· Updated
By the HalfKey team
Bringing prescription meds into Japan for a 60-day stay
List each medicine's active ingredient, strength and total quantity before applying for Japan's import documents. The paperwork depends on the medicine and how much you carry, even when your trip is only two months.
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Before packing medicine for a 60-day Japan stay, list each active ingredient, its strength, the form it comes in, such as tablets, liquid or an injection, and how much you intend to carry. Check that list against the official import guidance while there's time to obtain documents and discuss any treatment issues with your prescriber.
The amount of medicine matters, not just the length of your trip. A 60-day supply, a controlled medicine and an injection kit can each require different documents. Your prescription is only part of the paperwork.
Check the ingredient before the quantity
The Narcotics Control Department's traveller guidance links a controlled-substances list by ingredient, not brand. Ask your pharmacist or prescriber to identify the ingredients if the packaging is unclear, including combination cold or allergy products.
The guidance expressly prohibits travellers from importing amphetamine, including the ingredient in Adderall, even for treatment. It treats lisdexamfetamine, the ingredient in Vyvanse, differently: you need advance permission under the procedure Japan calls “stimulant raw materials.” Check each medicine separately, even if you use them to treat the same condition.
Don't stop or replace a prescribed medicine on the basis of a travel article. If an ingredient is prohibited or you aren't sure it is allowed, speak with your prescriber about a suitable treatment plan. Before travelling, ask the relevant Japanese office whether you can bring the medicine and which documents you need.
When you need Import Confirmation
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's current English Q&A says you can generally bring up to one month's supply of prescription medicine for your own use without Import Confirmation. For more than one month's supply, obtain Import Confirmation before travelling. Prohibited and specially controlled medicines have separate rules, so check the ingredient first.
The certificate is called 輸入確認書 (Yunyu Kakunin-sho). Older guidance may call it Yakkan Shomei. Use the current forms and instructions rather than an old application saved by another traveller.
Give the prescribed dose and total quantity for each medicine, including any spare doses. For example, a 60-day supply taken twice a day means 120 tablets. The official reviewing your application needs to know how many doses you have, not just how many boxes.
If you intend to obtain part of the supply in Japan, arrange that with a suitable clinician before relying on it. A local appointment doesn't guarantee that the same product, dose or quantity will be prescribed. The clinic visit guide explains the records to bring.
Additional rules for controlled medicines
For narcotics and stimulant raw materials, apply for advance permission through the Narcotics Control Department office responsible for the airport or port where you will arrive. Check permission for any medicine you intend to take out of Japan afterwards too. General Import Confirmation does not replace permission to bring in a controlled drug.
If NCD lists your medicine as a “psychotropic”, use its separate quantity table and document instructions. For medicine you don't inject, compare the amount you're bringing with the limit in the NCD table. You need a doctor's certificate if you exceed that limit or bring the medicine as an injection. NCD also directs travellers carrying more than one month's supply to the office handling medicine imports. Check both sets of requirements for your actual medicine.
| Question | Where to start |
|---|---|
| Is the ingredient prohibited or controlled? | NCD ingredient list and traveller guidance |
| Are you bringing more than one month's supply of prescription medicine? | MHLW Import Confirmation Q&A and portal |
| Is it a narcotic or stimulant raw material? | NCD advance-permission procedure |
| Is it a psychotropic medicine, an injection or a medical device? | Instructions for that type of medicine or device; ask the relevant office if unclear |
Include injection supplies and devices in the enquiry
Don't apply a rule for tablets to syringes or equipment. MHLW's Q&A treats permitted self-injection medicine accompanied by its syringes differently from syringes brought on their own. Check those conditions for your complete kit, including spare parts and items you need to replace.
Tell the office the product name, any model number, how many you will bring and what you use them for. If a device or medicine needs temperature control, plan storage and transport with the manufacturer, pharmacist or clinician as well as checking the import paperwork.
Use the current online application
The Import Confirmation portal explains how to create an account, apply and download your certificate. The Kanto-Shinetsu bureau directs applicants to the online process. Use the portal's current forms and instructions.
Read the current manual for the personal-use category. MHLW's Q&A asks for a valid prescription or doctor's note covering the medicines or devices in the application, and travel documents showing your name, when and where you will arrive, and your flight or ship details. Check that the medicine names and quantities in your supporting documents match your application.
For Narita or Haneda questions, the Q&A names the Kanto-Shinetsu bureau and gives yakkan@mhlw.go.jp. Include ingredient names and strengths, the form each medicine comes in, such as tablets, liquid or an injection, the quantities, and your arrival airport. Technical portal questions have a separate help contact in the manual.
Leave time for the right procedure
MHLW says a complete general Import Confirmation application is normally processed in a few business days. The NCD guidance asks applicants to apply at least 14 days before travel for its permission process and warns that Tokyo NCD cannot accept last-minute applications. Allow time for each procedure your medicine requires.
Start early enough to obtain a doctor’s document and correct the application if needed. Don't interpret a normal processing time as a guarantee or wait until the last permitted day. Check for office closures around holidays, and leave time to supply missing documents.
Save your application reference and check the email address you used to apply. If the travel date, quantity or medicine changes, ask how to update the application or permission; don't edit an issued certificate yourself.
Keep the documents with your medicine
Keep medicines identifiable in their labelled packaging where possible, with the prescription and issued documents accessible. Compare the final packed quantities with what you applied for, including spare doses.
Follow customs instructions and show the Import Confirmation when requested. For NCD-controlled medicines, check how you must carry them, when to show the certificate and whether you need permission to take them out of Japan. Don't ask another traveller to carry a controlled medicine for you. Check separately before having a refill posted; sending medicine by mail and carrying it in your own luggage have different rules.
Save electronic copies and take a readable backup of the documents, along with the contact details for the office that handled your application.