NRT Tokyo · rules of Japan

Can I leave Narita International Airport on my layover?

Choose your passport and enter your layover. You get the official entry rule for Japan and a time budget that counts the queue, the trip into Tokyo and the way back.

Layover length
min

Keisei Skyliner to Nippori / Keisei-Ueno (change to JR for Tokyo Station): official time to Tokyo Station (Marunouchi). Change it if your sight is further away.

Our assumptions (change them)
min
min

Immigration queues are not published anywhere, so these are cautious. Each city transfer also gets 20% extra for waiting and delays.

Choose your passport to see whether you can leave Narita International Airport.

Before you go

Going into Tokyo

Staying at NRT

Who can leave NRT without a visa?

Japan has no airport transit visa: passengers who stay in the transit area of the same airport do not land and need no permission. Leaving the airport (including a Narita-Haneda transfer) is a landing: visa-exempt nationals (74 countries/regions, normally 90 days on arrival) simply enter; visa-required nationals (e.g. China, India, Philippines) need a visa, or may be granted a Shore Pass (port-of-call landing, up to 72 hours near the port) or a transit landing permission (leave within 3 days from another nearby port, e.g. NRT in, HND out), which the airline must apply for. JESTA (an electronic travel authorisation) is not in force; Visit Japan Web is an optional online arrival form that can speed up entry.

PassportLeave the airport
United States Yes, no visa needed · 90 days
Canada Yes, no visa needed · 90 days
United Kingdom Yes, no visa needed · 90 days on arrival (extendable to 6 months)
Australia Yes, no visa needed · 90 days
New Zealand Yes, no visa needed · 90 days
EU / EEA / Switzerland Yes, no visa needed · 90 days
India Not without a visa · 72 hours (Shore Pass) / 3 days (transit landing)
China (mainland) Not without a visa · 72 hours (Shore Pass) / 3 days (transit landing)
Brazil Yes, no visa needed · 90 days
Mexico Yes, no visa needed · 90 days on arrival (extendable to 6 months)
South Africa Not without a visa · 72 hours (Shore Pass) / 3 days (transit landing)
Philippines Not without a visa · 72 hours (Shore Pass) / 3 days (transit landing)
Japan Yes, you are at home here
South Korea Yes, no visa needed · 90 days

9 of the 14 passports we cover can leave the airport without applying for a visa first (some need an online authorisation). Other passports: check the official sources linked in the planner.

Transit rules in Japan

Shore Pass (port-of-call landing permission, Immigration Control Act Art. 14)

Who: Foreign passengers (not crew) on an aircraft/ship travelling via Japan to a place outside Japan

  • Land only near the port of arrival
  • Leave from the same port within 72 hours
  • Applied for by the captain or the carrier, granted by the immigration inspector
  • Not for persons barred under Art. 5(1) (landing denial grounds)

Source: e-Gov Law Search (Digital Agency, Government of Japan)

Transit landing permission (Immigration Control Act Art. 15(2))

Who: Foreign passengers who arrive at one Japanese port and leave from another nearby port on a different aircraft/ship

  • Depart within 3 days of landing
  • Depart from another port near the arrival port (e.g. arrive Narita, leave Haneda)
  • Applied for by the carrier, granted by the immigration inspector

Source: e-Gov Law Search (Digital Agency, Government of Japan)

Getting from NRT into Tokyo

We measure to Tokyo Station (Marunouchi). Times are the operators' own figures; ≈ marks a timetable-based estimate where no official door-to-door time is published.

OptionTimeFareRuns
Keisei Skyliner to Nippori / Keisei-Ueno (change to JR for Tokyo Station) source 41 min JPY 2,580 (Keisei FAQ: JPY 1,280 fare + JPY 1,300 reserved seat); Keisei fare table page shows JPY 2,470 –
JR Narita Express (N'EX) to Tokyo Station source 53 min JPY 3,140 (ordinary reserved seat) every 30 min during most of the day
Taxi, fixed fare to Zone C (Chuo, Chiyoda, Taito, Bunkyo, Arakawa) source – JPY 29,000 via Keiyo Road or JPY 31,000 via Bayshore Freeway, plus highway tolls; late-night surcharge 22:00-05:00 –

Good to know: Narita is far from Tokyo (about 60 km): Skyliner fastest 36 min to Nippori, about 41 min to Ueno per Keisei. Three terminals; inter-terminal shuttle up to 24-28 min (T3->T1). Airport curfew: flights only 06:00-24:00, passengers cannot stay airside overnight. Leaving the airport requires Japanese immigration (visa rules apply).

If you stay in the airport

Transit hotel
No airside hotel; airside shower and nap rooms after security (T1 Central Building 3F, T2 Satellite 3F, about 07:00-21:00); landside capsule hotel 'nine hours' in T2 basement (24 h) source
Left luggage
Baggage storage counters landside before security in all terminals (T1 North Wing 4F 07:00-21:00, T2 Main Building 3F 06:30-22:00; operators include Sagawa Express, JAL ABC, Narita International Airport Promotion Foundation) plus coin lockers source
Free layover tour
Narita Airport Transit & Stay Program: free volunteer-guided tours of the Narita area for international transit passengers with 6.5 hours or more between flights; advance reservation required; restarted autumn 2026; participants pay own transport and admission; Japanese entry rules apply source

Questions

Do I need a visa for a layover in Tokyo?

If you stay airside, it depends on your passport: Japan has no airport transit visa: passengers who stay in the transit area of the same airport do not land and need no permission. Leaving the airport (including a Narita-Haneda transfer) is a landing: visa-exempt nationals (74 countries/regions, normally 90 days on arrival) simply enter; visa-required nationals (e.g. China, India, Philippines) need a visa, or may be granted a Shore Pass (port-of-call landing, up to 72 hours near the port) or a transit landing permission (leave within 3 days from another nearby port, e.g. NRT in, HND out), which the airline must apply for. JESTA (an electronic travel authorisation) is not in force; Visit Japan Web is an optional online arrival form that can speed up entry. Choose your passport above for the exact rule and its official source.

How long does it take to get from NRT to Tokyo?

The fastest public option, Keisei Skyliner to Nippori / Keisei-Ueno (change to JR for Tokyo Station), takes about 41 minutes to Tokyo Station (Marunouchi) (official figure). The planner adds 20% for waiting and delays.

How long a layover do I need to leave Narita International Airport?

With our cautious defaults (45 minutes to get out, 120 minutes back before departure, the transfer both ways plus 20%), you need about 6 hours for 90 minutes in the city. Below that, stay in the airport.

Is there a free layover tour at NRT?

Narita Airport Transit & Stay Program: free volunteer-guided tours of the Narita area for international transit passengers with 6.5 hours or more between flights; advance reservation required; restarted autumn 2026; participants pay own transport and admission; Japanese entry rules apply

Rules checked against official sources on 2026-11-01; airport facts from Narita International Airport. Found something out of date? Tell us.