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In this guide 7 sections
Disclosure. We are The SIM Shop, an Australian travel eSIM retailer. Visit Japan Web is a free government service; you don’t need to buy an eSIM to use it. We wrote it because the question comes up constantly and most answers online overstate the requirement.
What it actually is
A quiet moment at home can be a better place for passport and accommodation details than the end of a nine-hour flight. Visit Japan Web lets you prepare immigration and customs information through the government website, then present the supported arrival code in Japan. It helps with preparation rather than promising a shorter queue.
Immigration and customs moved to one arrival 2D code in January 2024. Keep that arrival task distinct from the service’s tax-free shopping functions; they have their own code and procedures.
The mandatory question, settled
Japan Customs recommends the electronic declaration and still accepts the paper Customs Declaration Form, including one printed in advance on A4. Choose the online route if it suits you, or prepare the paper customs declaration instead. Neither route charges a Japan Customs arrival-procedure fee, and the online service doesn’t replace your passport or the other entry requirements.
If you can prepare the electronic route before leaving home, there’s a practical reason to do it: less form-filling when you’re tired after the flight. That’s enough of a benefit without turning a recommendation into a compulsory purchase.
The one part that genuinely needs your phone
You can enter the information on a computer, but the Digital Agency specifies a phone or tablet for presenting the arrival code:
Although you can register the information necessary for immigration procedures from a PC, you will need to present your 2D code at the time of immigration procedures using your smartphone or tablet. Digital Agency, Visit Japan Web
Have that arrival code ready before flying and keep a saved copy as backup, rather than leaving its first appearance to the airport connection. A travel eSIM isn’t a condition of using the service; home Wi-Fi can handle the advance registration. Keep the device charged and the passport available for the arrival procedures.
Keep shopping and departure refunds separate
The tax-free shopping code is a different display from the arrival code. The Digital Agency’s shopping instructions require the actual shopping code at an accepting store and say screenshots cannot be used. Don’t treat an arrival screenshot as a substitute for that live shopping step or as proof of purchase eligibility.
For eligible purchases from 1 November 2026, Japan’s tax-free shopping system uses a refund method: you pay the tax-inclusive price, obtain customs confirmation when taking the goods out within 90 days of purchase, then receive the applicable refund from the shop or its operator. Keep the shop’s refund instructions with the purchase. The National Tax Agency’s English explanation describes the change; saving an arrival code doesn’t complete it.
At supported airports, the online departure-confirmation option uses Visit Japan Web through the procedure’s dedicated airport Wi-Fi. Follow the official online-confirmation steps or the available customs terminal/process, rather than assuming ordinary mobile data or an old screenshot finishes the refund task.
Fake apps
Use the Digital Agency’s Visit Japan Web page to reach the service. It’s a website rather than an official app you need to buy, and the May 2026 Japan Customs warning describes fake sites and private assistance services asking for fees or personal information. No payment to Japan Customs is required for the electronic arrival declaration.
Do you need a travel eSIM for it?
You can arrange the arrival details at home without one. Data for trains, maps and restaurant bookings after landing is a separate decision, covered in our Japan eSIM buying guide. Keep the service instructions for the actual connection you choose, rather than buying a plan because an unofficial form page implies it’s required.
The digital arrival card guide compares Thailand, Indonesia and New Zealand too. For Japan, the useful preparation is simply to choose the official arrival route, have its documents and display ready, and keep the later shopping procedure in its own part of the trip.
Sources
The Japan Customs declaration page supports the recommended electronic route, accepted paper/A4 alternative and January 2024 unified code. The Digital Agency service page and use guide distinguish arrival and tax-free shopping; the attributed device quotation above is retained from the original guide’s 3 September 2026 check. The May 2026 Customs warning, current Customs page and Digital Agency guide were reviewed again on 1 November 2026. The new refund paragraph follows the National Tax Agency’s English explanation, current refund-method information and linked online departure-confirmation guide. No traveller account, declaration, shop transaction or refund was submitted.
Written by Lachlan, who runs The SIM Shop from Brisbane and answers the support email himself.
