How Early to Arrive: Security and Departure at Haneda and Narita
How early should you get to the airport? For an international departure, plan on about three hours, and more in peak season — but the number that actually governs you is your airline's check-in and security deadline. Start there.
Airline deadlines are what matter
Your airline's cutoff is the hard limit, so confirm your own flight's. Two published examples: ANA requires international passengers to clear security at least 60 minutes before departure; JAL requires domestic passengers to pass security by 20 minutes before, and to be at the gate 10 minutes before. Check your carrier's page for your route: ANA · JAL.
Are there live security wait times?
Neither Haneda nor Narita publishes a real-time security wait time that we could verify. Haneda's live congestion panel does not include security screening, and Narita's security page describes busy periods only, without live numbers. We do not link third-party estimate sites — they are not primary sources, and we found clear errors in them.
What slows you down
The usual sequence is check-in, bag drop, security screening, emigration (passport control), then your gate. Peak season and long weekends back this up — ANA flags busier screening at those times. We do not reproduce the detailed liquids and carry-on rules here; use the official security guidance: Narita — security screening. At Haneda, check your airline and the airport site before you travel.
Departing late at night or early morning
Narita operates 06:00–24:00, so the earliest flights leave soon after the terminal reopens for departures. If yours is at dawn, staying nearby the night before beats a pre-dawn train — see our Narita overnight guide for what is open and the first Skyliner.
Keep planning
Overnight at Narita: late arrivals and early departures →
Arriving rather than leaving? Immigration wait times at Haneda and Narita →