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Japan's new tax refund system from November 1, 2026
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Visit Japan Web: how to use it in 2026

Visit Japan Web is the Digital Agency’s free website for entering Japan. You register your passport and trip once and get one QR code for immigration and customs. The same account gives you a tax-free QR code for shopping and, from 1 November 2026, an online customs check for your tax refund at seven airports.

By Mikako Yoshida ·Published 18 October 2026

Visit Japan Web: how to use it in 2026
Haneda Airport, Tokyo · Photo: Daniel L. Lu (user:dllu) (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Quick answers

QuestionAnswer
Is it mandatory?No. Immigration and customs recommend it, but paper forms can still be used.
Is there an app?No. It is a website that you can add to your home screen. Uninstall any app that claims to be Visit Japan Web.
Does it cost anything?No. The Digital Agency never asks users to pay.
LanguagesJapanese, English, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, German and French.
How early can I register?Trips can be registered up to 31 December of the following year. Finish before you reach the immigration hall.
Family membersUp to 10 family members travelling with you can be added to one account. Each person needs their own QR code.

Setting up your account

  1. Create an account

    Sign up with an email address and a password of at least 10 characters mixing upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and symbols. A confirmation code is sent by email.

  2. Register your details

    Scan your passport with the camera or type the details in. Passport details are also needed for the tax-free features.

  3. Add family members

    Family members going through immigration with you can be added to your account, and their QR codes are created there.

  4. Register your trip

    Enter the arrival date, airline, flight number and point of embarkation, and your address in Japan: hotel name, address and phone number.

  5. Fill in immigration and customs

    Complete the entry record and the customs declaration. You then get one QR code that covers both.

Questions people get stuck on

  • Do you have a visa? Answer No if you are entering visa-free. The site then links to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs page where you can check whether you need one.
  • Point of embarkation: with a connection, enter the flight that lands in Japan and, as the point of embarkation, the first departure point on your ticket. Flying A → B → Japan, you enter the B → Japan flight and A.
  • Duration of stay: for tourism, business or visiting relatives, enter 90 days or less.
  • Codeshare flights: enter the flight number of the operating airline.

When you arrive

Show the QR code at the immigration counter and then at the customs e-declaration terminal or inspection desk. Since 25 January 2024 one QR code covers both; codes made before that no longer work.

At Kansai, Haneda, Narita and Fukuoka, joint kiosks read the QR code and your passport for immigration and customs in one step. Register on Visit Japan Web before you use them.

A screenshot of the entry QR code is accepted, but if you change your details you must create a new code. If you stay logged in, the entry QR code also works offline.

Useful before you fly

eSIM for Japan, installed before you leave home

Airalo Saily Yesim

JR Pass and Shinkansen tickets

Klook KKday

Airport transfer when you have a lot of shopping bags

Klook Trip.com Welcome Pickups

Luggage storage in Tokyo for the hours before an evening flight

Radical Storage

Hotels in Japan

Klook Trip.com

Coupons

The tax-free QR code

Foreign visitors with Temporary Visitor status can create a tax-free QR code after scanning their passport and the landing permission sticker in it. Shops that accept it read your passport details from the code. Screenshots are not accepted, and the code does not replace your passport, so carry it with you.

If you could not use Visit Japan Web when you arrived, you can still register after entering Japan.

Online customs check for your tax refund

For tax-free purchases from 1 November 2026, the Japan Tourism Agency says you can use Visit Japan Web for the customs check instead of the kiosk at Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, Fukuoka, New Chitose and Naha. It works only on the dedicated Wi-Fi in the international departure lobby, before the security check, and you must be registered with Visit Japan Web.

Do it before you check in any bag, and within 90 days of purchase. As of 18 October 2026 the Digital Agency had not yet published screen-by-screen instructions for this step.

Look-alike apps and sites

Visit Japan Web has no app and is free. The Digital Agency warns about suspicious apps and never asks users to pay. Use only the official address on digital.go.jp.

Related guides

At the airportWhere the tax-free kiosks are and what green and red mean.Who qualifiesVisitors, Japanese citizens living abroad, documents to show.FAQShort answers to common questions.

Read this next

The Visit Japan Web tax-free QR codeThe VJW tax-free QR code still replaces your passport in shops — but it does not replace the airport customs check. How to turn it on, what it does, and how the separate online check at 7 airports works.Claiming your tax refund at the airportWhere to find the tax-free kiosk at Japanese airports, what green and red results mean, using Visit Japan Web, and what to do on connecting flights and cruises.Can you open, use or check in tax-free items?Yes, you can open them. Clothes, bags and electronics may be used in Japan; food and cosmetics must not be used up. Do the customs check before checking bags.

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