Visit Japan Web in 2026: How to Fill It In, Get Your QR Code, and Skip the Paper Forms

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Short version: Visit Japan Web is a free government website (run by Japan’s Digital Agency, at vjw-lp.digital.go.jp) where you fill in your arrival card and customs declaration before you fly. It takes about 15 minutes. You end up with one QR code that covers immigration and customs together. At Kansai Airport you scan that code and your passport at an integrated kiosk after landing, then walk through a dedicated lane. It is not mandatory: the paper arrival card handed out on the plane still works. But it is free, faster, and saves you filling forms on a tray table. It is not a visa and it is not JESTA, and any site charging a fee for it is not the official one.

What it is and what it is not

	Visit Japan Web	Paper forms	JESTA
What it does	Arrival card + customs declaration online, one QR code	The same two forms on paper	Pre-travel authorisation (like the US ESTA)
Required?	No, optional	One or the other is required	Not in force yet. Law passed May 2026; start date no later than March 2029
Cost	Free	Free	Not set
Replaces a visa?	No	No	No
When	Before your flight	On the plane or at arrival	Not applicable in 2026

If a website asks for money to “process” your Visit Japan Web or “JESTA”, close it. Japan Customs warned about lookalike sites in 2026. The official address ends in digital.go.jp. More on scams in Every new fee and rule for Japan tourists in 2026.

Before you start: have these ready

• Your passport (the details must match exactly, including name order).
• Your flight number and arrival date.
• The address and phone number of your first night’s accommodation in Japan (copy it from your booking confirmation).
• An email address you can open on your phone.
• 15 minutes on Wi-Fi at home. Do not leave it for the arrivals hall.

There is no fixed deadline. Register a few days before you fly, and check it once more the day before.

Step by step

1. Create an account

Go to the official Visit Japan Web site (search “Visit Japan Web Digital Agency” or type vjw-lp.digital.go.jp), choose English, and create an account with your email and a password. You get a confirmation code by email. Use the same email every time you log in; a different email means a different, empty account.

2. Register yourself (and anyone travelling with you)

Under “Your details”, register your passport details. You can scan the passport photo page with your phone camera, or type it in. If the scan fails, type it.

To add a partner or child, use “Accompanying family”. One account can hold your family members, and each person gets their own QR code. Adults travelling separately are usually better off with their own accounts.

3. Register your trip

Under “Register planned entry/return”, enter:

• Arrival date, airline and flight number
• Your contact address in Japan (first hotel) and phone number
• Which family members are on this trip

Visa-exempt travellers skip the visa field. If you have a visa or an eVisa, link it here.

4. Fill in “Disembarkation card for foreigner”

This replaces the paper arrival (ED) card: purpose of visit, length of stay, last place you boarded, and yes/no questions (previous deportations, criminal record, carrying prohibited items). Answer honestly; a “yes” sends you to a staffed counter, it does not end your trip.

5. Fill in “Customs declaration”

The yes/no questions about what you are bringing: goods over the duty-free allowance, more than ¥1 million in cash or equivalent, alcohol and tobacco over the limits, prohibited items (drugs, firearms, counterfeit goods, certain plant and meat products), and goods sent separately (luggage shipped ahead). Most tourists answer “no” to all of them.

Alcohol and tobacco allowances for adults are roughly 3 bottles (760 ml) of alcohol, 200 cigarettes, and ¥200,000 of other goods. Over that, declare it; the duty is modest and it saves you trouble.

6. Display the QR code

When both sections show as registered (blue), tap “Display QR code” under the trip. That one code is for immigration and customs together (the old separate customs app was retired in January 2024).

• Take a screenshot, or add the page to your phone’s home screen so it opens offline.
• If you change anything later (flight, hotel), the code changes. Re-display it and screenshot again.

