The official sequence is to create an account, register the traveller, register an entry or return schedule, complete the relevant procedures and show the procedure page's code on arrival. The manual records the integration of immigration and customs QR codes.[31][32] That arrival code is neither a Japanese visa nor landing permission: visa linking is a separate optional function, and Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says even holding a visa does not guarantee admission.[32][33]
Start with the scope: Japan's web procedure, not a universal travel pass
This guide covers the official Visit Japan Web arrival and return preparation workflow for Japan, principally for foreign visitors completing immigration and customs registration. The official guide separates information registration before arrival from presenting the code when entering or returning. The manual also treats foreign visitors' immigration and customs registration separately from customs registration for Japanese nationals and re-entering foreigners.[31][32] A returning resident's screen should therefore not be assumed to match every first-time visitor's screen.
The sources were checked on 20 September 2026. That is the access date, not a shared publication date: the how-to page does not state one in the retrieved text, the retrieved manual displays 22 July 2026, and the Ministry's visa explanation displays 22 July 2015.[31][32][33] This is a preparation guide, not a news report or a guarantee about every airport installation. Our advice is to enter the web service through the official guidance rather than identify an official product by its app-store name. We did not test a native phone app, submit a live account or operate an airport gate.
Prepare an account and passport: scanning is an input method
The official guide says a new account requires an email address. Passport information can be registered by camera scanning or by entering it yourself. If rescanning fails, the guide explicitly permits returning to the registration-method page and choosing manual entry.[31] A camera problem is therefore not a reason to proceed with an incorrect passport number. Creating an account and registering traveller information are separate stages in the published sequence; being able to log in does not mean you have reached the arrival-code stage.[31]
Our advice: have the passport you will actually travel with beside you, then compare the recorded information with the document. Automatic recognition is not proof that the government has verified your eligibility. The guide says the interface may show a warning when less than six months remain before passport expiry, depending on the remaining period.[31] This is a statement about interface behaviour, not evidence of one universal six-month entry rule for every nationality and travel purpose. Check the requirements that apply to your documents through the relevant official visa channel and carrier rather than treating a warning box as a legal decision.
Register this journey rather than assuming an old record covers it
After traveller registration, the official sequence asks you to register an entry or return schedule and then select the registered schedule to complete its procedures.[31] The guide offers direct entry, quotation from registered journey information and quotation from visa information. For the existing-journey route, it specifically says the information quoted is the Japan contact or place-of-stay information, not a promise to copy an entire itinerary and every declaration.[31] Reusing information may reduce typing, but it does not remove the need to check the current journey.
Our advice: assemble your current travel information and Japanese accommodation contact details before starting. This is a preparation recommendation, not a claim that every traveller category has an identical list of mandatory fields. The guide labels some profile fields optional and describes category-dependent restrictions on certain address fields.[31] Distinguish a reusable user profile from a particular arrival schedule. The absence of an address field in one part of the process does not establish that no later procedure needs accommodation information. Equally, never change your actual traveller category merely to make the interface resemble a screenshot in someone else's tutorial.
Complete the declaration and open its code, rather than hunting for two old codes
The manual's revision history records integration of immigration and customs QR codes in the 25 January 2024 functional update.[32] For the foreign-visitor registration route discussed here, follow the current combined procedure rather than insist on finding two separate codes from an older tutorial. The official guide's final step is to show the code from the entry or return procedure on arrival; an account, passport record or journey name alone is not that final step.[31]
The manual explains that, before displaying the QR code, you can use 'Confirm the contents of the declaration' to reach a confirmation screen and change the declaration through the relevant screen.[32] Our advice: test whether you can find the correct journey, review the declaration and reach the appropriate code display before departure. Do not stop at a successful-looking home page. This article does not promise that a screenshot, printout or unprepared offline mode will work: the official passages retained in this review do not establish those details. Confirm your intended display method through current official help before travelling, rather than experiment for the first time at a counter.
