Japan import structure · ACP (税関事務管理人)

Import into Japan without forming a local entity.

A company with no office in Japan can be the importer of record here. It first appoints a Japan-based agent for its customs procedures. Aplash holds that appointment.

Order the ACP appointment setup · USD 500 Check ACP eligibility
Per-shipment fee, by who files the declarationUSD 500 setup +/ shipmentYour own broker filesAplash coordinates the filing
Which way the goods move
  1. Overseas supplierGoods in JapanShips to JapanReady to ship

  2. Customs clearance通関

    Importer of recordExporter of recordYouPays duties and JCTNamed on the declaration
    appoints
    ACP税関事務管理人Aplash G.K.
    • Registers as your ACP
    • Compliance check
    • Contact with Japan Customs
    • Coordinates with the broker
    • Keeps the records
    coordinate
    通関業者Licensed customs brokerFiles the declaration
    import declarationexport declarationimport permitexport permit
    日本税関Japan CustomsReviews and decides releaseReviews and decides the permit
    Aplash G.K., Japan Customs: compliance check and contact
  3. Your buyer in JapanOverseas destinationReceives the goodsDelivered to the end user
  • Customs clearance
  • Aplash · ACP role
  • Filing and permit

Duties and Japan Consumption Tax (JCT): paid to Japan Customs. Freight, storage: paid to your carrier and forwarder.Freight, storage: paid to your carrier and forwarder. Military, defence, security or dual-use items and end users are reviewed case by case before any price is given; the order form asks.

What is an ACP in Japan?

An ACP (Attorney for Customs Procedures, 税関事務管理人) is the Japan-based agent a non-resident importer or exporter appoints under the Customs Act (関税法) for its customs procedures.

Your company stays the importer or exporter, Aplash holds the appointment, and a licensed customs broker files the declaration.

Read Japan Customs FAQ 9601

Is the ACP route open to you?

A company, office or address in Japan?ACP is for non-residents
yesYour own entity filesIt is named as the importer or exporter and files in its own name.
noImporting food, drink, food-contact goods or children's toys?product regimes with a Japan-side role
yesImporter of Record, assessed firstThese goods may need a Japan-side importer arrangement, quoted on its own after review.
noACP routeUSD 500appointment fee, one timeYour company stays the importer or exporter of record. Aplash holds the appointment; a licensed customs broker files each declaration.

Where the ACP route is open, the appointment is ordered online at the published fee, for an import or an export alike.

Military, defence, security or dual-use items and end users are reviewed case by case before any price is given; the order form asks.

Order the ACP appointment setup · USD 500 Explore IOR & EOR

Online ordering is for companies with no registered entity, office or address in Japan, for imports and exports alike. Food, drink, additives, food-contact goods and children's toys imported into Japan may also need an Importer of Record arrangement, quoted separately. Checkout and the agreement are in English.

What happens on each shipment?

Per-shipment fee, by who files the declarationUSD 500 setup +/ shipmentYour own broker filesAplash coordinates the filing

Aplash's role

  1. Appointmentbefore the first shipmentYou order and send company documentsRegisters as your ACP
    • You
    • Aplash
    • Japan Customs
    USD 500appointment fee, one time
  2. Shipment documentseach shipmentYou send the invoice and packing listCompliance check
    • You
    • Aplash
    • Broker
  3. Declarationeach shipment · Customs clearanceThe broker files the declarationContact with Japan CustomsCoordinates with the broker
    • Aplash
    • Broker
    • Japan Customs
    USD 300per shipment
    USD 1,200per shipment
  4. Customs revieweach shipment · Customs clearanceJapan Customs reviews and decides releaseCompliance check and contactCoordinates customs queries
    • You
    • Aplash
    • Broker
    • Japan Customs
    Duties + JCTpaid to Japan Customs
  5. Deliveryeach shipmentYou receive the goodsKeeps the records
    • You
    • Aplash
    Freight, storagepaid to your carrier and forwarder

ACP fees

What does an ACP cost?

One appointment, then a fee per shipment

1 appointment + 1 shipment · choose who files

Step 1 · one time

ACP appointment setup

Aplash is appointed as your Attorney for Customs Procedures under the Customs Act (関税法), so Japan Customs has a party it can reach here for your imports and your exports alike.

  1. Confirmation from your documents that the appointment route is open to you
  2. Pre-submission consultation with the Customs office
  3. Preparation and filing of the 税関事務管理人届出書 (Attorney for Customs Procedures notification, Form C-7500)
  4. Aplash recorded as the contact for Customs correspondence
  5. Your company stays the importer or exporter of record named on the declaration

Covers one Japan Customs office. Adding an office later means a further filing with Japan Customs (a change notification), which takes processing time and filing work, so it is quoted on its own.

ACP appointment setup

USD 500one time

Step 2 · per shipment · who files?

Shipments in this order
1
First paymentChoose who files above
Order this online
  • Online ordering is for companies with no registered entity, office or address in Japan, for imports and exports alike.
  • Food, drink, additives, food-contact goods and children's toys imported into Japan may also need an Importer of Record arrangement, quoted separately.
Checkout and the agreement are in English.Seller disclosure (特定商取引法に基づく表記)

Paid to others, on the same shipment

Check ACP eligibility
  • Duties and Japan Consumption Taxpaid to Japan Customs
  • Your broker's own feepaid to the licensed customs broker, where your broker files
  • Freight, insurance and storagepaid to your carrier and forwarder

What happens after you order?

