Bringing Psychiatric Medication into Japan: Yakkan Shoumei (Import Certificate) and the Quantity Rules
Moving to Japan on psychiatric medication is entirely doable; people just get the rules wrong because there isn't one rule, there are four, depending on how Japanese law classifies your specific drug. Here is the full map, plus the paperwork, plus the part most guides skip: what to do after you land so your treatment continues without a gap.
What are the four categories?
Ordinary prescription drugs, scheduled psychotropics, narcotics, and prohibited stimulants: which procedure applies depends on which of these four your medication falls into.
Ordinary prescription drugs (most antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers). You may carry up to one month's personal supply with no procedure at all. For more than a month, or for injectables, you apply in advance for an import certificate: officially the Yunyu Kakunin-sho (輸入確認証), long known as the yakkan shoumei. Both names mean the same document. The health ministry publishes an English guide to the rules and the application.
Scheduled psychotropics (benzodiazepines like lorazepam and alprazolam, zolpidem, and similar). These can be carried without any procedure for up to about one month's supply within the official quantity limits. Beyond that, or for injectable forms, the same advance import certificate (輸入確認証) is required, applied for before you travel with your doctor's documentation. These can't be mailed to you; they travel with the person.
Narcotics (certain strong painkillers, and ketamine). Advance permission from the regional health bureau is required regardless of amount, with a physician's certificate. Allow weeks.
Prohibited stimulants. Amphetamines, meaning Adderall and Dexedrine, cannot be brought in at all: no permit exists, and a foreign prescription is not a defense. Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine) is classified differently and has a separate advance-permission route. ADHD medication has enough special rules that we wrote it its own guide.
Across every category: keep medication in original packaging with the prescription label, carry it rather than checking it where possible, and bring your prescription or a doctor's letter even when not strictly required. Customs interactions go smoothly when the paperwork answers questions before they're asked.
Which medications are OK, and what does each require?
Almost everything is allowed with the right paperwork; only the amphetamines are banned outright. Here is the whole map with common drug names:
| Category | Common examples | What you need to do |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary prescription drugs | Zoloft (sertraline), Lexapro (escitalopram), Effexor (venlafaxine), Seroquel (quetiapine), lithium, Strattera (atomoxetine) | Up to 1 month's supply: nothing. More than 1 month, or injectables: apply for the import certificate (yakkan shoumei) before you fly |
| Scheduled psychotropics | Xanax (alprazolam), Ativan (lorazepam), Valium (diazepam), Klonopin (clonazepam), Ambien (zolpidem), Concerta and Ritalin (methylphenidate) | Within the official quantity limits (roughly 1 month): nothing. Beyond that, or injectables: import certificate. Cannot be mailed |
| Narcotics | Ketamine, strong opioid painkillers | Advance permission from the Narcotics Control Department, for any amount |
| Stimulant raw materials | Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine) | Advance permission from the Narcotics Control Department, for any amount |
| Prohibited stimulants | Adderall, Dexedrine (amphetamines) | Cannot be brought in. No permit exists |
How does the import certificate work?
Apply before you travel: the application goes to the Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare covering your arrival airport, with your doctor's documentation of drug, dose, and quantity. The easiest route is the health ministry's online application system, which works in English; email and post are also accepted, and the addresses are listed in the official English guide. Processing takes around two weeks when the forms are complete, longer in busy seasons, so start a month out. You'll present the certificate at customs with the medication.
Narcotics and Vyvanse follow a different desk: their advance permission comes from the Narcotics Control Department, which publishes English application forms and instructions and asks for applications at least 14 days before travel.
One nuance worth knowing: the certificate covers bringing a supply for personal use. It is not a mechanism for ongoing mail-order refills from home; Japan expects your continuing treatment to move to a Japanese prescriber.
How do you avoid a treatment gap after you land?
The border is the easy half; the plan that actually protects you looks like this:
- Carry the maximum sensible legal supply. That is your runway.
- Book a psychiatrist for your first week or two. Not "once I'm settled": popular English-speaking clinics book out, and some medications (ADHD stimulants especially) take time to re-establish here.
- Bring records: a letter or printout with diagnosis, medications tried, doses, and response. This single document turns your first Japanese appointment from detective work into a handover.
- Check availability before you fly. Most Western psychiatric drugs exist in Japan, but a few (fluoxetine, bupropion) don't; if yours is one, plan the switch with your current prescriber rather than discovering it at the pharmacy counter. Our antidepressant guide has the availability map.
Frequently asked questions
This article is general information, not medical advice for your individual situation. It describes import rules as of mid-2026 and is not legal advice; rules change, so confirm current requirements on the health ministry's pages before travel.
Medically reviewed by our psychiatrist (M.D.). Updated August 31, 2026.