Pseudoephedrine in Japan: Sudafed Rules and Limits

Quick reference

Drug class: Decongestant
Controlled substance: Yes above 10%: stimulant raw material under Japan's Stimulants Control Act
Prescription required: Depends on the product. Ask a Japanese pharmacist.
Available locally: Yes. Japanese pseudoephedrine medicines contain 10% or less and are outside the stimulant raw material definition. Ask a pharmacist for a locally sold product.
Storage: Follow the storage line on your product label
Max supply to carry: Above 10%: only the quantity named in your advance permit. 10% or less: general personal-use limits apply.
Key document: Advance permission (医薬品である覚醒剤原料携帯輸入許可) from the Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare, applied for through its Narcotics Control Department (NCD)
Emergency alternative: Ask a Japanese pharmacist or clinic for a locally sold pseudoephedrine product (10% or less) or another suitable decongestant.

Taking pseudoephedrine to Japan

Pseudoephedrine, sold as Sudafed and found in combination products such as Actifed, faces tight limits in Japan. The legal line is a 10% concentration threshold you usually cannot read from a label, so leave foreign pseudoephedrine products at home and buy a locally sold Japanese product, unless you hold advance carry-in permission.^[2]

Medical disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult your prescribing doctor before travelling with medication, particularly regarding supply quantities, storage requirements, and import documentation.

Documentation for travelling to Japan with pseudoephedrine

Japan's health ministry states that any medicine containing more than 10% pseudoephedrine is a stimulant raw material under Japan's Stimulants Control Act.^[1] A traveller may carry one into Japan for their own treatment only with advance permission from the Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare (applied for through its Narcotics Control Department, NCD), known as 医薬品である覚醒剤原料携帯輸入許可.^[6] Without that permission, do not carry it. Labels list milligrams per tablet, not a percentage, so you usually cannot work out which side of the line a product falls on.

Pre-travel paperwork timeline

T-30 days
The simplest option is to leave foreign pseudoephedrine products at home and buy a Japanese product locally. The steps below apply only if you apply for advance carry-in permission. Ask your prescriber or pharmacist for a pseudoephedrine-free alternative and note the active ingredient on every cold, sinus and allergy product you own.Prescriber letter
T-30 days or earlier
Apply to the Narcotics Control Department of the Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare for advance permission to carry a medicinal stimulant raw material, using the form and attachments listed on the bureau's page.Advance carry-in permit
The bureau sets the deadline and processing time; check the bureau's page before applying.
T-7 days
Have the doctor's letter translated into Japanese and stamped by the clinic.Translated letter
T-1 day
Print every document. Pack any permitted product in original packaging with the pharmacy label and ingredient list visible.Printed document set
T-0 (border)
Declare the product to customs and present your advance permission (医薬品である覚醒剤原料携帯輸入許可) from the Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare with the doctor's letter. If you have no permit, do not carry the product.Customs declaration

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Supporting documents for a permit application: your doctor's letter

If you apply for the advance permit, your doctor's letter should include: full name, medication name (pseudoephedrine plus the brand on your pack), dose and frequency, quantity carried, condition name in one word, the doctor's signature and registration number, and clinic letterhead. A letter does not override the stimulant raw material rule. It supports your permit application to the bureau and helps a pharmacist or clinician in Japan read your record.

Carry a Japanese translation of your doctor's letter so officers and pharmacists can read it. To carry a product above 10%, apply in advance to the Narcotics Control Department for carry-in permission. The bureau's page lists the form, attachments and deadline.^[6] See our guide on Japan medication rules for more information on applying for an import permit.

How much pseudoephedrine to bring

Leave foreign pseudoephedrine products at home and buy a Japanese product locally, unless you have advance carry-in permission. Non-prohibited prescription medicine under one month needs no special procedure. The embassy also allows up to two months of allowable OTC medicine. Neither allowance covers a prohibited product.^[2]^[3] If you have permission, carry only the quantity it names.

Carry the permit with the product

If you hold advance permission (医薬品である覚醒剤原料携帯輸入許可) from the Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare, keep the permit with every bag that holds the product. Without that permission, do not pack the product in any bag.

Packing and storing pseudoephedrine for travel

Keep the product in original packaging with the pharmacy label and full ingredient list visible. Check every cold, sinus and allergy combination product you own for pseudoephedrine. Follow the storage line on your label during transit, and keep the product in hand luggage so you control it through layovers and delays.

Airport security with pseudoephedrine

Security screening and customs are separate checks, and customs applies the import rules. Keep the product in its original pack and ready to show. If an officer asks, state the active ingredient and strength, and hand over your documents without unpacking everything.

Customs and medication import rules for Japan

Start with the documents: the advance permission (医薬品である覚醒剤原料携帯輸入許可) from the Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare, the doctor's letter and its translation. Medication brought in for personal use must not be sold or given to others. Under Japan's Stimulants Control Act, pseudoephedrine medicines containing more than 10% are stimulant raw materials, and those at 10% or less are not.^[4]^[1]

Embassy guidance lists Actifed, Sudafed and Vicks inhalers among prohibited products.^[2] Foreign labels give milligrams per tablet, not a percentage, so treat any foreign pseudoephedrine product as above 10% unless you hold advance carry-in permission.^[6]

Stimulant raw material warning

Pseudoephedrine medicines above 10% are stimulant raw materials under Japan's Stimulants Control Act. You may carry them in only with advance permission from the Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare. Embassy guidance lists Actifed, Sudafed and Vicks inhalers as prohibited. A foreign prescription alone is not enough.

