Narita T1 and T2 launch unified Japan border kiosks Sept. 24

Arriving international passengers at Narita International Airport will clear customs declarations and immigration screening in a single automated step starting Sept. 24.

Unified border intake at Narita T1 and T2

The joint rollout by the Immigration Services Agency and Japan Customs expands combined processing kiosks to Narita's Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, operating daily between 7 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. Panasonic Connect supplied 177 machines across both terminals to cut processing bottlenecks during peak landing banks, according to corporate equipment disclosures.

Before this expansion, passengers landing at Narita T1 and T2 cleared border control and customs in separate stages. Arriving travelers had to scan passports and submit fingerprints at immigration desks, collect baggage and then present their declaration separately at customs counters or standalone electronic gates.

The joint kiosk system is already active at Haneda Airport Terminals 2 and 3, Kansai International Airport Terminals 1 and 2, Fukuoka Airport and Narita Terminal 3.

How the single-stop inspection flow works

The unified system combines entry screening and customs filings into one transaction inside the immigration inspection hall. International arrivals scan their machine-readable IC passport alongside a unified QR code generated through the government's official Visit Japan Web service.

During the scan, the machine captures facial photos and records fingerprint biometrics for foreign travelers while logging the customs declaration. Once the kiosk step finishes, passengers clear immigration and head to baggage claim.

Travelers with nothing to declare can then walk through automated facial-recognition exit gates without stopping at a customs booth, Japan Customs confirmed. Anyone declaring dutiable items, unaccompanied luggage or restricted goods gets routed directly to staffed inspection counters.

Eligibility rules and hardware limits

The system accepts foreign nationals on short-term tourist stays, remote workers, long-term visa holders and returning Japanese citizens. Kiosks carry no user fees and require no enrollment programs beyond standard pre-travel web registration.

Certain operational exceptions still apply at the physical machines:

• Travelers shorter than 135 cm can't use the automated kiosks and must use staffed lanes, per customs guidance.

• Passports without embedded IC chips allow kiosk data submission, but travelers can't use downstream facial-recognition exit gates.

• Family groups can't scan together on a single code; each individual traveler must complete their own digital entry form and kiosk scan.

• Complex immigration cases, secondary inspections and passengers requiring special physical assistance continue through dedicated manual desks.

Preparing Visit Japan Web before touchdown

Travelers heading through Narita T1 and T2 should complete both the immigration and customs sections of the Visit Japan Web portal before boarding to generate the required combined 2D code. Submitting only the immigration portion forces airport staff to issue manual paper customs slips on arrival, eliminating the speed advantage of the automated lanes.

Reviewing Japan's entry guidelines ahead of flight check-in helps remote workers and visitors confirm visa paperwork and digital declarations match current border mandates. Completing digital forms before takeoff prevents connectivity delays on arrival and lets passengers move straight from the kiosk to luggage retrieval.