Here are answers to questions we often receive from people living overseas and non-Japanese customers about receiving, storing, and shipping small goods bought online or through social media.
Can non-Japanese customers without a residence card sign up?
Yes, you can sign up. Our guidance depends on what you will use the service for.
(1) If your purpose is to receive purchased items (goods, etc.)
Customers without a residence card and non-Japanese customers can sign up without any problem. If you are shipping overseas, you can use the “Free Overseas Shipping Plan” (no monthly basic fee; shipping cost and handling fee charged at forwarding), which does not require you to submit ID documents.
Please note: If you use the service often, the Free Plan (which requires you to submit ID documents) may be cheaper. Please compare them in the price list before deciding.
(2) If you will receive mail and documents addressed to you from within Japan
If you will receive mail and documents from banks, government offices, schools, companies and so on, we will check what kind of mail will arrive and then tell you which ID documents are required. When you contact us, please tell us who will send the mail and what kind of mail you expect (the specific sender).
About ID documents: What are ID documents?
Is there a storage fee for thick goods or small parcels? (The difference between mail and parcels)
Even if an item is too thick to fit in an envelope, there is no storage fee for small parcels.
A storage fee (from 110 yen per day) applies only if you sign up for the “Large Parcel Storage Option” at the Ginza address (an option that holds cardboard boxes up to 160 size).
The difference between mail and parcels
Items small enough to be sent by Letter Pack (A4 size [340 mm x 248 mm], within 3 cm thick, up to 4 kg) are treated as “mail (letters)” even if they are goods. Many small goods that arrive by Nekopos or Yu-Packet fall into this group. Anything larger is treated as a “parcel”.
- Items thicker than 1 cm are marked “over 1 cm” in your Mybox (online inbox)
- How mail is forwarded (automatic forwarding, 21-day storage, etc.) depends on your plan (The difference between automatic forwarding and 21-day storage)
- Parcels are automatically forwarded as soon as they arrive, on any plan
How items are sent when forwarded
- Forwarding within Japan: mail is sent by Letter Pack or similar, and parcels are sent by courier (60 size and up)
- Forwarding overseas: Letter Pack is for domestic use only and cannot be used. Regardless of size, items are sent by EMS (international express mail) or similar (EMS shipping cost and handling fee apply)
Please note: Some products, such as food without a JAN code (barcode), cannot be sent by EMS (international mail). If items that cannot be sent (such as alcohol, perfume, mobile batteries, and nail polish) are included, a disposal fee may apply. For details, please check Japan Post’s “Items that cannot be sent by international mail“.
For the forwarding costs and forwarding fees of each plan, please see the price list.
