Visit Japan Web is an official, free online system that lets you pre-register your arrival paperwork — immigration and customs — to speed up your entry into Japan. It's optional but genuinely handy, turning what used to be a stack of paper forms into a quick QR-code scan. Here's what it is, whether you need it, and how to use it.
What Visit Japan Web is
Visit Japan Web is the Japanese government's official portal (at vjw.digital.go.jp) for completing your immigration (landing) and customs declarations online before you arrive. After you enter your details, it generates a QR code you present at the airport, letting you skip filling out paper cards and move through faster. Since the system was streamlined in early 2024, the immigration and customs steps are combined into a single unified QR code — where earlier versions of Visit Japan Web produced two separate codes for the two steps — and at Haneda, Narita, and Kansai the modern Joint Self-Service Kiosks read that one code for both procedures, which is most of why the process now feels genuinely faster than the old paper forms.
Is it required?
No — as of 2026, Visit Japan Web is optional, not a mandatory entry requirement. You can still complete the traditional paper landing and customs cards on the plane or at the airport if you prefer. The benefit of Visit Japan Web is purely speed and convenience at arrival — it's especially worth it if you're landing at a busy time. (Entry procedures can change over time, so it's worth confirming current requirements close to your trip.)
It's free
The official Visit Japan Web service is completely free. Be wary of any third-party site that charges a "processing fee" to do it for you or to issue a "Japan entry QR code" — go directly to the official government portal and ignore the rest. There is no legitimate charge for this.
How to use it: step by step
- Create an account on the official Visit Japan Web site, ideally a few days before you travel.
- Register your trip details — arrival date, flight number, and your accommodation address, which you'll need on hand from your hotel confirmation.
- Enter your passport and personal information for each traveler (you can register family members under one account).
- Complete the immigration and customs declaration sections.
- Generate your QR code before departure.
- At the airport, present or scan the QR code at immigration and customs (or at the joint kiosks) instead of handing over paper forms.
Tips
- Register before you fly, while you have good internet and time — not in a rush at the airport with patchy WiFi.
- Have your passport and accommodation details on hand to fill it in accurately.
- Save or screenshot your QR code so it's accessible offline on arrival, in case you don't have data yet.
- Double-check your information for accuracy, especially passport number and flight details — a typo here is the most common reason travelers end up in the manual line anyway.
- If you don't manage to set it up, don't stress — paper forms remain fully available and immigration processes both paths equally well, with no penalty for arriving without a QR code.
The tax-free shopping section is going away
Visit Japan Web also has an optional tax-free shopping registration that used to generate a separate QR code for use at participating stores — but as Japan shifts its whole tax-free system to a pay-first, refund-at-the-airport-on-departure model from November 1, 2026 (see our guide to money in Japan for the details), fewer and fewer stores are accepting that in-store QR code, and the feature is being phased out alongside the wider change. Don't rely on it: keep your purchase receipts and plan to claim your tax refund at the airport before you fly home instead.
A note on future systems
Japan has indicated plans to evolve its digital entry systems over time, and there have been reports of a future electronic travel authorization for visa-exempt visitors (similar to the US ESTA), discussed for around 2028. As of 2026, no such pre-authorization is required — there is nothing extra you need to apply for beyond your visa-free entry. Because entry rules are the detail most likely to change, confirm the latest on the official source close to your departure if you're reading this down the line.
Bottom line
Visit Japan Web is a free, optional way to speed your arrival by pre-filling immigration and customs and getting a single QR code to scan at the airport's joint kiosks. Set it up before you fly for a smoother, faster entry — but if you skip it, the paper forms still work perfectly fine, and nobody at immigration will treat you any differently for using them. Either way, watch out for fake third-party sites charging a fee.
