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POSTING RULE

Send Mobile Phones (Commercial) 🇯🇵 Japan

ANSWER

Can I post Mobile Phones (Commercial) to Japan?

ALLOWEDVERIFIED · 2026-07-26LOW CONFIDENCE

A phone can be posted to Japan; lithium-battery mail rules require the battery installed in the device, and import tax applies above the exemption.

QUANTITY / LIMITS

1-2 handsets; multiple new-in-box units are treated as commercial imports

DOCUMENTS

  • Commercial invoice or proof of purchase showing the transaction value

DECLARATION

Required at the destination customs authority

SOURCE

customs.mof.go.jp
Verify against the official customs authority before acting on this answer.Report a correction

Full Details

Posting a phone to Japan is permitted; two frameworks apply. Postal dangerous-goods rules require lithium batteries to be installed in the device (UN 3481) — loose spare batteries are barred from international mail. On the customs side Japan Customs (Ministry of Finance) applies the ordinary parcel framework to the declared value: import VAT/GST at 10% applies above the exemption threshold. Imported goods with a customs value at or below JPY 10,000 (approximately USD $91) are exempt from customs duty. Consumption tax (10%) may apply even below this threshold for some goods. Japan Customs has been strengthening enforcement on low-value e-commerce imports. Multiple new-in-box units read as commercial imports; single used personal phones (a repaired or forgotten device sent on) are routine.

PRACTICAL ADVICE

Ship the battery installed in the phone, declare the true value, and use tracked service — phones are among the most-pilfered and most-inspected parcel categories.

OFFICIAL SOURCES

POSTING DETAILS

QUANTITY / WEIGHT LIMITS

1-2 handsets; multiple new-in-box units are treated as commercial imports

DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED

  • Commercial invoice or proof of purchase showing the transaction value

COUNTRY POSTING NOTES

Japan Post and customs assess duties and consumption tax on international parcels above JPY 10,000. Prohibited items cannot enter via post. Japan Post coordinates with Japan Customs for inspection.

Sending Mobile Phones (Commercial) to other countries

RULES5,339COUNTRIES85ITEMS111CARRIERS28GUIDES46UNIQUE SOURCES645LATEST VERIFICATION2026-07-26MethodologyChangelog