Quick facts
Visa needed?
No
Visa-exempt for UK citizens
Max stay
90 days
Extendable by 90 more in Japan
Visit Japan Web
Free
Online immigration + customs pre-registration
Passport validity
Duration of stay
Airlines often want 6 months — renew if close
Departure tax
¥3,000
Per person · rose from ¥1,000 in Jul 2026
Health requirements
None
No vaccines or tests (direct from UK)
Your pre-departure checklist
Essential — Before booking
✓
British Citizen passport valid for your whole stay
Japan itself only requires validity for the duration — but airlines frequently enforce 6 months at check-in. If yours expires within 6 months, renew before booking. Note: British Overseas passports are NOT visa-exempt.
✓
Check your medications against Japan's rules
Japan bans some common UK medicines outright — including amphetamine-based ADHD medication — and others (e.g. strong codeine products, some inhalers in quantity) need an advance import permit (Yakkan Shoumei). Check before packing anything.
✓
Register on Visit Japan Web
Free official service at vjw-lp.digital.go.jp. Complete immigration and customs declarations online up to 2 weeks before arrival, get QR codes, skip the paper forms. Takes ~10 minutes.
Before you fly
✓
Screenshot your Visit Japan Web QR codes
Airport WiFi is unreliable at the worst moments. Save the QR codes to your photos before departure.
✓
Proof of onward travel & accommodation address
Immigration expects a return ticket and a proper Japanese address (with postal code) for your first night — hotel, ryokan, or Airbnb all work.
✓
Travel insurance
Japanese healthcare is excellent but visitors pay full cost. No reciprocal agreement with the NHS exists.
✓
Sort your money — and carry some cash
Cards add ~3% forex fees, and plenty of Japan's best small restaurants and shrines remain cash-only. Plan to carry yen alongside a fee-free card.
On arrival
✓
Immigration: fingerprints, photo, and your QR code
Standard for all foreign visitors. Brief, specific answers work best: "Two weeks, Tokyo and Kyoto, here's my hotel." Keep your phone away in the immigration hall — photography is prohibited.
✓
Customs — declare cash over ¥1 million
Includes foreign currency equivalents. Allowances: 3 bottles of alcohol, 400 cigarettes, gifts under ¥200,000. Meat products are prohibited.
✓
Keep your passport on you — it's the law
Foreign visitors must carry their passport at all times in Japan. Police can ask for it; a photocopy doesn't count.
Visit Japan Web — step by step
01
Create an account
Go to Visit Japan Web (official Digital Agency service — free, in English). Register with your email any time up to 2 weeks before arrival.
02
Add your trip & passport details
Upload a passport photo page image, enter your flight number and your first accommodation's address including postal code.
03
Complete immigration & customs questions
Health and customs declarations — about 10 minutes total. Family members can be added to one account.
04
Get your QR codes & screenshot them
Two codes: one for immigration, one for customs. Show them at the electronic gates at Haneda, Narita, or Kansai and you're through in minutes.
Mistakes that catch Brits out
Packing banned medication. Adderall and other amphetamine-based ADHD medicines are absolutely prohibited — no permit exists. Codeine products and pseudoephedrine (many UK cold remedies) have strict limits. Check Japan's Ministry of Health rules for every medicine you carry.
Four months left on the passport. Japan would accept it — your airline probably won't. Carriers routinely enforce 6-month validity at Heathrow check-in. Renew early.
Remote working on a tourist entry. The 90-day status covers tourism, family visits, and business meetings — not income-generating work. Japan takes this seriously.
Back-to-back 90-day stays. Three tourist visits within 12 months invites questions at immigration about whether you're actually living in Japan. Be ready to explain honestly.
British Overseas passports don't qualify. The visa exemption is for British Citizen passports only — BN(O), British Overseas Territories, and similar documents need a visa in advance.
Smart traveller essentials
Travel insurance for Japan
No NHS reciprocal agreement — visitors pay full price at Japanese hospitals. Cover for medical care plus winter sports if you're skiing in Hokkaido or Nagano.
Compare travel insurance →
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Spend in yen at the real rate
UK cards add ~3% on every yen transaction. A multi-currency card plus fee-free ATM withdrawals covers Japan's cash-heavy corners.
Get a Wise card →
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Data from the moment you land at Haneda
Japan eSIMs are cheap and excellent — install before you fly and skip the airport SIM counters entirely. Essential for maps and train apps.
Browse Japan eSIMs →
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Official sources
This checklist is compiled from
- → Embassy of Japan in the UK — Visa information
- → Visit Japan Web — Official Digital Agency portal
- → GOV.UK — Japan entry requirements
- → Japan Ministry of Health — Bringing medicines into Japan
✓ Last verified: July 2026 · The departure tax rose to ¥3,000 in July 2026 — requirements change, always confirm before travel