On arrival at Kansai Airport (KIX)

1. Walk off the plane to the immigration hall. Look for the integrated kiosks (immigration + customs). They are in the immigration areas of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 and at the arrival shuttle stations. Hours are roughly 8:00 – 22:00 at T1 and 9:00 – 21:00 at T2; outside those hours, use the staffed booths as normal.
2. At the kiosk, scan your passport and your QR code, and have your face photographed and fingerprints taken. Children under 135 cm cannot use the kiosk; a parent takes them to the staffed lane.
3. Go to the dedicated booth for kiosk users; the officer stamps or stickers your passport.
4. Collect your bags, then go through customs. At KIX you can use the customs e-gates (chip passports only): scan the passport, look at the camera, walk through. If your passport has no chip, hand over your phone with the QR code at the customs desk.

From the arrivals hall, getting into the city is covered in Kansai Airport to Osaka and Kyoto.

Narita, Haneda and Fukuoka have the same integrated kiosks; New Chitose, Chubu and Naha have customs e-gates. Smaller airports use the QR code at the staffed counter.

Families and children

• Every person, including babies, needs their own registration and their own QR code.
• A parent can show the child’s QR code on their own phone, or a screenshot.
• Kids under 135 cm cannot use the integrated kiosks, so families with small children often go through the staffed lanes anyway. Still register: the customs part speeds things up at the end.
• Children under 100 cm can go through the customs e-gate with a parent.

No phone, or it went wrong? Use paper

The paper disembarkation card is handed out on the plane and is still accepted everywhere. The paper customs declaration is at the arrivals hall. If Visit Japan Web fails at the airport (dead battery, cannot log in, the code will not scan), fill in the paper forms; nobody will mind. Use one or the other, not both.

Common mistakes

Problem	Fix
Logged in and everything is gone	You used a different email. Log out and use the one you registered with
Passport scan keeps failing	Type the details manually
Name looks different from the passport	Re-enter exactly as printed, surname and given names in the right fields
Only one section turned blue	Both the disembarkation card and customs declaration must be completed for the code
Looking for two QR codes	There is only one since 2024
No signal at the airport to load it	Screenshot it at home, or sort mobile data before you fly
Paid a website for it	That was not the official site. Dispute the charge with your card company and register on the real one

Visit Japan Web and tax-free shopping

Visit Japan Web also has a separate tax-free section that creates a different code. Since 1 November 2026, tourists pay full price in shops and get the consumption tax refunded after showing the goods at customs on departure; the Visit Japan Web tax-free code can be used for that step at major airports. It is a different code from the arrival one. How the new refund works at KIX: Japan’s new tax-free refund system.

Get your phone sorted first

Visit Japan Web, your QR code, train apps and maps all need data the moment you land. Airport Wi-Fi at the kiosks is patchy. Set up an eSIM before you board and it switches on when the plane lands. Our comparison: Best eSIM for Japan.

Klook Japan eSIM

FAQ

Is Visit Japan Web mandatory? No. It is optional. You must complete an arrival card and customs declaration, but paper versions are still accepted at every airport.

Is there an app? No official app. Visit Japan Web is a website. Apps in the stores with similar names are not the government service.

How long before my flight should I register? There is no deadline. A few days ahead, at home, is ideal. You can register and edit up to the moment you land.

Can I fill it in for my whole family? Yes. Add them as accompanying family in your account. Each person gets their own QR code.

Does it work if I arrive by cruise ship? Visit Japan Web is built around airports. At cruise ports, use whatever the ship and port tell you, which is usually paper.

Do I need Visit Japan Web for JESTA? JESTA does not exist yet. It is planned for visa-exempt travellers and will start no later than March 2029. In 2026 you do not apply for anything if you are visa-exempt.

My flight changed. Do I need to start again? No. Edit the trip, then display the QR code again. The old screenshot will not match.

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Sources: Digital Agency, Visit Japan Web official site and FAQ; Kansai Airports, “Streamline Immigration and Customs procedures” (integrated kiosk locations and hours); Japan Customs (electronic declaration gates, kiosk eligibility, 2026 warning about fake sites); Immigration Services Agency of Japan; Ministry of Justice announcement on JESTA legislation (May 2026). Procedures change; check the official site before travel.