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Shipping to Japan: what is not allowed

Japan exempts parcels with a customs value of JPY 10,000 or less from duty and consumption tax. Quarantine rules on meat, dairy and plants are strict, and medicines and cosmetics are limited to personal quantities.

Not accepted for Japan

  • Meat products (ham, sausage, jerky), dairy and eggs without a government export inspection certificate — in practice, do not send
  • Soil, fresh fruit and vegetables
  • Stimulant-type medicines and narcotics without prior permission
  • Counterfeit goods and obscene material
  • Firearms and explosives

Allowed, with conditions

  • Prescription medicines — up to 1 month's supply without an Import Confirmation
  • OTC and quasi-drugs — up to 2 months' supply
  • Cosmetics — up to 24 pieces per item
  • Seeds and seedlings — phytosanitary certificate from the exporting country
  • Nicotine e-liquid — treated as a medicine, about 1 month's supply

Parcels valued at JPY 10,000 or less are exempt from duty and consumption tax; leather bags, knitwear and leather shoes are excluded from the exemption, and parcels from the same sender arriving together are added up.

Above the threshold: 10% consumption tax (8% on food) plus duty. The recipient usually pays before delivery.

Illegal plant or fruit imports carry penalties of up to 3 years or JPY 3 million.

Quick answers: shipping from India to Japan

What can I not send from India to Japan?

Japan does not accept: meat products (ham, sausage, jerky), dairy and eggs without a government export inspection certificate — in practice, do not send; soil, fresh fruit and vegetables; stimulant-type medicines and narcotics without prior permission; counterfeit goods and obscene material; firearms and explosives. On every route, we also cannot carry anything with a battery, mobile phones and laptops, real gold, silver or diamond jewellery, or anything flammable or pressurised such as perfume, aerosols and nail polish.

Can I send medicines from India to Japan?

Yes, within limits: prescription medicines — up to 1 month's supply without an Import Confirmation. Controlled and psychotropic medicines need clearance first, so ask us before you order them.

How long does a parcel from India to Japan take?

Normal transit on this route is 4 to 6 business days from our warehouse in Kerala.

Will I pay customs duty or tax in Japan?

Parcels valued at JPY 10,000 or less are exempt from duty and consumption tax; leather bags, knitwear and leather shoes are excluded from the exemption, and parcels from the same sender arriving together are added up. Above the threshold: 10% consumption tax (8% on food) plus duty. The recipient usually pays before delivery.

Never accepted, wherever you are

These are refused by the airlines, by Indian export rules or by us, so they cannot leave our warehouse for any destination.

Prohibited, restricted and dangerous goods, in one line each. Prohibited means it cannot be sent at all. Restricted means it can travel, but only under conditions your country sets, such as a personal quantity, a prescription or a declaration; those are listed under each destination. Dangerous goods are what airlines treat as a hazard on board: anything flammable, corrosive or pressurised. We also cannot ship anything with a battery, or anything that burns, such as agarbatti and camphor.

  • Cash, currency, cheques, bullion, and loose precious stones
  • Narcotics, illegal drugs, and psychotropic substances
  • Firearms, ammunition, explosives, fireworks, and weapons (including replicas)
  • Anything with a battery, including power banks, battery-operated toys and watches
  • Mobile phones and laptops
  • Real gold, silver and diamond jewellery
  • Flammable, corrosive, or pressurised goods — perfumes/deodorant sprays, aerosols, nail polish and remover, paints, thinners, fuel, gas cylinders, lighters, and matches
  • Anything that burns: agarbatti (incense sticks), dhoop, camphor, sambrani and candles
  • Live animals, plants, seeds, soil, and products of endangered species (CITES)
  • Pornographic, obscene, or seditious material
  • Counterfeit goods and pirated media
  • Human remains, biological samples, and infectious substances
  • Radioactive and toxic substances

Medicines and supplements are the one thing to check before you order. They are not banned — almost every destination lets a personal quantity through in its original packaging with a copy of the prescription. What changes from country to country is how much counts as personal, whose name the prescription has to be in, and which ingredients need clearance from that country's health authority first.

The rule for Japan is under Allowed, with conditions above. Controlled and psychotropic medicines are a separate case: several countries want their own health authority to clear the parcel first, so check with us before you order rather than after it arrives with us.

If you are not sure about something, ask on WhatsApp before you order it.

The same list, talked through

Three and a half minutes on what cannot leave India, what your own country will not let in, and the things that travel perfectly well once the paperwork is right.

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What You Can and Can't Ship From India (Full List)

Rules for other destinations