So, a friend of mine moved to Japan, and he's dying to get a hold of his usual licorice tea. I promised I would mail him some, but none of us know the customs' rules in Japan.
I was wondering, if anyone in here knew if tea will pass customs in Japan? And if I could just mail it in an envelope?
Long shot, but you never know
Hugs from Pen
I was wondering, if anyone in here knew if tea will pass customs in Japan? And if I could just mail it in an envelope?
Long shot, but you never know
Hugs from Pen
I checked out a Japanese customs site. This is a list of prohibited goods:
http://www.customs.go.jp/english/summary/prohibit.htm
Here's the import procedures I found:
http://www.customs.go.jp/english/summary/import.htm
Although some tea that fits in an envelope is unlikely to not pass customs and can be shipped without a customs label, you also won't be able to track it or do anything if they question it. So my recommendations are 1) get a customs declaration to stick to the envelope and be sure to mark it as a gift, not a commercial good and 2) get your friend to find out how to declare the incoming goods at their post office or customs office. They may need to ask around a little for it, but once they figure it out it should be easy. If they declare it the exact same way you did there's no reasons it won't pass. I also don't think there are additional taxes on food items, but it won't hurt to ask!
Basically, you're limited to declaring what you're sending, and the recipient is limited to declaring what they're expecting to receive. It might not be necessary or too expensive to bother with, but that's what you should do to be 100% sure. You can definitely just ship it in a regular envelope and it will probably be fine, but there are no guarantees on how that will go.
http://www.customs.go.jp/english/summary/prohibit.htm
Here's the import procedures I found:
http://www.customs.go.jp/english/summary/import.htm
Although some tea that fits in an envelope is unlikely to not pass customs and can be shipped without a customs label, you also won't be able to track it or do anything if they question it. So my recommendations are 1) get a customs declaration to stick to the envelope and be sure to mark it as a gift, not a commercial good and 2) get your friend to find out how to declare the incoming goods at their post office or customs office. They may need to ask around a little for it, but once they figure it out it should be easy. If they declare it the exact same way you did there's no reasons it won't pass. I also don't think there are additional taxes on food items, but it won't hurt to ask!
Basically, you're limited to declaring what you're sending, and the recipient is limited to declaring what they're expecting to receive. It might not be necessary or too expensive to bother with, but that's what you should do to be 100% sure. You can definitely just ship it in a regular envelope and it will probably be fine, but there are no guarantees on how that will go.
I lived in Japan for 4 years and had a huge amount of food shipped in. Wherever somebody wanted to send me a gift I'd always ask for meal bases and the old snacks I missed. You will have absolutely no problem getting food items in.
Just make sure you mark it on the customs forms so in the unlikely chance it gets picked up, nobody will be fined. It'll simply be removed from the package and a note will be left in the box.
I'd also recommend mailing it in a parcel. I've had envelopes tear during transit.
Just make sure you mark it on the customs forms so in the unlikely chance it gets picked up, nobody will be fined. It'll simply be removed from the package and a note will be left in the box.
I'd also recommend mailing it in a parcel. I've had envelopes tear during transit.
Is your friend military? Or staying on a military base? That can provide a different result as well, though not always.
Thanks for your input!
I think I'll send the package in a bubble wrap envelope thingie, since it'll be my cheapest option. The envelope will be 10 dollars tops, and the parcel option will be 40+ dollars.
Jaybird, he's an architect, and I'll ship it to his office
I think I'll send the package in a bubble wrap envelope thingie, since it'll be my cheapest option. The envelope will be 10 dollars tops, and the parcel option will be 40+ dollars.
Jaybird, he's an architect, and I'll ship it to his office
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