Have you applied for Japan's pre-clearance yet? As one of Taiwanese travellers' favourite destinations, Japan has recently rolled out a new "pre-clearance" scheme. For anyone planning a trip to Japan, this measure not only saves a significant amount of time at immigration but makes the whole trip noticeably smoother. Let DJB walk you through the details of Japan's pre-clearance process and which airports are participating!

What is Japan's "pre-clearance"?

Japan's "pre-clearance" is officially known as "advance entry confirmation" — a new scheme launched jointly by the Japanese government and Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport. The idea is to complete part of Japan's immigration screening before departure, so travellers can clear immigration quickly on arrival. This service targets short-term travellers departing from Taiwan on designated flights to specified Japanese airports. Japanese immigration officers are stationed at Taoyuan Airport to handle passport verification, facial photo capture, and fingerprinting before boarding. Pre-clearance not only simplifies the entry process, but also cuts down significantly on queue time after arrival — a genuinely useful, time-saving measure for anyone planning a trip to Japan.

Image source: PEXELS

How Japan's pre-clearance works

Under the latest plan, Japan's pre-clearance process is simple and efficient — travellers just need to complete the following steps at their departure airport (such as Taoyuan Airport in Taiwan):

  1. Advance registration and submitting your details
    Before boarding a designated flight, travellers complete the relevant entry procedures at a dedicated lane in Taoyuan Airport. This includes providing passport details and filling in the purpose and duration of your visit.
  2. Facial photo and fingerprint capture
    Before boarding, a Japanese immigration officer takes your facial photo and fingerprints. This speeds up identity verification once you arrive.
  3. Identity verification and confirming your purpose of visit
    As with standard entry procedures, your identity is verified again, and your purpose of visit and length of stay are confirmed. The difference is that all of this happens at Taoyuan Airport, so once you land in Japan, only the simplest identity check remains.
  4. Fast clearance on arrival in Japan
    Once all the steps above are complete, you receive an entry approval stamp and can move quickly through the airport's immigration lane. This process dramatically cuts down entry time and avoids long queues.

Which airports offer Japan's pre-clearance?

In February 2024, Japan and Taiwan launched a pilot of the "pre-clearance" service at Taoyuan Airport, covering ten of Japan's smaller regional airports. Here is the list of airports in that initial pilot:

Japanese airports in the February 2024 pre-clearance pilot

Hakodate

Asahikawa

Akita

Niigata

Yamagata

Fukushima

Komatsu

Hanamaki

Sendai

Takamatsu

Given the pilot's strong results throughout 2024, Japan and Taiwan agreed to expand the programme — as of New Year's Day 2025, travellers flying from Taoyuan Airport to "any airport in Japan" can now use the pre-clearance service.

Image source: UNSPLASH

Who can use Japan's pre-clearance service?

This pre-clearance service currently applies only to travellers departing from Taoyuan Airport in Taiwan, and mainly targets short-term visitors travelling for tourism. Based on current announcements, the service officially launched between 16 January and 12 February 2025, covering the peak Lunar New Year travel period. During this window, travellers on designated flights to Japan can complete advance entry confirmation at Taoyuan Airport, then clear immigration in Japan much faster.

Worth noting: this service is limited to travellers visiting for tourism — anyone holding a long-term visa or entering for a non-tourism purpose cannot use this option. Whether it expands to other countries or regions in future will depend on how the programme performs.

The benefits of Japan's pre-clearance

  1. Dramatically shorter clearance times
    Standard entry procedures often mean long queues, especially during peak holiday periods, when the wait can feel endless. With pre-clearance, most of the entry screening is completed before departure, so travellers can clear immigration quickly on arrival, cutting the overall time significantly.
  2. A better overall travel experience
    Pre-clearance does not just speed up the process — it improves the whole trip. Skipping a long queue means travellers can enter Japan more comfortably and spend more time actually enjoying their trip.
  3. Less congestion at the airport
    The pre-clearance system also helps ease congestion at the airport, particularly during peak periods like Lunar New Year, improving overall airport efficiency and avoiding a crush of travellers all going through screening at once.
  4. Encouraging more visitors to choose Japan
    As pre-clearance rolls out, more and more international travellers are likely to pick Japan as their destination. This measure should further boost Japan's tourism industry and bring in even more visitors.
Image source: UNSPLASH

A more convenient trip to Japan

Japan's "pre-clearance" is undoubtedly an innovative, practical reform, one that should meaningfully improve the entry experience for travellers heading to Japan. By completing most of the entry process at the departure airport (Taoyuan), travellers can skip tedious queues, needing only a simple check on arrival in Japan to complete entry. For Taiwanese travellers planning a trip to Japan over Lunar New Year, this new service is a genuinely great option.

With its official launch on 16 January 2025, Taiwanese travellers are among the first to experience the convenience of Japan's pre-clearance, and this service may expand to other countries and regions in future. If you are planning a trip to Japan, remember to grab a DJB Daijobu Unlimited Plus SIM to make your trip fast and easy!

Reference articles:

1. Japan's new 2025 travel rules! Taoyuan Airport's "pre-clearance" saves time entering Japan over Lunar New Year

https://orange.udn.com/orange/story/121417/8458577

2. Easier entry to Japan over Lunar New Year! Taoyuan Airport rolls out pre-clearance — launch date revealed

https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E6%98%A5%E7%AF%80%E5%85%A5%E5%A2%83%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E6%9B%B4%E6%96%B9%E4%BE%BF-%E6%A1%83%E6%A9%9F%E6%8E%A8%E9%A0%90%E5%85%88%E9%80%9A%E9%97%9C-%E5%AF%A6%E6%96%BD%E6%99%82%E9%96%93%E6%9B%9D%E5%85%89-071400576.html

3. Japan's new 2025 entry rules: Taiwanese travellers among the first eligible for expedited clearance

https://www.cna.com.tw/news/ahel/202412200348.aspx

4. No more long queues for trips to Japan: Taiwanese travellers' "pre-clearance" officially launches New Year's Day 2025

https://everylittled.com/article/192310

5. Tired of long waits at Japanese immigration?! Japan set to roll out "pre-clearance" in 2025 to speed up entry procedures

https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E9%80%9A%E9%97%9C%E7%AD%89%E5%A4%AA%E4%B9%85-%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC2025%E5%B9%B4%E6%93%AC%E5%AF%A6%E6%96%BD-%E9%A0%90%E5%85%88%E6%B8%85%E9%97%9C-%E5%8A%A0%E9%80%9F%E6%97%85%E5%AE%A2%E5%85%A5%E5%A2%83%E6%89%8B%E7%BA%8C%E6%99%82%E9%96%93-150756914.html