Visit Japan Web QR Code: Setup, Screenshots, Kiosks (2026)
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Visit Japan Web QR Code: Setup, Screenshots, Kiosks (2026)

One free QR code covers Japan's immigration and customs. How to register, when to do it, whether a screenshot works, and where the joint kiosks are.

TimeToJapanUpdated September 29, 20267 min read

Visit Japan Web is the Japanese government's free site for filling in your arrival forms before you fly, and it gives you one QR code for both immigration and customs. At the joint kiosks in Haneda, Narita, Kansai and Fukuoka, a single scan of that code and your passport sends your details to both at once. It's optional (paper forms are still accepted), it's run by the Digital Agency at www.vjw.digital.go.jp, and there is no official app, so ignore any app or site that charges for it. Here's the walkthrough, and the handful of things that trip people up.


How to Get Your Visit Japan Web QR Code, Step by Step

Before you fly
  1. Create an account Sign up at www.vjw.digital.go.jp with an email address and a password. It's a website, not an app: it runs in Safari or Chrome on a phone, or Chrome on a laptop, so there's nothing to download.
  2. Add your passport The site can read the photo page with your phone camera, or you can type the details in yourself. Check every character against the passport before you save, because the code carries exactly what you entered.
  3. Register the trip Enter your arrival date, airline, flight number and departure airport, then your first hotel's name, address and phone number. Copy them from the booking confirmation; "Shinjuku somewhere" doesn't pass. If you're using our trip planner, the details are on your trip page.
  4. Fill in the declarations Under "Immigration clearance and Customs declaration", give your purpose of visit and length of stay. For a holiday, put the number of days (90 or fewer) in the days box, a field the Immigration Services Agency says many people get wrong. The customs questions match the paper form, such as whether you carry more than ¥1 million in cash, and for most tourists nearly every answer is "no".
  5. Display the code on your phone Tap "Display QR Code" and agree to the notice. A laptop is fine for typing, but at the airport the code must be on a smartphone or tablet. Airport WiFi at a jet-bridge crawl is where good pre-planning goes to die, so stay logged in on that phone: the official FAQ says the code then opens offline. The Immigration Services Agency also accepts a screenshot, but after any edit you need to display the code again and take a new screenshot.

When to do it: any time before you reach the immigration hall, which is all the Immigration Services Agency asks. Neither the official FAQ nor the manual sets a minimum number of hours before landing, and the code can be displayed as soon as the forms are done. The week before departure, when bookings are final, is the sweet spot: registering a new trip needs an internet connection, and the code only opens offline on a phone that has already logged in. You can register arrival dates up to December 31 of next year and edit the details later.


At the Airport: Joint Kiosks and Regular Counters

A joint kiosk reads your QR code and IC passport (the kind with a chip), then takes your photo and, for foreign visitors, your fingerprints, so immigration and customs get everything in one stop. You finish at an immigration booth reserved for kiosk users, and if customs doesn't pick you for an inspection, you leave through a face-recognition gate. Everyone needs their own code, and families go through one person at a time.

AirportTerminals with joint kiosksKiosk hours
HanedaT2, T3T2 4:30–23:30, T3 24 hours
NaritaT1 and T2 (since Sept 24, 2026), T37:00–21:30
KansaiT1, T2T1 8:00–22:00, T2 9:00–21:00
FukuokaInternational terminal7:00–21:00

Outside those hours (which the Immigration Services Agency says can shift with flight schedules), and at every other airport, it's two stops with the same code. Show it to the officer at the immigration desk, then scan it with your passport at a customs electronic declaration terminal and walk out through the e-gate, or show it at the customs desk where there's no terminal. Customs runs e-gates at seven airports (New Chitose, Narita, Haneda, Chubu, Kansai, Fukuoka and Naha), and at Haneda, Fukuoka and Naha the terminals let you declare while you wait for your bag.

After customs you're into the arrivals concourse, where the next moves are cash, an IC card, and a train into town; our airport-to-Tokyo guide and eSIM guide take over from there.


Visit Japan Web Details That Trip People Up

  • Families share one account, not one code. Family members going through immigration with you can be added to your account, up to 10 people, so children don't need their own email. Each gets a separate QR code, and if you say yes to entering the family's customs declaration at the same time, you answer the customs questions once for everyone. Adding or editing family members needs an internet connection, so do it at home.
  • No smartphone, flat battery, or no code? You still get in. The Immigration Services Agency tells anyone who isn't comfortable with a smartphone to hand in the paper disembarkation card, and the paper customs declaration still works; at Narita, blank forms sit near the customs counter. You'll just miss the joint kiosk, which needs a Visit Japan Web code.
  • Connecting flights and codeshares. Register the flight that actually lands in Japan (the form calls it the last flight number), not the first leg. On a codeshare, the official manual says to enter the operating airline's flight.
  • Coming back later? Reuse the account. One account holds up to 100 trips, and a new one can copy the hotel address from an old one. The account and its data are deleted 18 months after your last login.
  • Medication is a separate process. Medicines that need a Yunyu Kakunin-sho import certificate or narcotics permission are applied for weeks ahead, outside Visit Japan Web; our medication guide covers which ones.
  • It's not a visa. Visit Japan Web only digitizes the arrival forms. Visitors from the 74 visa-exempt countries and regions, including the US, UK, EU, Canada and Australia, need nothing else for a holiday of up to 90 days; everyone else still needs the visa (check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs list).

That's genuinely all of it. One sitting with your passport and booking confirmations, a code on your phone, and you walk off the plane with nothing left to fill in. For the rest of the pre-flight checklist, our essential apps guide has the phone setup, and the first-timer's guide covers money, trains and entry rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Visit Japan Web mandatory?

No. Japan's Immigration Services Agency and Customs recommend it, but the paper disembarkation card and customs declaration are still accepted. Without a Visit Japan Web code you can't use the joint kiosks at Haneda, Narita, Kansai and Fukuoka, so you'll go through the paper route at the regular desks.

How long before arrival should I fill in Visit Japan Web?

Any time before you reach the immigration hall; there is no official minimum number of hours before landing. Do it at home the week before you fly, once your flight and first hotel are booked, because registering a trip needs an internet connection. Arrival dates up to December 31 of the following year can be registered, and details can be edited later.

Can I use a screenshot of the Visit Japan Web QR code?

Yes. The Immigration Services Agency says a screenshot of the QR code can be used, including at the joint kiosks. If you change any details afterwards, display the code again and take a new screenshot. The code has to be shown on a smartphone or tablet, and if you stay logged in, the live code also opens without an internet connection.

Does Visit Japan Web cover both immigration and customs?

Yes. Since January 25, 2024 one QR code covers both. At the joint kiosks (Haneda T2 and T3, Narita T1, T2 and T3, Kansai T1 and T2, and Fukuoka) you scan it once with your IC passport. Elsewhere you show it to the immigration officer, then scan it again at a customs electronic declaration terminal.

How does Visit Japan Web work for families?

Up to 10 family members going through immigration with you can be added to one account, so children don't need their own email address. Each person gets a separate QR code and goes through the kiosk or desk one at a time. Add or edit family members before you leave home, since that step needs an internet connection.

Is Visit Japan Web free, and is there an app?

It is free, and there is no app: the service runs only at www.vjw.digital.go.jp, operated by Japan's Digital Agency, which has warned about lookalike apps and about sites that charge fees. You can add the site to your phone's home screen, and the QR code works offline as long as you stay logged in.

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