Japan is continuing preparations for its future electronic travel authorization system.
VisasNews has been following the various stages of the JESTA project for several months, from Japan’s decision to bring the launch timeline forward to 2028 to the Japanese Parliament’s final adoption of the legal framework paving the way for JESTA. New government documents now provide a clearer picture of some of the practical consequences travelers can expect from the future system.
The latest development concerns tax-free shopping for foreign visitors: the Japanese government is now preparing to adapt existing procedures to a system in which some JESTA travelers may no longer receive a physical entry stamp in their passport.
JESTA is now enshrined in Japanese law
Japan has been working for several years on a pre-travel authorization system for certain foreign nationals who are currently exempt from visa requirements.
After moving the planned launch forward to fiscal year 2028, Tokyo officially adopted the name JESTA, short for Japan Electronic System for Travel Authorization, in May 2025. VisasNews outlined the first major details of the future system at the time.
The government then approved the bill creating the system in March 2026, before Parliament gave it final approval on May 29.
The reform was promulgated on June 5, 2026, as Act No. 32 of 2026. Japan’s Immigration Services Agency (ISA) states that the provisions establishing JESTA will take effect on a date to be set by government ordinance, no later than March 31, 2029.
The operational target, however, remains a launch during fiscal year 2028, which runs from April 1, 2028, through March 31, 2029. That timeframe is again referenced in the Japanese government’s latest tax reform requests.
A new JESTA authorization for each new entry into Japan
One feature of the future Japanese system sets it apart from several electronic travel authorizations already in use around the world.
In the official presentation of the reform creating JESTA, the Immigration Services Agency states that authorization will be required “for each new entry” into Japan, using the Japanese wording 新規入国の度に認証.
As currently designed, JESTA would therefore not operate like a multi-year authorization that can be used for several successive trips, as is the case with the US ESTA.
For a visa-exempt traveler making several separate trips to Japan, the principle set out in the reform is therefore that a new prior authorization would be required for each new entry.
The concept of a “new entry” should nevertheless be understood within the framework of Japanese immigration law. Shinki nyūkoku, or “new entry,” is distinct in particular from re-entry procedures that may apply to certain foreign nationals who already hold resident status in Japan.
The government has not yet specified how far in advance travelers will be able to apply or how long an approved authorization will remain usable for the corresponding trip.
Entry stamps may disappear for some JESTA travelers
JESTA will not only change the formalities travelers complete before departure. It is also expected to transform immigration procedures on arrival.
During parliamentary discussions on April 17, 2026, already covered in detail by VisasNews, the Immigration Services Agency explained that JESTA travelers who meet Japan’s entry requirements could benefit from a more automated border process.
Another detail received less attention at the time: immigration officers will be able to omit the physical landing permission stamp from the passport of an eligible short-term visitor who has obtained the required authorization.
The official record of the House of Representatives proceedings is explicit: when the traveler meets the conditions for admission, the immigration inspector may omit the landing permission stamp from the passport.
The disappearance of the physical stamp would not, of course, mean that the traveler no longer receives formal permission to enter Japan.
The authorities plan to send travelers an email containing details of their landing permission. Travelers should also be able to log in to the JESTA portal to view information about their stay, including their immigration status and authorized period of stay.
If stopped by police or another authorized official, travelers would be able to present their passport along with the information displayed in their JESTA account. The authorities are also considering a system that would allow officials to verify a traveler’s immigration status and permitted length of stay directly using passport information.
The wording of the legislation remains important, however: it allows immigration officers to omit the stamp for the travelers concerned. It does not necessarily mean that physical entry stamps will immediately disappear for every foreign visitor arriving in Japan.
Japan’s tax-free shopping system now needs to adapt to the disappearance of the entry stamp
A government document published this summer gives this change a much more tangible dimension.
As part of its tax reform requests for fiscal year 2027, Japan’s Ministry of Justice has formally requested changes to the tax-free shopping procedures used for foreign visitors in preparation for JESTA. The proposal is among those submitted to the Ministry of Finance.
The document specifically addressing the tax-related consequences of JESTA explains why these changes are needed.
At present, authorized tax-free retailers rely in part on the visitor’s landing permission stamp in the passport to determine whether the customer is eligible for tax-free purchases. Under JESTA, that stamp will be omitted for some travelers. The government therefore considers it necessary to revise the procedures so that tax-free shopping can continue to operate smoothly once the system is introduced.
The document specifically states that JESTA will result in the landing permission stamp being omitted for some short-term visitors, making it necessary to revise the verification procedures used by tax-free retailers.
It does not yet explain how that verification will work in practice.
There is therefore no official confirmation at this stage that retailers will directly access JESTA, that travelers will receive a dedicated QR code, or that the necessary information will automatically be retrieved through another government service.
What role will Visit Japan Web play?
Japan already has a digital service involved in some tax-free procedures: Visit Japan Web.
Since April 2023, retailers have been able to use Visit Japan Web to verify certain traveler identity information during tax-free purchases. The latest tax document specifically refers to this existing procedure.
However, no official documentation published so far explains exactly how JESTA and Visit Japan Web will interact for tax-free shopping once the new authorization system is introduced.
That question will become increasingly important as JESTA is also expected to form part of a broader move toward digital arrival formalities and greater use of automated border-control technology.
A system expected to cover more than 30 million travelers
The expected scope of JESTA was also clarified during parliamentary discussions in April.
As VisasNews reported earlier this year, Japanese authorities estimated that just over 31 million annual entries would have fallen within the future JESTA system based on 2025 travel volumes.
The program will primarily apply to nationals who currently benefit from a short-stay visa exemption, although the legal framework also covers certain situations involving cruise passengers and some travelers in transit.
Before traveling, eligible passengers will have to submit information to the Immigration Services Agency for pre-screening. The details expected to be requested include passport information, the purpose of travel, the traveler’s place of stay in Japan and the planned length of the visit.
JESTA is still expected in 2028
The timetable has not changed for now.
In spring 2025, Japan brought forward the planned introduction of its electronic travel authorization to fiscal year 2028, after the system had initially been expected closer to 2030.
During parliamentary discussions in April 2026, the government said the contractor responsible for developing the system had already been selected and development work was underway. Immigration authorities estimated that the design and development phase alone would require at least 17 months, followed by around eight months of integration and connectivity testing with other systems, and then at least three additional months for preparations including staff training.
Tax reform documentation published in late summer 2026 also continues to refer to a JESTA launch during fiscal year 2028.
Several key details remain unknown, however, including the JESTA fee, application processing times, the final validity rules for an approved authorization, the exact requirements when a traveler changes their itinerary, and the precise date on which the online portal will open.
Travelers do not currently need to complete any JESTA formalities to enter Japan.
VisasNews Take
JESTA is not yet operational, but documents released since spring 2026 are providing a much clearer picture of how Japan’s future travel authorization system is expected to work. Travelers should notably need a new authorization for each new entry, while some visitors admitted to Japan may no longer receive a physical stamp in their passport. The government’s current work to adapt tax-free shopping procedures shows that Japanese authorities are already addressing the practical consequences of this shift toward digital immigration records, more than two years before the system is expected to launch during fiscal year 2028.
