Choose a boarding method for each person, then distribute the QR-Ticket for their seat. A pickup code is for collecting paper tickets, not a substitute boarding QR-Ticket. The Seat Information slip issued at the gate is not an exit ticket either.[9][10]
Name the three documents before you travel
smartEX treats the QR-Ticket, pickup code and Seat Information as separate items. A boarding QR-Ticket works at a compatible Shinkansen gate and is needed again when exiting. A pickup code is used to collect paper tickets at eligible counters or machines. Seat Information is collected on entry but cannot open the entry or exit gate.[9][10]
Our advice: label these separately in your itinerary rather than calling everything a QR code. This guide covers the smartEX process for the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen. It does not establish the rules for other railways, third-party vouchers or every Japanese electronic ticket. If a different seller supplied your booking, identify what it actually issued before following these steps.
Give each passenger the ticket for their own seat
Open the reservation details, choose to display the QR-Ticket, then select the seat. The official guide says each seat requires a different ticket; for two or more seats, send the other passengers their tickets by email or another method. The display screen offers printing, email, a copied URL and Apple Wallet, with the Wallet option limited to iOS users.[9]
Our advice: keep a simple allocation list with a passenger label, travel date, route, seat, confirmation of receipt and printed-backup status. Have each companion check their own allocation instead of relying on the person who booked to say that everything is on one phone. Do not post usable tickets in a public group or share the account password just to distribute them. For a child or another traveller without a device, decide in advance who will carry the appropriate ticket and ask station staff about passage if you are unsure.
A changed booking may require fresh distribution
The official rule calls for resending QR-Tickets if the reservation date, route or number of passengers changes, including a change in the composition of companions. If only the train changes without changing the date, resending is not necessary.[9] This is a rule about distribution, not a promise concerning change fees, deadlines or the conditions of every fare product.
For a hypothetical two-person booking moved from Monday to Tuesday, finish the change and distribute the updated tickets before setting off. Ask companions to remove obsolete printouts or offline copies that could be confused with the current ones. If the train alone changes on the same date, the official rule does not require a resend, but everyone still needs the new departure time, train and seat details. Treat a successfully changed order and an informed group as two separate checklist items.
Identify a direct gate versus a conventional-line transfer
For direct Shinkansen entry, scan the QR-Ticket at a gate displaying the QR mark and collect Seat Information. If transferring from a conventional line paid for with an IC card, the guide says to scan the QR-Ticket first and then touch the IC card; the conventional-line fare is deducted from its balance. If using a paper conventional-line ticket, insert that ticket first and then scan the Shinkansen QR-Ticket.[9]
Our advice: prepare the conventional-line document separately from the Shinkansen ticket before joining the gate queue. Match the sequence to the combination you actually hold rather than repeating what worked on a previous journey. Do not repeatedly scan at an incompatible gate. If passage fails, step away from the flow and explain your starting station, conventional-line ticket and Shinkansen reservation to staff. This article does not verify the location of every station's gates.
Keep the seat slip, but retain the QR-Ticket for exit
smartEX instructs passengers to collect Seat Information on entry and says a crew member will check it on board. Its warning states that passengers without it are subject to the basic fare and limited express ticket for the section and facility used. The slip cannot be used to enter or exit and should not be inserted into a gate. You still need the QR-Ticket when leaving.[9]
Keep the slip accessible and check before arrival that you can still access the QR-Ticket. The operator warns that a screen protector or some devices may prevent scanning, recommends printing before arrival at the station, and notes that a fold over a printed QR-Ticket may make it unreadable.[9] Our advice is to keep a clear, flat backup rather than an indistinct photograph. Allocate responsibility for tickets in advance, especially if one adult is carrying documents for several people.
Paper-ticket collection uses a different preparation list
The pickup-code guide says paper-ticket collection requires the pickup code and login password. Issuing that code uses a one-time password sent to the registered email address; without receiving the email, the code cannot be issued. A pickup code is valid for 31 days, and one membership ID can use one code to collect multiple reservations. Reissuing invalidates the old code; changing an existing reservation or adding a new one does not itself require reissue.[10]
Do not interpret 31 days as permission to ride any booked train at any time within that period. The emailed one-time password is also different from the login password needed for collection. Our advice: confirm email access and an eligible collection location in advance, protect the pickup code like a valuable ticket, and enter passwords only in the official process rather than sending them to an unknown intermediary. If you cannot establish whether your code permits boarding, resolve that question in the reservation and official guide before reaching the gate.
Before departure
- Each passenger has the QR-Ticket corresponding to their seat.
- Redistribute after a date, route or passenger-composition change; communicate all new journey details.
- Identify direct entry or the correct conventional-line transfer sequence.
- Collect Seat Information and keep the QR-Ticket available for exit.
- For paper tickets, separately check the pickup code, login password, email access and collection location.
Sources & freshness
Sources accessed 20 September 2026. Numbers identify sourced facts; unnumbered planning steps are editorial advice, not operator promises. Recheck prices, availability, sales rules and operating status before travelling.
Applies to: Japan; specific services and routes are defined in the article. Source publication dates: Not stated on the listed pages. Article published and sources verified: 2026-09-20. Service effective dates are not page publication dates.
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