Steps 1 to 4 happen in one sitting, and nothing is charged before the review step.

ChargedNothing yetAt this stepAlready paid

Step 1 / 6

Details and eligibility

Your contact details, then a short eligibility check: your company, the goods, which way they move and how many shipments to include.

Step 2 / 6

Verify your email

A six-digit code confirms the mailbox that receives your order records and every next step.

Step 3 / 6

Review and pay

The review states the exact scope and the exact charge. You accept the Terms of Sale and pay by card through Stripe.

Step 4 / 6

Sign the mandate

You sign the engagement mandate on the confirmation page, right after payment. Your checklist link is issued once it is signed.

Step 5 / 6

Your checklist link

Your checklist link arrives within one business day, with its access code in a separate message. Through it you sign your power of attorney and add your documents, then submit.

Step 6 / 6

We file with Customs

We review your documents, consult the Customs office and file the Attorney for Customs Procedures notification (Form C-7500). The appointment takes effect when Customs records the notification. Timing is set by Customs and is case-specific.

Questions asked before the first shipment.

Choose a question

What do the two per-shipment fees cover, and which one applies?

They are alternatives, not additions. One applies per shipment, depending on who files.

USD 300
Your own broker files
USD 1,200
Aplash coordinates the filing

They are alternatives, not additions: USD 300 per shipment where your own licensed customs broker files the declaration, and USD 1,200 per shipment where Aplash coordinates the licensed-broker clearance workflow instead. On the USD 300 arrangement Aplash holds the appointment, is the contact Japan Customs reaches for the entry, and keeps the ACP record for it. On the USD 1,200 arrangement it is Aplash's partner customs specialist who files, with in-house customs review, and the role is otherwise the same. Your broker's own work, duties, JCT, freight, inspection, storage, testing, permits and other third-party disbursements are separate unless expressly included in writing.

Who files the import declaration?

A licensed customs broker.

A licensed customs broker files declarations and conducts customs brokerage. Aplash coordinates the ACP role, performs in-house customs review, and works with the licensed broker identified for the engagement.

Does an ACP appointment cover exports from Japan?

Yes, at the same fees as an import.

Yes. Japan Customs names export and import declarations among the procedures a Customs Procedure Agent handles for a company abroad, and the notification states whether it covers your imports, your exports or both. The appointment setup fee and the per-shipment fees are the same for an export as for an import. A licensed customs broker files each export declaration, and goods that need export control screening or an export licence are reviewed before any filing.

How long does setup take?

Timing varies by customs office, document quality, transaction structure, product controls, and broker readiness.

We provide an estimated schedule after the eligibility assessment rather than promising a fixed approval period.

Can ACP be used for regulated products?

Sometimes, but ACP alone does not satisfy product-specific laws.

An administrative scrivener handles applicable regulated applications within their professional scope, and other licensed or registered parties may also be required. Some structures are better suited to IOR.

Is an ACP appointment a government approval?

The official process is advance notification of the appointed Customs Procedure Agent to the relevant customs office.

Customs may review the filing and request additional information. We do not promise acceptance, clearance, or a fixed government processing time.

Is Aplash part of Japan Customs or a government agency?

No. Aplash is a private market-entry and trade-compliance company.

We support ACP administration and coordination, but Japan Customs and other authorities make their own decisions.

How do I engage Aplash for ACP?

Order the setup online if you have no registered entity, office or address in Japan; otherwise ask for an assessment.

Appointment setup is ordered online at the published fee, with the scope stated before you pay: the online order is for importers and exporters with no registered entity, office or address in Japan, it covers imports, exports or both at the same fees, and food, drink, additives, food-contact goods and children's toys imported into Japan may need an Importer of Record arrangement beside the appointment, at a further fee. Shipments can be added to the same order at the per-shipment fee of the filing arrangement you choose. Where the Japan-presence condition does not fit, ask for an assessment instead. The order pages and the service agreement are in English.

Use this route if you already have an entity, office or address in Japan, if you need the per-shipment role, or if you are not yet sure ACP fits.

Check ACP eligibility

Three fields. Tell us what you sell and we reply with the route that fits, what is missing, and the next step.

We reply within one business day with the likely route and any missing facts.

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ACP is one of three possible import structures.

Compare Importer of Record support

Use IOR when a Japan-side importer must hold the commercial or regulated role.

Explore IOR & EOR

Keep your own customs broker and appoint an ACP in Japan

You already work with a licensed customs broker in Japan and you do not want to change that. The appointment does not ask you to. Your broker keeps preparing and filing the declaration; Aplash holds the appointment and is the contact Japan Customs reaches for the entry.

Can I appoint an ACP and keep the customs broker I already use?

Import consumption tax when a non-resident is the importer

Appointing an Attorney for Customs Procedures (税関事務管理人) puts a Japan-based representative on your customs procedures. It is not what decides whether the consumption tax you pay at the border can be deducted. That follows who is named as the declarant on the import permit, and whether that party files a Japan consumption tax return at all. Two separate decisions, under two separate statutes, to two separate authorities.

Does appointing an ACP recover the import consumption tax?