Which document do you have: voucher, pass or seat ticket?#
| What you have | What it does | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| JRPR purchase confirmation / purchase number | Identifies your completed online pass purchase | Collect the actual pass; the email is not the pass. |
| Exchange Order / exchange voucher | Is presented for exchange into a pass | Use the seller’s required format and an eligible exchange point. |
| Issued paper rail pass | Shows the product and validity period used for covered travel | Read the dates and use that pass’s gate instructions. |
| Reserved-seat ticket | Shows the booked journey, train, car and seat | Keep it with the valid pass; it does not replace the pass. |
| QR code | May be an exchange code or an actual boarding code | Read its label and the product guide before scanning at a gate. |
A QR printed on a national pass can be used by a reservation machine; that does not make it a WEST QR boarding pass. The official Exchange Order instructions and reserved-seat machine guide describe separate jobs for those documents. For WEST QR, follow the specific boarding-code instructions.
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1. Prepare documents and choose a collection point#
- Prepare passport and purchase details
- Check the pickup location and hours
- Verify the pass and start date
- Collect reserved-seat tickets
Prepare your original passport and the purchase number or Exchange Order required for your purchase method. Check opening hours and supported machines in the official collection-point list. Do not assume that every JR station or ticket machine can issue the pass.
2. Check the physical pass and tickets#
Before leaving the pickup point, compare the issued documents with your plan:
- Pass: check the passenger details, Ordinary or Green class, and printed first and last valid dates.
- Seat tickets: match the boarding date, departure and arrival stations, train name and number, car and seat for each booked journey.
- Next action: confirm which document to use at the gate and whether any booked tickets still need issuing.
If anything differs, ask at the pickup point before boarding. Keep the pass and seat tickets together. A physical pass may show personal information and identifying numbers; do not publish an unredacted image on a website or social media.
Practice case: a traveller has a completed online purchase and a saved seat itinerary, but only an email on their phone. The purchase and booking checks can be complete; the nationwide-pass collection check remains incomplete until the required pass and seat tickets have actually been issued and checked. An email or exchange voucher does not replace them at the gate.
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3. Overseas agency Exchange Orders follow a separate process#
An overseas Exchange Order must be exchanged within three months of its issue date, and exchange is possible from one month before the pass start date. The official example gives July 14 as the exchange deadline for an order issued on April 15. The Exchange Order itself cannot be used at ticket gates. National-pass overseas purchase and exchange deadlines
A mobile voucher, a paper Exchange Order and an online purchase number are not the same format. Bring the original or printout required by the seller, and use the specific collection guide for a regional pass.
Prepare according to your purchase channel#
| Purchase channel | What to prepare and check |
|---|---|
| National pass through JRPR | Purchase number, every traveller’s original passport and proof of Temporary Visitor status. Check supported counters and specific machines in the official list. |
| Designated overseas agency Exchange Order | Exchange Order, original passport and exchange deadline. Check separately whether machine collection is supported. |
| Regional or mobile pass | Follow paper-ticket exchange or mobile activation for the seller and ticket format. |
The official guide also allows collection of online national-pass purchases at certain supported JR East and JR West machines. This does not mean that every passport-reader machine accepts every Exchange Order. Official national-pass online purchase and collection
Check the actual services available at Fukuoka Airport and Hakata, Narita Airport, and Sapporo and New Chitose Airport.
If the counter is closed or the machine rejects your purchase#
Check support for your purchase channel before travelling to another counter. The official pickup list separates online-purchase collection from Exchange Order exchange. Its passport-reader machines can show support for the first and no support for the second.
- Find your exact station and the column matching your purchase. Check the linked current opening hours; a station being open does not mean its exchange counter is open.
- If a supported machine cannot issue your pass, ask at a nearby counter listed as supporting your purchase type, as the official guide advises.
- If no suitable counter is open before your planned train, ask staff about an available journey and a separately purchased ticket, or postpone that journey. Keep the cost separate in your budget; do not assume it will be refunded later.
Prepare one backup pickup location before arrival. An airport collection failure is not a reason to try every machine or treat a purchase email as a travel ticket. Recheck the existing pass start date and reservation conditions if collection is delayed.
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What if I lose my pass or Exchange Order?#
A lost or stolen nationwide JAPAN RAIL PASS cannot be reissued. A seat ticket or a photo of the pass does not replace it. Tell station staff where you last had it and ask about lost property before planning further travel.
If you cannot present an overseas Exchange Order because it was lost or stolen, the pass cannot be issued. Contact its seller about your documents. Ask staff what you must purchase for the next journey; do not assume free replacement or a later refund. These are national-pass conditions and Exchange Order conditions; regional products have separate rules.
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