Visit Japan Web: Digital Entry Explained

Visit Japan Web is Japan's official online service for handling your arrival paperwork before you land. Instead of filling in paper cards on the plane, you register your details in advance and the system generates QR codes you scan at the airport. It's free, it's not mandatory, but it genuinely speeds up entry — and it's strongly recommended for 2026 visitors. Here's what it covers and how to use it.

What it is — and what it covers

Visit Japan Web is a pre-arrival registration service run by the Japanese government. It bundles together the entry procedures you'd otherwise complete on paper:

Immigration — your disembarkation/entry details for passport control.
Customs declaration — your customs form for when you collect your bags.

Once you've entered your information, the service produces QR codes that immigration and customs officers scan, letting you move through the airport faster. Note that Visit Japan Web is about entry procedures — it is not a visa and not a travel authorisation. Many nationalities can still visit Japan visa-free, and Visit Japan Web simply streamlines the arrival process for them.

Register and complete your details before you fly, while you have reliable internet. Doing it in advance means you arrive with your QR codes ready rather than wrestling with airport Wi-Fi after a long flight.

How to register and use it

The process is straightforward and done from your phone or computer:

Create an account on the official Visit Japan Web service.
Enter your trip details — passport information, arrival flight and dates, and where you'll be staying.
Complete the immigration and customs sections for your trip.
Generate your QR codes before departure.
At the airport, present the relevant QR code at immigration, then at customs, scanning where directed.

If you're travelling as a family or group, you can typically register accompanying travellers under one account, which is handy at the customs gate.

Use only the official government service. Search results sometimes surface look-alike or paid third-party sites — Visit Japan Web itself is free, so don't pay an intermediary to do what you can do directly.

Visit Japan Web vs. JESTA

It's easy to confuse Visit Japan Web with JESTA, Japan's planned electronic travel authorisation — but they're different things, and only one exists today.

	Visit Japan Web	JESTA
What it is	Pre-arrival entry procedures (immigration + customs)	A pre-travel authorisation to board a flight to Japan
Status	Live now and recommended	Legislated in 2026; launches no later than March 2029
Needed in 2026/2027?	Recommended	No — not required
Cost	Free	Expected around ¥2,000–3,000

In short: for 2026 and 2027, eligible visitors travel visa-free and use Visit Japan Web to smooth arrival. JESTA is a future requirement — read more in our JESTA explainer.

FAQ

Is Visit Japan Web mandatory? No, it's optional — you can still complete paper forms on arrival. But registering in advance makes entry noticeably faster, which is why it's recommended.

Does Visit Japan Web replace a visa? No. It handles arrival procedures only. If your nationality requires a visa to enter Japan, you still need to obtain one separately.

Do I need internet at the airport to use my QR codes? It's best to generate and screenshot or save your QR codes before you fly, so you can show them even without a connection on arrival.

Is this the same as JESTA? No. Visit Japan Web exists now; JESTA is a separate authorisation that doesn't launch until later — not before March 2029.