7301 Procedures for importing/exporting of Household Effects for Home Relocation (FAQ)

  General household effects can be imported or exported for home relocation by simplified procedures called “Customs clearance for traveler’s baggage”.
  Household effects for home relocation refers to accompanied or unaccompanied personal effects and professional equipment of a person or his/her family, who enters Japan for relocation of his/her residence or leaves Japan for permanent residence.

1. Import Procedures
     For passengers who have been abroad for more than one year or who plan to stay in Japan for more than one year, articles imported within 6 months from his/her entry are free of duty.
     The procedures are the same as those for accompanied personal effects and unaccompanied articles. For unaccompanied articles, two copies of the “Declaration of Accompanied Articles and Unaccompanied Articles” must be submitted to Customs at the time of entry, and one of which will be returned to you with a seal of certification.
     When the cargo arrives, please make a declaration at Customs, where the cargo has arrived, with the sealed declaration form returned to you at the time of entry and your passport. For details, refer to Customs Answer 7102, “Procedures for Declaring Unaccompanied Articles to Customs.”
     For automobiles used before entry, the same procedure as that for import declaration of general cargoes is required. In the declaration, you are to submit three copies of “Application Duty Exemption on Household Effect, Removed on Account of Removal of Residence such as Automobiles, etc.” with a document (such as a registration certificate) proving that the automobiles have been used and proof of entry to Japan to transfer your address.
     Automobiles are free of duty on the condition that they are neither resold nor given to another person within 2 years from the date of the import permission.
   
   
2. Export Procedures
     Accompanied personal effects or unaccompanied articles exported within 6 months after your departure can be exported by the same procedures as those for traveler’s baggage except for articles requiring permits and approvals under laws and regulations. (As regards automobiles, vessels and aircraft, the same export declaration procedure as for general cargo is required.)
   Accompanied articles can be declared orally.
    If you wish to request an export license for accompanied or unaccompanied articles, please submit two copies of “Export/Import Declaration for Consigned Articles” to Customs. One of them will be issued after the export permission.

(Article 67 of the Customs Law, Articles 14 and 15 of Customs Tariff Act, Article 14 and 25 of Cabinet Order for Enforcement of Customs Tariff Act, General Notification 67-2-7, 67-2-8, 67-4-9 and 67-4-10 of Customs Law, and General Notifications 14-13 and 15-9 of Customs Tariff Act)

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For consultations on customs procedures, please contact the nearest Customs Counselor.
Please see No. 9301 for inquiries.