Japan Customs & Yacht Clearance (2026)

We haven’t cleared in at Japan. Everything below is what those offices publish. Nothing here is a story about a harbor we’ve entered.

Heads up

This is best efforts, not a guarantee. Rules change, officials change, and two boats clearing into the same harbor the same week can have pretty different experiences. We do our best by combining three things: research (reading the official sites so you don’t have to), automation (a tool that fills in the forms for you), and personal experience (what actually happened to us, with dates). It’s all in one guide and one forms tool. It won’t make clearing in effortless, but it should make it a whole lot easier. If something’s different when you get there, tell us and we’ll fix it for the next boat.

1. Before arrival

What: Okinawa Customs says captains of yachts, pleasure boats and cruisers report under Customs Law Articles 15-3 and 20-2. Reports are in principle through NACCS. If pre-reporting through NACCS cannot be done, the guide says to email the customs office for the port.
Email items: An arrival report with the expected arrival time and the planned place of stay. A crew list, with passport copies. A voyage memo of ports of call before arrival and planned ports of call in Japan. A copy of the certificate of the ship’s nationality. A copy of the international tonnage certificate.
When: Before entering port. The guide does not print a number of hours.
Official: Guide to entering procedures for yachts etc. on overseas voyages (PDF). The file was last modified on 12 September 2019 and it is still the file that page links.

2. On arrival, and on departure

On arrival: The same guide names five customs forms: the general declaration C-2000 (PDF modified 23 December 2020), the crew list C-2065 (PDF modified 22 March 2021), the passenger list C-2050 (PDF modified 22 March 2021), the crew’s effects declaration C-5370 (PDF modified 12 December 2005, still the linked file), and the ship’s stores declaration C-2040 (PDF modified 24 December 2020).
On departure: The departure report is C-2000 again.
Items marked ※: Each of those forms says it is not necessary to fill in the item marked ※.
Our experience: We haven’t cleared in.

3. Port entry notice

What: The Japan Coast Guard procedure sheet names Form No. 1, the port entry and departure notice, under the Port Regulations Act, Article 4. It goes to the Captain of the Port of the specified port. The entry notice is after arrival, without delay. The departure notice is when the ship is about to depart. The sheet says there is no fee.
Official: Form No. 1 (PDF), modified 27 December 2020. Procedure sheet.
Exemptions: The procedure sheet points to exemptions in the Port Regulations Enforcement Rules, Articles 2 and 21. Ask the Captain of the Port whether your boat and your harbor are covered.

4. Closed port

What it is: The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism says a closed port is any territorial water that is not an open port. The open-port list is this PDF.
Permission: A foreign pleasure boat needs special permission from the Minister before it calls at a closed port. The legal basis they print is the proviso to Article 3 of the Ships Act. The page states the penalty for calling without it: imprisonment with work for not more than 2 years, or a fine of not more than 1,000,000 yen, and the ship may be confiscated.
How to apply: At least one week before the call, in person or by post, to the District Transport Bureau for that port. Write in Japanese or in English. A signature is accepted in place of a seal. Name the port so the place is clear. The example they give is Naze Port of Amami-Oshima, not the island name alone.
Papers: Form No. 2 (Word), modified 14 May 2018. A copy of the certificate of nationality. A crew list with position, name, sex, passport number, nationality, and date of birth. The crew-list file they link is Form No. 5 (Excel), modified 29 March 2023. The page: foreign pleasure boats calling at closed ports.
Customs: Customs Form C-2100 (PDF modified 24 December 2020) is the application for permission to enter and leave a closed port. It cites Customs Law Article 20, paragraph 1, says to file two copies, and says to put the revenue stamp on the back of one copy.
Okinawa: The Okinawa Customs yacht guide says a closed port also needs permission from the General Affairs and Maritime Transport Division, Okinawa General Bureau, Cabinet Office.

5. Crew landing, through NACCS

What: The Immigration Services Agency says the crew landing permit process at an open port can be filed through NACCS. One entry can send the advance review, the port entry notice, and the port departure notice to immigration, customs, the coast guard, the transport bureau, the Captain of the Port, the port administrator, and the quarantine station. The regional immigration office reviews it and issues the crew landing permit.
Official: Crew landing permit application, outline.
This tool: It prepares the paper forms. It does not log in to NACCS.

Questions

What papers does Okinawa Customs name for a yacht?

Before arrival, if NACCS cannot be used: an arrival report, a crew list with passport copies, a voyage memo, a copy of the certificate of nationality, and a copy of the international tonnage certificate. On arrival: C-2000, C-2065, C-2050, C-5370 and C-2040. On departure: C-2000. We haven’t cleared in at Japan.

What is a closed port in Japan?

MLIT says a closed port is any territorial water that is not an open port. A foreign pleasure boat needs the Minister’s permission before it calls there. The application is at least one week before, in person or by post.

Is Some Tuesday a customs agent in Japan?

No. Some Tuesday is not a customs agent. The tool does not log in to NACCS, and it does not sign or send the papers. You do.

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The honest fine print

Some Tuesday, LLC shares information and a do-it-yourself forms tool, free. We never file, submit, sign or send paperwork for anyone. We’re not a customs agent, yacht agent or lawyer, and nothing here is legal advice.

Everything here is best efforts. We combine research from the official sources, automation that fills in the forms for you, and our own experience. Rules change, officials change, and every boat’s experience in each country will be a little different, including from ours. Before you rely on anything here, check it against the official links and with the officials themselves. You’re responsible for checking, signing and submitting your own forms.

Japan customs and clearance for yachts, step by step