Japan Trusted Traveler (TTP) Renewal Report

A few years ago, I wrote [a post](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/7eaxrv/experience_the_japan_trusted_traveler_program/) about enrolling in Japan’s [Trusted Traveler Program](https://www.isa.go.jp/en/publications/materials/ttp2_index.html). The details and mechanics of the program haven’t really changed, so I won’t go over them again. I’m just going to write a brief update on my renewal process.

Although the TTP site in English currently says they aren’t doing inspections, a couple of users messaged me about having their primary inspections done lately, and a little bit of sleuthing on FlyerTalk showed me processing was happening as usual. This was great, as my husband and I had been waiting for them to reopen applications so that we could renew, since we were both due for a renewal in 2020 (which obviously didn’t happen). It’s worth pointing out that the Japanese version of the site doesn’t have any mentions of them halting applications, so I probably should have looked sooner.

By the time I figured this out, it was late February. We were in Japan back in October/November, and we had a trip planned for March, so we submitted our applications hoping that they’d process our primary inspections within two weeks. There’s actually no such thing as “re-applying” for TTP; you just need to do the full application process all over even if you’ve had it before. But you do have to have entered the country twice in the last six months to qualify, so the timing was perfect.

Luckily for us, they processed our primary inspection of documents in 11 days, so we were good to go for our secondary inspections. I have no idea if this sort of speed is usual. It may have been due to the fact that we were previously part of the program, or it might have been due to our quickly approaching dates in Japan (they ask you when you plan to return next). Either way, we gathered our printed documents and Global Entry cards and packed them for the trip.

The next hurdle was figuring out when/where we were going to have our secondary inspections done. There used to be a lot of dedicated counters for this, but if you look at [the list](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/publications/materials/ttp2_pre-check_pre-check_document07.html), you can see a lot of them are still temporarily closed (at least as of writing this in March 2023).

We decided we were going to try at the Osaka Immigration Bureau, since we had a few open days in Osaka at the beginning of our trip. There wasn’t a lot of information about whether they were actually processing secondary inspections or not, but we figured we’d try and figure out a Plan B later if needed.

Well, no need for a Plan B, thankfully! My husband grabbed our revenue stamps from a convenience store, and we arrived at the Osaka Regional Immigration Bureau this morning around 9:15am. You can proceed directly upstairs to the third floor, and there are signs for the “automated gate” office. When we got there, we handed over all our documents, passports, and GE cards.

The staff member in charge told us it would be “an hour or two”, but we were actually entirely done in 45 minutes. I have a feeling it would have been slightly shorter for one person, but they did ours simultaneously. Everything went smoothly. We had our pictures and fingerprints taken, waited while they checked everything, and signed some forms. After that, they printed our cards and we were done at about 10:00am.

Complete success! I have a feeling that if the Osaka Regional Immigration Bureau was comfortable with the process, the Tokyo Immigration Bureau would be, too.

A few things to note:

* Although TTP typically has a three-year validity period, my husband’s passport expires before three years are up, so his TTP also expires when his passport expires. Basically, I don’t recommend getting TTP if you passport is expiring soon, since the validity date is either “three years or until passport expiration, whatever comes first.”
* TTP will get you through long COVID checking and immigration lines at airports quickly, as you are an automated gate user as part of TTP, similar to a resident who holds a zairyu card.
* You can still get a JR Pass and do other tourist-only things (like tax-free shopping) with TTP. When you go through the automated gates, it prints “Temporary Visitor” on the back of your card, alongside your visa validity dates. This also means you only need to carry your TTP card with you in Japan (not your passport), as the card is the proof of you being in the country legally.