Mail / Delivery
Japan Customs Notice for International Mail: What to Do
When a parcel arrives from abroad, customs duty and consumption tax may apply depending on the contents and value. If they do, you receive a paper notice from 日本郵便 (Japan Post), 税関 (Customs), or a courier such as Yamato, DHL or FedEx, often titled 国際郵便物課税通知書 (notice of taxes on an international mail item) or a 税関手続きのお知らせ (notice about customs procedures). The document shows the tracking number, a description of the contents, the assessed value, a breakdown of 関税 (customs duty), 消費税 (consumption tax) and 通関手数料 (clearance handling fee), the payment method, and a deadline. Usually you either pay the delivery staff at the door or pay at a post office counter and collect the item. Sometimes the notice is not a bill at all: customs may simply need an invoice or purchase record because the contents or value are unclear. Either way, nothing is wrong with you, the parcel is just waiting.
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Fake customs notices are one of the most common phishing messages in Japan. Genuine notices arrive on paper, in your mailbox or handed over by the delivery driver. A genuine notice never asks you to enter a credit card number or My Number on a link sent by SMS, LINE or email, and never asks for a bank transfer to a personal account, convenience-store gift cards, e-money or crypto. If you get a short SMS saying customs charges are unpaid or a parcel is being held, with a URL, do not open the link. To check, search for the official Japan Post or Japan Customs website yourself and type the tracking number in manually, do not use phone numbers or links from a suspicious message. If you already entered card details, call your card issuer to freeze the card and contact police advice line #9110.
Who receives it
Anyone receiving a package from overseas by international mail, EMS or courier. It applies to online purchases from foreign shops, gifts from family and friends, and even goods you shipped to yourself when moving to Japan. A parcel marked "gift" by the sender can still be taxed, depending on contents and value. For company shipments, the notice may go to a staff member or to a customs broker instead.
What to do
- 1Check whether the sender of the notice is 日本郵便, 税関 or a courier company, and write down the tracking number (お問い合わせ番号).
- 2Work out whether the notice is asking for payment of tax or asking you to submit information such as an invoice or order screenshot.
- 3If it is a bill, check the breakdown (関税 / 消費税 / 地方消費税 / 通関手数料) and pay either to the delivery driver or at the post office or depot counter named on the notice.
- 4If it is an information request, send the receipt, order confirmation or invoice showing contents and price by the method and date printed on the notice.
- 5If the amount looks wrong, call the 税関支署 (customs branch) or office printed on the notice yourself, quoting the tracking number.
About the deadline
The notice carries a 保管期限 (storage deadline) or a 回答期限 (reply deadline). The 保管期限 is the last day the item is held for you; after that it is returned to the sender or moved into return/disposal procedures. The 回答期限 is the date by which customs needs your reply about contents and value, miss it and clearance stops and the parcel may go back. The date is usually near the top right or inside the boxed section with the amounts; formats differ by office and year, so look around the amount field.
Common misunderstandings
- It is a gift from a friend, so why is there tax?
- Japan taxes imports based on contents and assessed value, not on whether money changed hands. There is a relief for low-value items, but certain goods (leather items, knitted clothing and others) are excluded, and the thresholds are published on the Japan Customs website. For a decision on your specific parcel, ask the customs office printed on the notice.
- It says 関税 (customs duty), so why am I also charged tax and a fee?
- They are separate lines. The breakdown normally lists 関税 (duty), 消費税 and 地方消費税 (national and local consumption tax), and 通関手数料, a handling fee for clearing the postal item. For many items the duty is zero and you pay only the consumption tax and the fee.
- Can I refuse the parcel instead of paying?
- Yes, you can decline receipt and have it returned to the sender, and then you owe no tax. But shipping costs are not refunded, and customs cannot help with a refund dispute against the overseas seller. Tell the office on the notice early if you want it returned.
- I already paid but I think the valuation was too high.
- If the declared value was wrong, there may be a correction procedure with customs. Keep the receipt and the notice, and contact the 税関支署 printed on the document. If the amount is large or you import regularly for business, a licensed customs broker (通関業者) or a 税理士 (tax accountant) is the right person to consult.
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This page is general information. For your own case, confirm with the office that issued the document, or with a qualified professional.