Pseudoephedrine availability in Japan

Global pseudoephedrine brands and their status in Japan

Brand name	Indication	Formulation	Supply note
Sudafed	Decongestant. Foreign product. Not sold in Japan under this name	Foreign product. Not sold in Japan under this name	Embassy guidance lists it as prohibited. Do not carry it.
Actifed	Combination product. Foreign product. Not sold in Japan under this name	Foreign product. Not sold in Japan under this name	Embassy guidance lists it as prohibited. Do not carry it.

Pseudoephedrine medicines are made and sold in Japan. Japanese products contain 10% pseudoephedrine or less, which keeps them outside the stimulant raw material definition.^[4]^[5] Ask a pharmacist which local products contain it and show the ingredient name in Japanese, プソイドエフェドリン. Prices and prescription status vary by product, so ask before you buy. Our Japan travel guide also lists healthcare and pharmacy options for visitors.

Finding a doctor who can prescribe pseudoephedrine in Japan

Any Japan-side prescription must come from a Japanese clinic or hospital, which will assess you in person and may not prescribe your usual product. Call ahead and ask whether consultations are offered in English, and ask for the fee up front. Bring your medication list and your IPS summary so the clinician can see your history.

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Storing pseudoephedrine while in Japan

Any approved product should stay in its original packaging, away from direct sunlight and damp, and follow the storage line on the label. Keep the pack and the permit together in your daypack, not in a hotel safe you may be locked out of. Do not decant tablets into pill organisers, because the label is what an officer or clinician reads.

What to do if something goes wrong with your pseudoephedrine in Japan

If the product is lost, stolen or damaged, report a theft to the police on 110 and keep the report. You cannot post a replacement in, because the same import rules apply. See a local clinician or pharmacist for a Japan-sold alternative.

If you run out, do not ask anyone to send more from abroad. Visit a clinic or pharmacy, name the active ingredient, and ask a pharmacist for a locally sold pseudoephedrine product or another suitable decongestant.^[4]^[5] Your prescriber at home can review the plan by phone or video.

Emergency phrases in Japanese

“プソイドエフェドリンを含まない薬を探しています。”

I am looking for a medicine that does not contain pseudoephedrine.

“私はプソイドエフェドリンを服用しています。”

I take pseudoephedrine.

“医師を呼んでください。”

Please call a doctor.

“一番近い病院か24時間営業の薬局はどこですか。”

Where is the nearest hospital or 24-hour pharmacy?

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Call 119 for an ambulance and 110 for police in Japan.^[7] For a medication problem that is not an emergency, go to a clinic or hospital and show your printed medication list.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Pseudoephedrine legal in Japan?

Restricted. Under Japan's Stimulants Control Act, a medicine containing more than 10% pseudoephedrine is a stimulant raw material^[1]. You may carry one into Japan for your own treatment only with advance permission from the Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare (applied for through its Narcotics Control Department, NCD), called 医薬品である覚醒剤原料携帯輸入許可.^[6] Without that permission, do not carry it. Embassy guidance names Sudafed as prohibited.^[2]

Can I bring Pseudoephedrine into Japan?

Only with advance permission (医薬品である覚醒剤原料携帯輸入許可) from the Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare, applied for through its Narcotics Control Department.^[6] Do not rely on a prescription or on the milligram figure on the pack. Otherwise, leave it at home and buy a locally sold product in Japan. Read the Japan travel guide for general medication rules.

Is Pseudoephedrine available in Japan pharmacies?

Yes. Pseudoephedrine medicines made for the Japanese market contain 10% or less, so they are not stimulant raw materials.^[5] Ask a pharmacist which local products contain it, and show the Japanese name プソイドエフェドリン.^[4]

Do I need a doctor's letter to fly with Pseudoephedrine?

A letter is not enough on its own, because it cannot override the stimulant raw material rule. It is useful only as a supporting document if you apply for advance permission (医薬品である覚醒剤原料携帯輸入許可) from the Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare, with a Japanese translation. Read about medication import rules.

What if I run out of Pseudoephedrine in Japan?

Visit a local clinic or pharmacy, name the active ingredient, and ask a pharmacist for a locally sold pseudoephedrine product or another suitable decongestant. Do not have a supply posted to you, because the same import rules apply.

Is Sudafed allowed in Japan?

Embassy guidance lists Sudafed, Actifed and Vicks inhalers as prohibited. Local equivalents sold in Japan carry Japanese brand names.^[2]

Can I bring cold and sinus combination products containing pseudoephedrine?

Only if the product contains 10% pseudoephedrine or less, or you hold advance carry-in permission.^[6] You usually cannot tell the percentage from a foreign label, so treat it as needing permission or leave it at home.^[4]

Related practical guide

Cold Medicine Confiscated: Why Your OTC Remedies Are Controlled Drugs Abroad

The cold tablet you buy without a prescription at home can get you detained at customs abroad. Here is what you need to know before you pack.

Pseudoephedrine in Japan: Sudafed, the 10% Rule and Carry-In Permits