Goodbye Paper Documents, Starting Next Week Enter Japan Just Use The App

Illustration of Narita Airport Terminal 3, Japan. (Wikimedia Commons/名無し野電車区)

JAKARTA - Visitors and people returning to Japan will be able to go through simpler customs, immigration, and quarantine procedures using app software starting next week, the country's Digital Agency said on Tuesday.

Travelers do not need to submit paper CIQ (Custom, Immigration, Quarantine) documents if they register for the "Visit Japan Web" service, which is scheduled to launch on Monday next week, via smartphones and other devices in advance.

Digitizing procedures is expected to help reduce the risk of infection and the burden on officials at the airport's CIQ facilities, which are currently understaffed, citing Kyodo News December 14.

Travelers who register quarantine questionnaires and customs declarations, including names, addresses, health conditions, and other information via the app, will only be required to show the officer a smartphone or other device upon arrival.

Officials get traveler information by scanning a QR code on their smartphone or other devices. This new service is expected to shorten the login procedure time.

The app will initially be available in English and Japanese, with the government considering adding other languages at a later date.

To note, Japan, like other countries, has tightened its border controls amid the spread of the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus, which is believed to be more infectious than the previous strain and capable of evading the immunity provided by the vaccine.