Before You Fly to Okinawa: Passport, Customs and Medicine Checklist for Americans

Best time: any month, but watch for typhoons in August and September

You step off the plane in Naha with a passport in one hand and a bag of pill bottles somewhere in your carry-on. On the new nonstop from San Francisco, Naha is your first stop in Japan, so quarantine, immigration and customs all happen right here. Most of what can go wrong at that counter is decided weeks earlier, at home.

This checklist covers the documents, the medicine rules and the customs limits, in the order you'll need them. It sticks to what Japan's government agencies say.

Best for

First-time visitors to Japan on the SFO–Naha nonstop
Anyone who takes prescription medicine every day
Parents packing for the whole family
Travelers bringing gifts or cash

1 monthPrescription medicine you can bring without paperwork, unless it contains a controlled substance
14 daysMinimum lead time for a narcotics or Vyvanse permit
¥200,000Duty-free limit for most other goods, per adult
¥1 millionCash or equivalent above which you must declare it

As of October 2026; Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and Japan Customs official sites

Passport and visa

US citizens don't need a visa for a trip of up to 90 days that involves no paid work, such as sightseeing or visiting family and friends. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists the United States among its visa-exemption countries with a 90-day stay, and the Consulate-General of Japan in San Francisco spells out the no-paid-activities condition (as of October 2026, official sites).

Passport. Bring your own US passport. Japan sets no minimum remaining validity, but the passport must be valid for your whole stay, and you need one blank page for the entry stamp (as of October 2026, Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle).
On military orders? Follow your command's instructions for passport and arrival paperwork. Japan's immigration agency says people covered by the Status of Forces Agreement can't use Visit Japan Web's arrival record. Japan's medicine and customs rules on this page still apply.
Driving? Your passport gets an entry stamp at the immigration counter (as of October 2026, Naha Airport official site). Rental companies need it with an International Driving Permit. See our driving guide.

Visit Japan Web

Visit Japan Web is the Japanese government's site for filling in arrival paperwork before you fly. It's run by the Digital Agency. Use the official address only: services.digital.go.jp/en/visit-japan-web.

Customs at Naha. Naha is one of seven airports with Japan Customs' electronic declaration gates. You fill in your customs declaration on Visit Japan Web and get a code. In the customs area, you scan that code and your passport at a kiosk, which also takes your photo, then walk through the gate (as of October 2026, Japan Customs official site).

Your passport needs an IC chip for the gate.
Every member of your group does the kiosk step on their own.
Your bags can still be inspected, and the kiosk may send you to the inspection desk instead of the gate.

Immigration. Every new foreign visitor hands in an arrival record, sometimes called the ED card. Japan's Immigration Services Agency recommends filling it in on Visit Japan Web before you land, then showing the code to the immigration officer (as of October 2026, official site).

Each family member needs their own entry and code.
For a short tourist stay, enter 90 days or fewer as your length of stay. The agency says this field is often filled in wrong.
Not comfortable with a phone? A paper arrival record is still accepted.

Paper customs form. If you'd rather not use the gate, there's a paper route. Naha Airport says everyone must hand in a customs declaration form, even with nothing to declare. Japan Customs says the forms are handed out on the plane and are also available at customs (all as of October 2026, official sites).

Medicines: what you can and can't bring

This is the part that catches Americans out. Japan's rules are stricter than many US travelers expect, and some common US prescriptions are banned outright. Check each bottle against this list before you pack.

Medicine rules in short

Banned, even with a prescription: medicines with amphetamine, dextroamphetamine or methamphetamine, such as Adderall. Japan's narcotics control office says these can't be imported even for treatment.
Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine): allowed, but only with permission obtained before you travel. Japan classes it as a stimulant raw material, and the application works the same way as for narcotics, including the 14-day lead time.
Cold and allergy medicine with pseudoephedrine or ephedrine: some US decongestants and cold medicines contain these. Above 10% of the product, Japan treats them as stimulant raw materials, which need the same advance permission. Check the label, and see the official list of controlled substances (PDF).
Narcotic painkillers (for example codeine, morphine or oxycodone): you need permission from Japan's health ministry before you arrive. Apply at least 14 days before your trip, with a doctor's certificate issued within the last 3 months and photos of the package.
Psychotropic medicines (for example zolpidem, alprazolam, clonazepam or methylphenidate): no paperwork up to the amount in the ministry's table. Above it, or in injection form, carry a certificate from your prescribing doctor.
Ordinary prescription medicine: up to a one-month supply for your own use, with no forms, unless it contains a controlled substance (see above).
Over-the-counter medicine: up to a two-month supply, unless it contains a controlled substance (see above). Creams and other medicines used on the skin: up to 24 of each item.
Injectables: up to a one-month supply, and only prefilled syringes or self-injection kits, unless the medicine contains a controlled substance (see above).
Disposable contact lenses: up to a two-month supply.

As of October 2026, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare official sites

Psychotropics: the limits. The amounts are the total of the drug itself, so 30 tablets of 10 mg zolpidem count as 300 mg. A few of the limits in the Narcotics Control Department's table (as of October 2026, official site):

Drug	Limit without a doctor's certificate
Zolpidem	300 mg
Alprazolam	72 mg
Lorazepam	90 mg
Clonazepam	180 mg
Diazepam	1.2 g
Methylphenidate	2.16 g

The full table lists dozens more, so look up your own medicine in the ministry's table (PDF). The certificate should give your name, your condition, why you need the medicine, each medicine with its dose and strength, the doctor's signature and the date. Bringing more than a one-month supply of a psychotropic? Contact the health ministry first; the address is on the Narcotics Control Department's page.

