Bringing Psychiatric Medication into Japan: Yakkan Shoumei (Import Certificate) and the Quantity Rules
You can bring most psychiatric medication into Japan for your own use, and which procedure applies depends on how Japanese law classifies your drug. There are four main categories: ordinary prescription drugs, scheduled psychotropics, narcotics, and prohibited stimulants. Only the last is banned outright, and one ADHD drug, Vyvanse, sits in a fifth category of its own. The wider system is in our guide to mental health care in Japan.
What are the categories?
Ordinary prescription drugs, scheduled psychotropics, narcotics, and prohibited stimulants, plus stimulant raw materials for Vyvanse; the procedure depends on which one your medication falls into.
Ordinary prescription drugs (most antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers). You may carry up to one month's personal supply with no procedure. For more than a month, you apply in advance for an import certificate (輸入確認証, yunyu kakuninsho), formerly called the yakkan shoumei. The health ministry publishes an English guide to the rules and the application.
Scheduled psychotropics (benzodiazepines such as lorazepam and alprazolam, zolpidem, and methylphenidate). The procedure depends on the quantity and on whether the medicine is an injection, and the Narcotics Control Department's English page sets out the thresholds:
- Within the quantity table and up to one month's supply, in tablet or other non-injectable form: no procedure. The department publishes a table of the maximum quantity for each drug.
- More than the table's quantity: carry a document from your prescribing doctor, such as a copy of the prescription or a signed and dated certificate stating your name, your condition, why you need the medicine, and the names and quantities prescribed.
- More than one month's supply, or any injectable form regardless of quantity: the import certificate from the Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare, applied for before you travel. Injectables also need the doctor's document above.
These cannot be mailed to you; they travel with the person.
Narcotics (certain strong painkillers, and ketamine). Advance permission is required regardless of amount, applied for through the Narcotics Control Department with a physician's certificate, and applications are due at least 14 days before travel.
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 as a stimulant raw material and has its own advance-permission route through the same department. 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 in your hand luggage where possible, and bring your prescription or a doctor's letter even when not strictly required.
Which medications are OK, and what does each require?
Almost everything is allowed with the right paperwork; among psychiatric medicines, only the amphetamines are banned outright. Here is the map with common drug names:
| Category | Common examples | What you need to do |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary prescription drugs | Zoloft (sertraline), Lexapro (escitalopram), Seroquel (quetiapine), Strattera (atomoxetine), and other antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers | Up to 1 month's supply: nothing. More than 1 month: apply for the import certificate (yakkan shoumei) before you fly |
| Scheduled psychotropics | Xanax (alprazolam), Ativan (lorazepam), Ambien (zolpidem), Concerta and Ritalin (methylphenidate), and other benzodiazepines | Within the quantity table and up to 1 month, non-injectable: nothing. More than the table's quantity: carry a doctor's document. More than 1 month's supply, or any injectable: import certificate, plus the doctor's document. 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 online before you travel, through the health ministry's application system, which works in English. The application goes to the Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare covering your arrival airport, and the ministry's Q&A for travelers lists what to attach:
- A prescription or doctor's note showing your name, the medicine, and the doctor's name, for every medicine you apply for
- A document from the airline showing your arrival date, arrival airport, flight number, and your name, such as your itinerary
The Q&A says a complete application is normally processed within a few business days, and the certificate is emailed to you as a PDF. Apply well before you travel all the same, and show the certificate at customs if asked.
Narcotics and Vyvanse follow a different desk: the Narcotics Control Department, whose English page (linked above) has the application forms.
How do you avoid a treatment gap after you land?
By carrying a legal supply, booking a psychiatrist early, and bringing your records.
- Carry the maximum legal supply for your category.
- Book a psychiatrist for your first week or two. Clinics that consult in English can book out weeks ahead, 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.
- Check availability before you fly. Most Western psychiatric drugs exist in Japan, but a few (fluoxetine, bupropion) do not; if yours is one, plan the switch with your current prescriber. 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 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 October 16, 2026.