International Mail
About Electronic Advance Data (EAD)
Transmission of electronic customs clearance data became obligatory from January 1, 2021 (Fri). Items sent with handwritten EMS labels may result in a delay in customs clearing at addressed countries or may be returned. Also, items sent to the U.S. with handwritten labels cannot be accepted as a general rule.
Please use the "International Mail My Page Service" to send EMS, international parcels and small packets, etc.
About Electronic Advance Data (EAD)
For enhanced security, it has become obligatory to transmit data, such as the sender's name and address and names of the contents, to the destination postal service in advance converted into an electronic format called Electronic Advance Data (EAD).
For sending EAD
Please use International My Page Service (free of charge). If you use this service from a personal computer or a smartphone to create the label, EAD are transmitted automatically.
More information about this service is here.
Postal services requiring EAD
It is obligatory for
EMS, international parcels, small packets, international ePacket and international ePacket Light containing goods.
Kinds of data sent
- Name and address of the sender
- Name and address of the recipient
- Description of contents
- Total weight
- Mail item number (inquiry number)
- Other information entered
Treatment of postal items without EAD
-
To the United States:
To prevent customer inconvenience, Japan Post does not accept postal items without EAD because such items will be returned by the United States Postal Service under a United States law called the STOP Act. -
To other countries:
We accept such postal items if customers agree to the possibility that the item may be delayed in clearing customs or returned to the sender.
European Union (EU) countries will strengthen the requirement for Electronic Advance Data (EAD) effective October 1, 2021. Therefore, there will be a greater risk that international mail items sent to EU countries* without EAD or with insufficient/inaccurate EAD may be delayed or returned to the sender.
- For a detailed list of countries/territories, please check here (PDF:132kB).
FAQ
It is an American national law for counterterrorism and control of drugs. This law mandates the USPS to send customs data on postal items it receives to the U.S. customs authority in advance.
- Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act
Yes. It will be obligatory from January 1st, 2021.
We cannot reimburse senders for the postage on postal items that are delayed or returned due to the failure to send EAD because this treatment is determined by the destination customs authority.
Information
