Free import
• Alcoholic beverages – 3 bottles approx. 760cc
• Cigars – 100 Cigars
• Cigarettes – 400 cigarettes
• Other kinds of tobacco – 500 grams
• Perfume – 2 ounces
• The total overseas market value of all articles other than the above items must be under200,000yen. Any item whose overseas market value is under 10,000yen is free of duty and/or tax and is not included in the calculation of the total overseas market value of all articles.There is no duty-free allowance for articles having a market value of more than 200,000yen each or each set
• If you are carrying cash or other means of payment exceeding 1 million yen, you are required to declare to Customs. Please ask the Customs officer at seaport as well as airport for a blank form. Following items in excess of 1 million yen (or their equivalent) that needs to be declared:
- Cash, including foreign currency
- Checks
- Travelers checks
- Promissory notes
- Securities
- Gold bullion (not less than 90% purity) exceeding 1kg.
Prohibited
• Heroin, cocaine, MDMA, opium, cannabis, stimulants, psychotropic substances, and other narcotic drugs (excluding those designated by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Ordinance)
• Firearms, ammunition (bullets) thereof, and pistol parts
• Explosives - dynamite, gunpowder and other similar
• Precursor materials for chemical weapons
• Counterfeit, altered, or imitation coins, paper money, bank notes, or securities, and forged credit cards
• Books, drawings, carvings, and any other article which may harm public safety or morals obscene or immoral materials for example pornography
• Child pornography
• Articles which infringe upon intellectual property rights.
Restricted
• Plants and animals must be presented to the plant or animal quarantine officer for quarantine inspection prior to Customs examination.
• There are quantity restrictions on the import of medicine and cosmetics.(e.g. for pharmaceutical products: amount for use for a period of 2 months; quasi-drugs: amount for use for a period of 2 months; cosmetics: 24 applications)
• No person shall bring hunting guns, air guns, swords, etc. into Japan without a permit to possess.
In order to clear a shipment (air or sea) through Japanese customs, the following are the required documents that we will need to receive from the shipper after their arrival in Japan. Please note that pre-clearance is not an option in Japan, and although the shipper does not need to be physically present at the time of clearance, they must have at least arrived in Japan within six (6) months prior to clearance date.
1). A clear copy of the picture and information page of shipper’s passport.
2). A clear copy of the visa page of shipper’s passport (working visa in Japan)
3). A clear copy of shipper’s most recent entry stamp into Japan.
4). Unaccompanied Articles Customs Form C. No.5360 (Original)*
5). A clear copy of shipper’s visa from the country the items are coming from (in the case where the shipper’s items are coming from a country that is not their country of citizenship).
The original of the above ‘4’ (Unaccompanied Articles Customs Form C No. 5360) can be obtained on any flight over to Japan. The shipper should request two copies from the flight attendant (as they must be completed in duplicates). The shipper must hand the completed cards to the customs officer at the airport upon arrival, where the cards will be stamped and one of them will be returned to the shipper immediately. This stamped document is what we will require in the above ‘4’.
In order to ensure the prompt clearance and delivery of shipments, and as we require the original of ‘4’, please pre-advise the shipper that they will need to post the above as soon as possible after arrival. The quicker we can receive the above after the shipper’s arrival, the quicker we can arrange delivery and avoid delays and unnecessary charges (airline terminal storage, demurrage etc)