Question:
I am Malaysian. I will be going to Japan soon. This is my first international flight and I will be going alone. I have my visa done and flight ticket also. heard Japan need a lot of procedure to enter. Is there anyone experienced how was it and would like to share with me?
So, this is my first international flight, what is the next step after I exit the plane and grab my luggage?
Most details and good points will be chosen as best answer.
Answer:
On the airplane the flight crew will give you two forms:
1. Embarkation/Disembarkation form
2. Customs form
Fill out both forms with your information (passport, address etc etc), the forms are in English and Japanese (also Chinese and Korean).
When the airplane lands and the doors open, you proceed to the Immigration line.
Before Immigration there is a health check point, only stop here if you feel sick/need to see a doctor, otherwise, continue walking to the Immigration check point line. You will use the lines that say FOREIGNERS/FOREIGN PASSPORTS
When waiting in line you will be reminded to sign the back of the embarkation/disembarkation form (if you haven't already). If you did not get a form on the airplane, you can get a form while waiting in line and fill one out there.
When you get to the immigration inspector, you give your forms to the inspector with your passport.
They will ask you to look into the machine where it will take your picture and fingerprints. They will take the embarkation/disembarkation card and staple it into your passport. They will also stamp a gray colored stamp called LANDING PERMISSION into your passport. Please leave Japan or renew your visa before the expiration date listed on the LANDING PERMISSION they give you. They will return the passport and customs form to you.
After you leave the immigration area you will now walk to the Customs area. If you have checked luggage (not carry on) you will now pick up your checked luggage from the luggage area. If you have no checked luggage (just carry on) then you can walk strait to the Customs inspector. Give the customs inspector your passport and the customs form. They might ask you a few questions, they might ask to open and search inside your bags, other times they will just wave you through without any check.
After that you exit the customs area and welcome to Japan.
The procedure at the Japanese airport is not very different from the procedure people go through at many other airports in the world. Immigration check --> customs check --> into the country.
