Can I bring Sudafed to Japan? Cold and allergy medicines that don't travel well

By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-09-25

The short answer

The medicine most likely to cause trouble in your luggage isn't a prescription. It's the cold and sinus tablets you threw in without thinking.

  • Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed, Claritin-D, Zyrtec-D, Allegra-D, Mucinex D, Advil Cold & Sinus and many others): above 10% concentration, Japan classes it as a stimulant raw material. Bringing it in needs a permit from the Narcotics Control Department, applied for at least two weeks ahead. For a cold remedy, the practical answer is to leave it at home.
  • Vicks VapoInhaler (the US nasal inhaler): contains levmetamfetamine, an isomer of methamphetamine. It can't come in at all.
  • Codeine (Tylenol with Codeine, Nurofen Plus, codeine linctus): a narcotic above 1% concentration. Needs a narcotics permit in advance.
  • Almost everything else in the cold-and-flu aisle is fine, within two months' supply.

For the general rules, see Bringing your medication to Japan.

Pseudoephedrine: the 10% rule

Japan's Stimulants Control Act lists pseudoephedrine (and ephedrine, methylephedrine) as stimulant raw materials, with an exemption for products containing 10% or less. The percentage is by weight of the product, not by dose.

We can't calculate that for every product on the shelf. What we can say is that a 60 mg or 120 mg pseudoephedrine tablet is usually well over 10% of the tablet's weight, and that 24-hour products like Claritin-D 24 Hour carry 240 mg. Liquids with a small amount of pseudoephedrine per dose may be under the line; the label doesn't tell you the percentage, so you can't prove it at the airport.

Products where pseudoephedrine is usually the active decongestant:

  • Sudafed (the original, sold from behind the pharmacy counter in the US)
  • Claritin-D, Zyrtec-D, Allegra-D, Xyzal-D
  • Mucinex D
  • Advil Cold & Sinus, Aleve-D
  • Many store-brand "sinus" and "cold and flu" products

Sudafed PE and other "PE" products use phenylephrine instead, which isn't controlled in Japan. Read the ingredient line, not the brand.

The permit route exists on paper

Medicinal stimulant raw materials can be carried in with advance permission from the Narcotics Control Department, the same process used for Vyvanse: application form, a doctor's certificate stating a specific medical reason, photos of the packaging, and at least 14 days' lead time. That process is built for people on long-term prescriptions. For an over-the-counter decongestant you might not even use, it isn't a realistic path, and, in our reading, a "for colds" reason on the certificate is unlikely to be accepted. Leave it at home.

The Vicks VapoInhaler

The US version of the Vicks inhaler contains levmetamfetamine (l-desoxyephedrine), which Japanese law treats as methamphetamine. It is a banned stimulant here, with no permit route, regardless of how it's classified where you bought it. Don't pack it.

Vicks VapoRub and Vicks inhalers sold in other countries have different ingredients. Again, check the label.

Codeine

Codeine is a narcotic in Japan. Products containing more than 1% codeine need a narcotics permit from the Narcotics Control Department before you travel; Japan's own over-the-counter cough medicines stay at or below 1% and are exempt. Common products over the line:

  • Tylenol with Codeine (No. 3, No. 4)
  • Nurofen Plus, Panadeine, Solpadeine and other UK/Australian codeine combinations
  • Codeine linctus and other codeine cough syrups

Dextromethorphan (the "DM" in Robitussin DM, Delsym) isn't controlled in Japan.

What's fine to bring in

Within two months' supply for your own use, no paperwork:

  • Acetaminophen/paracetamol, ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin
  • Antihistamines: loratadine, cetirizine, fexofenadine, diphenhydramine (Benadryl), chlorpheniramine
  • Phenylephrine decongestants (Sudafed PE, DayQuil, NyQuil)
  • Dextromethorphan cough suppressants
  • Guaifenesin expectorants (plain Mucinex)
  • Throat lozenges, saline sprays, oxymetazoline nasal sprays (Afrin)

Keep them in original packaging. A bottle with no label can't be checked against the two-month limit.

What to buy in Japan instead

Japanese pharmacies sell cold, allergy and sinus medicines that cover the same ground. Decongestant-containing products here are formulated at or under the 10% line, so they're legal to buy and use. Antihistamines like fexofenadine and loratadine are sold over the counter, as are ibuprofen and acetaminophen. If you're unsure what a box contains, ask the pharmacist; larger drugstores often have someone who can manage a product question in English, though we can't promise that for any particular shop.

Before you travel

  • Take every cold, allergy and sinus product out of your bag and read the active ingredients.
  • Pseudoephedrine, codeine or levmetamfetamine on the label: leave it home.
  • Everything else: original packaging, two months' worth at most.

The Japan Medication Entry Check

If you're bringing a mix of prescription and over-the-counter medicines and want the whole list checked before you fly, the Japan Medication Entry Check is a written review by a licensed pharmacist in Japan. We go through each item, tell you which category it falls into and what paperwork it needs, with links to the official pages, and explain how that category of medicine is generally handled here. You file any application yourself; we don't file it for you. It isn't an official ruling, and it isn't a decision about your treatment. The price is US$200, with additional items at US$20 each.

See the Entry Check — US$200

Official sources

I am a pharmacist. I cannot diagnose you or tell you to stop a medicine your doctor has prescribed.