Bringing a laptop to Japan - do I need to pay import taxes?

Upvote:2

Bringing laptops, cameras or phones without box is totally safe and tax free if they are not covered with diamonds and gold. No one will check how much is real price if amount is reasonable and does not look like it's for sale.

I brought stuff to Japan for more than 1M yen several times without hiding anything, no problem at all. I had pair of laptops for 300K yen each, pair of phones 100K each, camera for 200K and set of lenses for total 300K. Security staff saw all that and did not ask even a question. I did not try to bring stuff in boxes though.

I'm Japanese resident but some of my colleagues were not, though they brought similar stuff. No difference.

Upvote:7

If you're a Japanese resident, you will have to pay tax as you're importing a device over the limit.

If you're not a Japanese resident, you don't have to pay anything since you're only importing the item temporarily. Hundreds of thousands of people carry expensive laptops with them when traveling to Japan, without any issues. The Japanese customs website confirms this:

  • Personal Effects and Professional Equipment Clothes, toiletries, and other personal effects for your personal use, as well as portable professional equipment that will be used during your stay in Japan, are all free of duty and/or tax, if they are considered quantitatively appropriate and are not for sale.

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