Administrative - How to fill in the customs declaration at entry in Japan

If you do not have Japanese nationality , you must also complete an extra form in complementary with the document for customs (yellow paper). It is a white paper document, you will give to the Controller of Immigration.

Therefore, if like us, you go to Japan, but eventually you do not really speak Japanese, this article can help you fill out yourself the yellow paper all in Japanese :)

The first form we will discuss is the one to give to customs just before crossing the doors to get out with your luggage. This document is given in the plane in an entirely in Japanese version. On the other hands , the second form (white paper for immigration) is written in both languages Japanese and English. So we will talk mainly about the first that is all in Japanese. Do not worry, even if the forms are written in Japanese , you can all fill in Latin letters and not in Japanese characters :)

1. The form all in Japanese that scares us!

This document is important enough then we preferred to ask for help to fill it. If it would be a satisfaction survey, we would have done it YOLO!

These are the photos of the form:

To summarize, in order, we will find the following fields:

• Left box : Flight number | Right box :City flight departure
• Arrival date : Left box : Year | Middle box : Month | Right box : Day
• Family name and Given names
• Intended address in Japan
• Phone number (the hotel phone number for example)
• Date of birth : Left box : Year | Middle box : Month | Right box : Day
• Passeport number
• There are 3 boxes to choose or not depending on if you are with children or not ( we were not concerned so we did not explore. You can possibly leave it blank and see when you hand in to the authorities )
• There are a list of questions to see if you have prohibited products , products exceeded the limits authorized on duty-free, etc. ( Point 1 . in the form ) . Also a question about the total amount of the money you have on you . It should not it exceeds 1,000,000 yen ( Point 2 of the document . And finally a question to notify if you have sent luggages by freight or sea (Point 3) . To all these questions, you must answer No as we :) . Just check the right boxes いいえ.
• The box in the bottom is for the signature

On the back, there is actually a description of prohibited items as well as limitations for the tax-free goods (cigarettes, alcohol, perfume ...) and a table for declaring the number of this kind of products if you have. It is therefore not to fill, if like us , you also answered Nofor Points 1 and 3.

2. The document translated into English ( white paper)

As we said before, the form for Immigration is in both languages Japanese and English. It is almost the same information as the document for Customs. Therefore, it will be easily for you to fill it.:

Here you have all the information needed to properly complete the documents to be submitted to controllers at Japanese airport :)

We thank the Japanese woman sitting next to us on the plane from Doha to Tokyo, who help us and translated the Customs' form into English ;)