* I’m a UK resident, flying to Japan in June, to work full-time as a software engineer.
* I’ll be bringing a laptop worth over ¥200,000 (the [duty-free allowance](https://www.customs.go.jp/english/c-answer_e/keitaibetsuso/7104_e.htm)) that I bought in the UK.
* It’s my own personal laptop, but it will be used when working from home.
Will I have to declare it to customs and pay any fees for it? I’ve searched around but don’t really understand. I’ve seen some people saying that non-residents don’t have to pay such fees, but I’m not too sure about that. Whether the item is for personal or professional use seems to be a factor, too.
Here’s the customs [FAQ](https://www.customs.go.jp/english/c-answer_e/customsanswer_e.htm), though I can’t make much sense of it.
10 comments
Just don’t declare it. They don’t check stuff like that.
No, they dont give a shit about things like that. Ive brought my laptop like dozens of times worth more than 200k, noone is gonna bother.
This doesn’t apply to items like that aren’t new-in-box. Otherwise you have to pay to bring your phone/laptop across every border…
> [Personal Effects and Professional Equipment
Clothes, toiletries, and other personal effects for your personal use, as well as portable professional equipment that you will use during your stay in Japan, are all free of duties and/or taxes, if they are considered quantitatively appropriate and are not for sale.](https://www.customs.go.jp/zeikan/pamphlet/tsukan_e.pdf)
You pay customs on importing goods as a resident or bringing in items for sale. You don’t pay for previously purchased personal items. I think this is true for the majority of countries.
No, don’t declare it.
No, it’s your personal item which you’ve had for a while and you intend on using it.
I brought over a switch, Xbox, and two laptops worth 2500 total, and of course my two phones (work laptop/phone, personal laptop/phone) and I didn’t declare anything.
Don’t declare it. I had an expensive laptop in my carry on when I first moved and didn’t consider this. No one asked any questions or mentioned it at all.
Personal effects. Nothing else to be done.
Weird flex man. Customs doesn’t care about your laptop and people bring in brand new macbook pros in their personal bag every day ($2,000 USD+) . The only thing that raises flags is an abnormally large amount of cash, over $10,000 or large amounts of consumer electronics/luxury goods. AKA dozens of brand new iphones or luxury women’s bags.
I just arrived in Japan few days ago with a lot of computer parts, worth more than 1.5million yen, they didn’t check. those are my used personal items(mining machines hohoho), not commercial stuffs.