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A Parmesan cheese knife resting on a large wedge of pale yellow cheese

Photo: Parmesan cheese knife on block of cheese.jpg by Benoît Prieur (CC0 1.0, cropped), via Wikimedia Commons.

Can I bring cheese to Japan?

Allowed into JapanYes

Dairy products such as butter and cheese that you carry in your personal baggage are exempted from animal quarantine requirements.

An inspection certificate from the exporting country is preferable only if they are for commercial or business use, over 10kg, or used for feed.

Cheese and other dairy products at the Japanese border

This is decided when you land in Japan, by the quarantine services. Airport security at your departure airport is a separate check.

Dairy products such as butter and cheese that you carry in your personal baggage are exempted from animal quarantine requirements. An inspection certificate from the exporting country is preferable only if they are for commercial or business use, over 10kg, or used for feed.

In personal baggage
exempted from animal quarantine requirements
Certificate preferable if
for commercial or business use, over 10kg, or used for feed
Exclusion Criteria, Standard 55
not for sale or commercial use and 10 kg or less (feed excluded)
Dairy quarantine rules in force since
1 November 2017 (personal baggage is exempted)

Cheese and dairy at the quarantine counter

Dairy products carried as personal baggage are exempted from animal quarantine requirements. An inspection certificate is described only as preferable, for commercial or business use, over 10kg, or feed.

Frequently asked questions

Can I bring cheese to Japan?

Dairy products such as butter and cheese that you carry in your personal baggage are exempted from animal quarantine requirements. An inspection certificate from the exporting country is preferable only if they are for commercial or business use, over 10kg, or used for feed.

Can I bring cheese in my suitcase?

Yes. Dairy products imported as personal baggage accompanying a traveller are exempted from animal quarantine requirements.

Is there a weight to keep in mind?

An inspection certificate from the exporting country is preferable if the dairy products are over 10kg, for commercial or business use, or used for feed.

Are dairy products regulated at all?

Yes. Animal quarantine regulations for dairy products took effect on 1 November 2017, but the list of regulated items excludes dairy products imported in passenger baggage.

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Sources for this page

  1. Animal Quarantine Service — Animal quarantine inspection for dairy products
  2. Animal Quarantine Service — Bringing animal products into Japan from overseas
  3. Animal Quarantine Service — Exclusion Criteria (articles that clearly pose no risk of spreading pathogens)