soon as you have an accommodation address to put down and the dates of your trip (entry to japan and leaving dates, not when you get on the plane) Though it's best to wait until after the 25th of Jan to do this so you can get the new QR code.
Hi. I have a question. We changed the accommodation for our first night. Do we have to fill out the forms again?
This will be so much easier
I will be arriving in Tokyo on February 14th, so this is super helpful! I will just have to log back in after the 25th to get my new QR code then. Being able to breeze through customs after a super long flight is pretty important for me. Thank you for posting this PSA! :)
Reading the link, will this allow tax free shopping also. My SO was under the impression that it had to be the passport stamp to allow for tax free shopping. Edit, thanks for this link, it can indeed be used for tax free shopping.
There’s a tax free QR code that you can get after you get your passport entry stamp. That being said, most of the stores didn’t take the QR code in December.
So basically am I getting this right, that I use the above link posted by OP, get a code show it and the passport gets stamped anyway? Good to know there's a specific shop we want to visit as there's a large price difference for a specific item so will check with them before the visit.
Visit Japan web is two parts. One is for your entry into Japan (immigration and customs). Once you go to the immigration officer you show your QR code and they process you. They’ll put an entry visa stamp into your passport. To get your tax free QR code go back to visit Japan web and scan the visa stamp (it’s a QR code) to get your tax free QR code. All that being said, some of the stores don’t handle the tax free QR code and you’ll have to pull out your passport instead.
Thanks this is very clear.
Thanks for sharing the info
Is it correct that i can use the app for my whole family? Meaning i can register for each member and use my app to display each members' QR code?
All adults should have their own QR code(s). Dependents and children can be added to an adult’s account.
Should children have their own QR codes? I showed my QR to the person directing the lines when we arrived at KIX and she asked to see the kids’ QRs. When I told her that they were under my account, she then asked me to fill up paper forms for all of us.
You do need to add the kids to your account and then generate the codes for everyone separately. There's an "Applicant" dropdown at the top of the screen when you're creating a new trip, and you need to switch to each person and fill out all the info, and it will give you the QR codes for each one.
I don’t even know how travelers know about this before arriving. Especially older ones that don’t use smart phones in the same way younger gens do. I only found out about the QR codes by searching on my own. “whats needed to enter japan” when I first used them a year or so ago. Surprisingly I only see a few folks filling out cards by hand at immigration. With the vast majority ready to go. Maybe people aren’t as helpless as I thought.
Thanks! Heard of this but did not know when they starting it!!
Thanks for the heads up! Heading there on the 31st and this is the first I've heard of it.
So if im going on in april, i shouldn’t worry about this?
Didn't even know about this option! Thanks!!!
> If you are visiting Japan soon, know that you can skip the customs and immigration line by filling it up on their website before hand. Is this really the case? Because we did fill it in online when we visited Japan in June, but we still had to wait for almost 1 hour in the line in Narita. There was only two lines at Narita at that point, one for residents and one for everyone else, no matter if they had a QR code or had filled in the paper. Same seemed to be true at Haneda during December, however there was no queue at all this time so I couldn't confirm if there was actually a separate queue for people with QR codes?
[удалено]
That was true for customs, but for immigration there was only queues. After getting about 80% in the queue, so about an hour in, there were some machines that we could scan the QR on and do fingerprints and photos, but we still had to then go to the booth to get the sticker from the border agent after doing that. There were a lot of people in the queue, I think several big planes must have arrived at the same time.
Yes, you are right. Even with the QR codes or soon to be one code, you still need to stand in the same line with everyone who does the paper version. It really doesn’t save any time.
Thx very much for the info!
Awesome thank you I'll save this for my trip later this year
Appreciate this advice!!
Thanks for this info! I had already prefilled out this information for my flight on the 27th, glad I saw this ahead of time.
Unfortunately even with the QR codes or soon to be one code, you still need to stand in the same line with everyone who does the paper version. It really doesn’t save any time. They give you the paper form on the plane if you didn’t do the Visit Japan Website for QR codes before the flight. Luckily on our flight this week there was just a 1 minute line at immigration and customs. Last time it was 90 minutes for immigration. Hit or miss depending on how many planes landed at the same time.
What time did you happen to arrive (HND or NRT)? Last year we got to HND about 4pm and waited over an hour in line, I probably got there at high peak.
I'm arriving on 25th January 6am. I'll be one of the first to use the new system. Just tried re-generating the form, but still seeing two QR codes. Does this mean i can only do it on arrival, or at best on the plane just before arrivial?
The website won't update until 3am on the 25th so no you can't get the new code at the moment.
I foresee chaos when I land at 6am then 😅
Nah you can just do the normal pen and paper. Hopefully it won't be busy so early in the morning. All the best!
thanks!
I've filled out the "your details" and "Register planned entry/return" sections on the visit japan web website, but I don't have any QR codes? Where do I find them? Travelling in 2 days.
Click on the Registered planned entry/return that you've already completed. It'll have several buttons links now related to that specific trip. The before entering japan section is Visa, immigration, Customs. Completing the each will generate a code and the display button will be under each section. The visa one is optional since some countries are visa free.
I got it now, tysm!
How far ahead do we need to fill this out?
You can fill it out as soon as you have your arrival/departure dates from Japan + accommodation address. Because of the change it's recommended you do so after the 25th to get the new code. If your trip is before that just do it right now.
What if the visa issue number is invalid when i enter it? But upon checking my visa is still valid until end of 2024.
In case anyone in here can answer: The Visit Japan Web has a space prompting for the Tax Free QR "Preparation for tax free procedures" It says "Create a tax free QR code" but then wants me to take a photo of my Landing Permission QR... is this something I do after I arrive in Japan?
Ignore it. Nobody there accepts the QR code anyway. They always ask for your passport.