Optional visa linking does not turn an arrival code into a visa
The manual labels 'Link VISA' as optional and says that 'Show issuance notice' opens an external issuance-notice page.[32] The how-to guide's visa-information quotation route requires a visa issue number before retrieving and quoting that information.[31] These are descriptions of checking or reusing visa information, not a statement that completing an arrival declaration issues a visa. They do not make the Visit Japan Web arrival code a substitute for the visa itself.
Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains the principle of valid passport and applicable visa requirements and explicitly says holding a visa is only one requirement for a landing-permission application, not a guarantee of entry.[33] This article does not determine nationality-specific visa exemptions, your visa category, electronic-visa eligibility or an allowed length of stay. Those require a separate check of your own circumstances. Our advice: keep 'Do I need a visa, and do I hold the applicable one?' and 'Have I completed my arrival registration?' as two distinct tasks. The ability to register, obtain a code or proceed without uploading a visa on a particular screen is not an approval of visa-free travel.
An immigration decision still happens: a QR code is not landing permission
The Ministry says immigration officers examine whether an applicant meets the legal requirements for entering Japan, including documents, purpose of entry and planned length of stay. Landing permission is granted when the requirements are met; it shows the status of residence and period of stay and supplies the legal basis for staying in Japan.[33] Advance registration and code presentation are therefore part of preparing and carrying out the arrival procedures, not proof that a final landing decision has already been made before departure.[31][33]
Our advice: organise your passport, applicable visa documentation and actual travel arrangements separately instead of expecting one code to replace everything. Follow the signs and staff instructions at the airport you use. We have not checked your terminal's equipment, waiting time or dedicated lanes, and do not promise that registration removes queues, questions or inspection. Answer questions about your purpose and arrangements truthfully. Do not treat declaration answers as arbitrary selections needed only to generate an image. If something is unclear, ask a competent official channel rather than rely on a forum claim that everyone answers the same way.
Customs information still needs to be accurate; a code does not approve your belongings
The reviewed official material calls this immigration clearance and customs declaration and provides routes to confirm or amend declarations and display a code.[31][32] The three sources retained here do not establish a complete set of personal import restrictions, duty-free allowances or special-item permits. This guide therefore gives no numerical allowance for alcohol, tobacco, money, medication or food, and does not interpret code generation as approval of every item in your baggage.
Our advice: read each question and answer for what you actually carry rather than assume an ordinary tourist should select 'No' throughout. If you are unsure whether an item can be brought into Japan, requires a separate declaration or needs another permit, consult Japan Customs and the relevant authority's specific guidance. An article about interface preparation cannot replace that assessment. If your arrangements or declaration change, revisit the current record and use the available amendment route.[32] The useful pre-departure goal is accurate information, a procedure page you can access and separately checked travel documents—not the false assurance that anyone with a QR code is entitled to enter Japan.
Before departure
- Check visa or visa-exemption eligibility separately; an arrival code replaces neither a visa nor landing permission.[32][33]
- Prepare an email address and the actual travel passport; use the official manual-entry route if scanning fails and review the result.[31]
- Register this entry or return schedule, then complete its procedures; do not mistake copied old information for a finished new declaration.[31]
- Review the declaration and use the current integrated code workflow instead of an older two-code tutorial.[31][32]
- Confirm your planned display or offline method through official help before departure; this guide does not guarantee screenshots or printouts.
- Answer customs questions accurately and check item-specific restrictions separately; code generation is not an import-permission decision.
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.
- [31] How to use | Visit Japan Web | Digital Agency Services ↗
- [32] Instruction Manual | Visit Japan Web ↗
- [33] Visas and Landing Permission | Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan ↗
Applies to: Japan; specific services and routes are defined in the article. Source publication dates and exact scope are stated in the article; an undated page is not a permanent guarantee. Article published and sources verified: 2026-09-20. Service effective dates are not page publication dates.
How we research and update