Can You Bring Oxycodone or Morphine to Japan? The Narcotics Permit, Step by Step
You can bring oxycodone to Japan, and morphine, hydromorphone, fentanyl or tapentadol, but only with an advance permit from the Narcotics Control Department (NCD). Without one, a prescribed painkiller can be treated as illegal narcotics at the border. This step-by-step guide follows NCD's published instructions. You complete and submit the application yourself.
Quick answer
Oxycodone, morphine and other opioid narcotics need an NCD import permit. Send the application form, a doctor’s certificate issued within 3 months and photos of the packaging to the NCD office for your arrival airport at least 14 days before you travel. NCD issues the permit with an English import certificate, which you show to customs with the medicine. You must carry the medicine yourself. If you will leave with leftovers, apply for an export permit at the same time. New Year 2026–27: earlier deadlines apply. Entry 21 Dec to 4 Jan: documents by 7 Dec. Entry 5 to 11 Jan: by 14 Dec. Entry 12 to 18 Jan: by 21 Dec.
Under 14 days to go, or unsure what counts? Check every medicine you take before you start the application.
Check my medicationOn this page
Before you bring oxycodone to Japan: what counts as a narcotic
Japan classifies medicines by ingredient. The NCD’s controlled-substances list (December 2024) and application guidance put these opioids in the narcotics group, which needs a permit:
Narcotics
Oxycodone, morphine, hydromorphone, fentanyl (including patches), tapentadol, pethidine, oxymorphone, methadone for pain, and codeine or dihydrocodeine above 1%. GHB products (Xyrem, Xywav, Lumryz) also need a permit.
Not narcotics
Tramadol is not a narcotic in Japan. Codeine at 1% or less is excluded. Buprenorphine is a psychotropic, with quantity limits instead of a permit.
No permit possible
Heroin, opium powder, amphetamine, methamphetamine and methaqualone. Methadone for substance use disorder treatment cannot be imported. Cannabis plant products are prohibited.
Hydrocodone is also listed as a narcotic, but we found no Japanese approval for it. If you take hydrocodone, contact NCD well before you travel.
How to bring oxycodone to Japan: the permit in six steps
- Confirm each ingredient is a narcotic in JapanUse the ingredient, not the brand. Medicines in other categories (psychotropics, stimulant raw materials) need different forms.
- Get a doctor’s certificateIn English or Japanese, issued within 3 months, with your name and address, a specific reason for the medicine, each medicine with dose and strength in mg, and the doctor’s signature, name and clinic. NCD does not accept “personal use”, “travel”, “treatment” or “illness” as the reason.
- Complete the import application formTyped or printed: the medicine (brand with ingredient in brackets) and quantity, why you are entering Japan and why you need it, entry date and port, your address, phone and email, and your name exactly as on your passport, signed. Add the export form if you will leave with leftovers.
- Photograph the packagingPhotos showing the medicine name and strength, as JPEG, PDF or Word. HEIC files are not accepted.
- Send it to the right NCD office at least 14 days before travelVisitors apply to the office for their arrival airport. Residents apply to the office for their home address. NCD lists email, fax and post; the Narita/Haneda notice asks for email with files attached directly (no cloud links), split if over 10 MB.
- Carry the permit and the medicine yourselfNCD issues the permit with an English import (and, if requested, export) certificate. Show it to customs on entry and exit.
Do not leave it late. The Tokyo NCD office says it cannot accept last-minute applications for any reason. Offices close over Golden Week (late April to early May) and New Year, and NCD publishes an earlier deadline for those periods. Check the NCD notice and apply well before the 14 days.
Where to apply to bring oxycodone to Japan: NCD offices
To bring oxycodone to Japan as a visitor, apply to the office for the airport where you arrive, even if you leave from a different airport. Residents apply to the office for their home address, and hospital patients to the office for the hospital.
| NCD office | Main airports and ports | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kanto-Shinetsu (Tokyo) | Narita, Haneda, Tokyo and Yokohama ports | [email protected] | +81-3-3512-8691 |
| Kinki (Osaka) | Kansai International, Osaka and Kobe ports | [email protected] | +81-6-6949-6336 |
| Tokai-Hokuriku (Nagoya) | Chubu Centrair | [email protected] | +81-52-951-6911 |
| Kyushu (Fukuoka) | Fukuoka | [email protected] | +81-92-472-2331 |
| Hokkaido (Sapporo) | New Chitose | [email protected] | +81-11-726-3131 |
| Okinawa (Naha) | Naha | [email protected] | +81-98-854-2584 |
From the NCD office list. Tohoku, Chugoku-Shikoku and Shikoku offices are on the same list. Check it before you send.