Ordinary medicine over the limits above? Apply online for an Import Confirmation and get it before you leave home. Show it to the customs officer at Naha. The health ministry handles questions about Naha arrivals through its Kinki regional bureau, and the contact address is on the ministry's medicine page (as of October 2026, official site).

Where to apply for a narcotics or Vyvanse permit. Send it to the narcotics control office that covers the airport where you first land. On the SFO nonstop, that's Naha. The forms and office list are on the Narcotics Control Department's page. Apply at least 14 days ahead; late applications may not be processed in time.

Each person must carry their own permitted medicine. You can't mail it or have a family member carry it for you.
Flying home with leftovers? Ask for an export permit in the same application.

We can't tell you whether a particular medicine is allowed. If you aren't sure, ask the ministry before you fly, and talk to your doctor about alternatives.

Customs and duty-free allowances

Most travelers' bags fit well inside the limits. These are the duty-free amounts for each adult (all as of October 2026, Japan Customs official site):

Item	Duty-free per adult
Alcoholic drinks	3 bottles, about 760 ml each
Cigarettes	200
Cigars	50
Heated tobacco	10 packs
Other tobacco	250 g
Perfume	2 oz
Other goods	Total overseas value under ¥200,000 (goods of the same kind totaling ¥10,000 or less don't count toward it) (as of October 2026, official site)

Tobacco amounts are for one kind only; mixed kinds share a 250 g total. There's no alcohol or tobacco allowance for travelers under 20. A single item worth over ¥200,000 is taxed on its full value (all as of October 2026, Japan Customs official site).

Cash. Declare cash, checks and similar items worth more than ¥1 million in total.
Never bring: narcotics and cannabis, guns and ammunition, explosives, counterfeit money or cards, obscene material and fake brand goods. This isn't the full list; Japan Customs has it.
Food, plants and animal products go through separate quarantine checks. Naha Airport points to the quarantine offices for these, so check before you pack fruit, meat or seeds (all as of October 2026, official sites).

Power plugs, voltage and phones

Japan's standard voltage is 100V, and outlets take Type A plugs (as of October 2026, JNTO). JNTO notes that visitors from overseas may need a plug adapter.

Check the label on each charger and appliance, and see whether its input range includes 100V.
Phones: sort out an eSIM or roaming plan before you fly, so maps work on the drive from the airport. Our phone and eSIM guide compares the options, and our first-night guide covers Wi-Fi at Naha Airport.

When to do what

Your pre-trip countdown

As early as you canCheck every medicine against the rules, including cold medicine. Apply for a narcotics or Vyvanse permit, or an Import Confirmation, if needed.
14 days outYour narcotics or Vyvanse permit application should be in by now.
A few days outFill in Visit Japan Web. Check your passport and charger labels.
Day beforePack your medicines with any permit or confirmation, where you can reach them at customs.
At NahaQuarantine, immigration (passport stamp), bags, then customs: gate or paper form.

As of October 2026; MHLW, Japan Customs and Naha Airport official sites

Printable checklist

[ ] US passport, checked for validity
[ ] Visit Japan Web filled in (customs code saved on your phone)
[ ] Every medicine checked against the health ministry's rules
[ ] Narcotics or Vyvanse permit, or Import Confirmation, if needed, ready to show at customs
[ ] Medicines and their paperwork packed together, where you can reach them
[ ] Alcohol, tobacco and gifts within the duty-free limits
[ ] Cash under ¥1 million, or ready to declare (as of October 2026, Japan Customs official site)
[ ] Chargers that accept 100V, plus a plug adapter if needed
[ ] International Driving Permit, if you'll rent a car
[ ] Phone plan or eSIM sorted

When to go

The rules don't change with the seasons, but flights do. Typhoons come near Okinawa most often in August and September (Japan Meteorological Agency, 1991–2020 averages), and a storm can cancel flights for a day or more. In those months, check your airline's flight status before you leave for the airport, and follow the Japan Meteorological Agency for typhoon information.

Official info

How we checked this

The medicine limits come from the health ministry's English page on personal imports. The stimulant ban, the Vyvanse and pseudoephedrine rules, the narcotics permit and its 14-day lead time, carrying your own medicine, and the psychotropics table come from the Narcotics Control Department and its list of controlled substances. We list only a few lines of that table.
Duty-free amounts, the cash rule and prohibited items come from Japan Customs. The e-Gate steps and the list of seven airports, Naha included, also come from Japan Customs.
The arrival order and the paper declaration rule come from Naha Airport's arrival page, and where to get the paper form comes from Japan Customs. Voltage and plug type come from JNTO.
The visa-free stay comes from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Consulate-General of Japan in San Francisco. The passport rule comes from the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle. The U.S. State Department's Japan page showed a bot check when we tried it on October 23, 2026, so we didn't use it.
The arrival record and Visit Japan Web steps come from Japan's Immigration Services Agency and the Visit Japan Web guide. Neither names the airports where the immigration code is read, so follow the officers' directions at Naha.
We last checked these facts on 2026-10-23. The full list of sources is at the end of this page.

Next: plan the flight itself with our SFO–Naha nonstop guide, then your first evening with Landing in Naha in the Afternoon.

Passport and visa

Visit Japan Web

Medicines: what you can and can't bring

Customs and duty-free allowances

Power plugs, voltage and phones

When to do what

Printable checklist

When to go

Official info

Sources

Keep planning

Renting a Car in Okinawa as an American: International Driving Permit, Left-Side Roads and Tolls

Staying Connected in Okinawa: eSIM, US Phone Plans and Wi-Fi

Using a Konbini in Okinawa: ATMs, Payment, Hot Food and Local Favorites