Dairy Products 🇯🇵 Japan
Animal quarantine inspection required
Can I bring Dairy Products into Japan?
Animal quarantine inspection required
Full details
Japan's Animal Quarantine Service (AQS) under MAFF prohibits personal import of dairy products from countries with FMD or BSE risk status. Approved-country UHT, pasteurised, and commercially packaged retail dairy under 10kg per person is generally permitted with declaration. Raw / unpasteurised dairy is prohibited. Quarantine inspection sticker required on permitted items; non-declaration triggers seizure plus possible JPY 1,000,000 fine.
PENALTIES
- Fine: 100000–5000000 JPY
- Civil penalty only
Active — Customs actively enforces this rule.
Leaving Japan with dairy products
Origin-side, Japan imposes no export formality on retail dairy at personal quantities; commercial consignments require veterinary export health certification. The binding constraints are destination-side: the US, Australia, and New Zealand prohibit or tightly restrict most traveller dairy imports, and the EU bans personal meat and dairy imports from outside the bloc entirely. Shelf-stable retail-packaged items (UHT milk, hard cheese in some destinations, infant formula with the infant) fare best — check the arrival rule for the same route.
Declare all dairy. Commercially sealed products from approved countries have the best chance of acceptance.
Commercially packaged only
Animal Quarantine Service regulations
This page covers destination customs rules in Japan. Whether you can carry dairy products through security, in carry-on, or in checked baggage depends on airline and screening rules — see air travel rules.
Related rules
Dairy Products rules in other countries
Dairy Products
🇦🇺 Australia
Most dairy prohibited under biosecurity laws
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🇳🇿 New Zealand
Prohibited under MPI biosecurity rules
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🇺🇸 United States
Most dairy restricted — some exceptions for hard cheeses
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🇸🇬 Singapore
No specific restrictions for commercially packaged dairy
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🇬🇧 United Kingdom
No specific restrictions for personal dairy products
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🇨🇦 Canada
No specific restrictions for personal dairy products