Pay customs duties for your shipment
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Japan Post requires a valid Declaration ID for all U.S.-bound shipments. Packages valued under $2,500 (≈ ¥395,018) must have duties prepaid before shipping.
There are four shipment types — Standard, Gift, Return and Letter — and here's how to complete a Standard shipment:
From the home screen, tap New Shipment, select Standard Package, and Continue. On the Items screen, add each item you're shipping: take or upload a photo, and the HTS classifier analyzes it and suggests a description and HTS code — a photo containing multiple products has each one detected as a separate item (up to 5 items per photo). For more items, up to 60 per shipment, upload additional photos. Once classification finishes, review description, and fill in the country of origin, value, quantity, and weight, and check the suggested HTS code (re-run Find HTS Code if you edited any details), then tap Add Item. Repeat for any additional items. Review all items, if needed edit item by clicking on pencil icon, or remove item by sliding left over the item. When done, tap Continue.
The Review screen shows your declared value and a full Duties & Fees breakdown (customs duty, payment fee, processing fee, and total) based on current tariff rates. Note that falsely declaring an item's value or description is customs fraud. If everything looks correct, tap Proceed to Checkout, review the payment summary, and tap Pay Now to complete payment securely.
Once payment succeeds, you'll see a confirmation with the amount authorized, and your Declaration ID is issued. Your card isn't charged yet. The amount is reserved, and you're charged once your package ships (see When will I be charged?). Payment Authorized email is sent. Please note, receipt is available in your account once payment has been captured and that happens when you ship package.
From this screen you can create the Japan Post shipping label right away by tapping Create Shipping Label, or return home and create it later. Create the label within 5 days of payment. After that, your Declaration ID becomes invalid, your payment is released, and you'll need to create a new shipment to send the same items.
Once duties are paid, the final step is creating the shipping label. You can create it right away from the Payment Authorized screen (tap Create Shipping Label), or later from Total Packages: open the desired shipment and tap Create Shipping Label.
Keep these deadlines in mind:
Fill in the required sender fields (name, phone, postal code, address, city, prefecture, country/territory) — you can save this as a contact for next time. If the app flags a field (e.g., an invalid postal code), correct it before continuing. Do the same for the recipient, making sure to select the correct destination country/territory (for certain US territories, select the specific territory rather than "United States of America").
Next, choose a shipping service (e.g., EMS) on the Package Information step — some services, like Parcel, show extra options such as Transportation type and Non-delivery instructions. Enter the weight, content type, terms of payment, and insurance amount if applicable, then check "Confirmation of Non-Dangerous Goods" criteria. Once confirmed, click Continue. On the Items step, confirm whether each item contains dangerous goods, selecting a reason from the dropdown if it does. Next is Confirm screen – it lets you review all data you previously entered. Review the From/To addresses, shipping, and package information. Note that the postage shown there is an estimate from the Japan Post API and isn't charged through the app; you pay it at the post office. Tap Create Shipping Label to finish: the Shipment Details page opens with your tracking number, and you can tap View Label to see and print it. That same page also shows your duties payment info — declaration ID, tracking number, and the full payment breakdown.
You can request a refund at any time, as long as your package hasn't been shipped (handed over to Japan Post). There's no time limit.
Once your package has shipped, it's no longer eligible for a refund. For the steps, see How can I request a refund?
When you create a shipment, you're asked to classify your package. Choose the type that best describes what you're sending, because it determines how duties are calculated.
Select Standard for any commercial purchase, online order, or personal item that doesn't qualify as a gift or return. Duties will be calculated based on the item's declared value and HTS classification code. Most shipments fall into this category.
For unsolicited gifts to someone in the U.S., meaning items sent without payment or anything expected in return. Gifts valued up to $100 may qualify for duty-free entry. This type can't be used for commercial shipments.
For goods that were previously in the U.S. and that you're sending back, for example an item bought from a U.S. store. The item's country of origin doesn't have to be the U.S. Enter the country where the item was actually made. Returns may qualify for duty-free re-entry if they meet the return eligibility criteria and you have supporting documents.
Letters (standard-size, nonstandard-size, and greeting cards) and postcards are not subject to customs duties, and no Declaration ID is required. Please note that items such as game cards and books require a Declaration ID and therefore can't be shipped as letters. Letters (standard-size, nonstandard-size, and greeting cards) and postcards can be shipped through Japan Post without using this app.