Arriving at Narita or Haneda for a stay over 90 days? The Tokyo office also asks for a visa, work contract or acceptance letter, and proof of address if your address on the form is not on the doctor’s certificate.
How much oxycodone you can bring to Japan, and who carries it
- No fixed amount. NCD does not publish a set limit; you state the exact name, strength and quantity, matching your certificate and the length of your stay.
- Only the patient may carry it. If you bring oxycodone to Japan, it must be in your own luggage. Narcotics cannot be posted or couriered to Japan, and you cannot ask family or anyone else to carry them for you.
- Someone may fill in the form for you, for example a parent for a child. The patient’s name stays on the form, and the helper adds a note and signs it.
- There is no fee for the NCD permit.
Leaving Japan with leftover oxycodone or morphine
The import permit does not cover taking leftovers out. NCD asks you to submit the export application with the import one; if you will not need it, say so in your email. You may write the export quantity as an upper limit, such as “XX tablets or less”.
For the reason for leaving, write “To return home” or “To go to another country”. NCD warns that “For vacation” slows processing. Keep in mind that a Japanese permit does not cover any other country on your route, so check each country’s own rules.
Understand the narcotics rules before you apply
MedicTranslate gives you a written assessment of each medicine against published NCD and MHLW guidance, explains which procedures and deadlines may apply, and can translate your doctor's certificate.
- Category and deadline for each medicine
- General information on the published import and export procedures
- Doctor’s certificate translation
Price confirmed before you pay · Reply within 1–3 business days · You submit the application yourself. MedicTranslate does not issue permits, act as your agent or guarantee approval.
Frequently asked questions
Can I bring oxycodone to Japan?
Yes, with an advance import permit from the Narcotics Control Department. Apply at least 14 days before travel with the application form, a doctor's certificate issued within 3 months and photos of the packaging.
How long before travel should I apply for the narcotics permit?
At least 14 days before you arrive in Japan, and earlier around holidays. The Tokyo NCD office says it cannot accept last-minute applications for any reason.
Which NCD office do I send my application to?
Visitors apply to the NCD office covering their arrival airport, such as Kanto-Shinetsu for Narita and Haneda or Kinki for Kansai International. Residents apply to the office for their home address.
Is tramadol a narcotic in Japan?
No. NCD states that tramadol is not a narcotic in Japan, so it does not need a narcotics permit. The normal personal-use limits for prescription medicines apply.
Can someone else carry my morphine for me?
No. Only the patient named on the permit may carry the medicine into Japan. It cannot be posted, couriered or handed to family or anyone else to carry.
Do I need a permit to take leftover oxycodone out of Japan?
Yes. The import permit does not cover leaving. Submit the export application at the same time as the import one, and you may write the quantity as an upper limit.
Does MedicTranslate apply for the permit for me?
No. MedicTranslate does not lodge applications as your agent. It can assess your medicines against published guidance and translate your doctor's certificate, and you submit the application yourself.
This article provides general information based on published Narcotics Control Department and MHLW guidance reviewed on 19 October 2026. It is not medical or legal advice and is not an official controlled-substance determination. Carrying narcotics into Japan without permission is a serious offence. Confirm current requirements with the NCD office for your arrival airport before travel.
MedicTranslate provides translation, information and administrative coordination services. It does not issue NCD permits, lodge applications as your agent, give medical or legal advice, or guarantee approval or customs clearance.
- Narcotics Control Department: Carrying medicines into or out of Japan (application guidance)
- Narcotics Control Department: Carrying narcotics, psychotropics and stimulant raw materials (Japanese)
- Narcotics Control Department: Guide to carrying medical narcotics (Japanese, PDF)
- Narcotics Control Department: Notice for Narita and Haneda arrivals (PDF)
- Narcotics Control Department: Sample narcotics import application (PDF)
- Narcotics Control Department: Office list and contacts (PDF)
- Narcotics Control Department: Controlled substances list, December 2024 (PDF)
- MHLW: THC residue limits under the amended Cannabis Control Act (Japanese, PDF)