Visa Policy Of Japan - How Do I Get To Japan

Visitors to Japan must obtain a visa from one of the Japanese diplomatic missions unless they come from one of the visa-exempt countries. The Government of Japan currently allows citizens of 67 countries/territories to travel to Japan for tourism or business without having to obtain a visa.

Visa policy map

Japan FAQ 1: intro, how do i get to japan?

Visa exempt countries

Citizens of the following 67 countries and regions are visa exempt for visits up to 90¹ days (unless otherwise noted):

_{1 - Citizens of Austria, Germany, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Switzerland and the United Kingdom may apply for an extension of stay with the Ministry of Justice for up to 6 months.
2 - With biometric passports only.
3 - For holders of Taiwan passports which includes a personal identification number.
4 - only for holders of biometric Indonesian passport who were issued a Visa Waiver Registration Certificate at the Japan Embassy/Consulate in Indonesia.}

Holders of diplomatic or official/service passports of Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, Iran, Morocco, Vietnam as well as holders of only diplomatic passports of Albania, Georgia, India, Laos and Vatican City do not require a visa to visit Japan.

Special visa policy for some countries

Japan has a special visa policy for nationals of Russia, other CIS countries, and Georgia. Nationals of these countries can not provide their financial guarantees and get a visa on their own - they must apply through touristic companies or residents of Japan. These additional requirements are due to the South Kuril islands dispute - all these countries were members of the USSR. (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are members of the Schengen Area and are covered under the European Union.)

In addition, Japanese MOFA has a special visa policy for nationals of China and the Philippines.

As of 2014 nationals of Philippines and Vietnam travelling in a group through a registered travel agency can obtain entry visas for tourist visits up to 15 days in a simplified process that requires fewer documents than before.

Chinese tourists travelling on approved cruise ships do not require a visa as of April 2015. They must embark and disembark the same specified ships.

Statistics

In 2014 2,871,639 Japanese visas were issued. It is an increase of 54% from 2013 when 1,864,425 visas were issued and the highest number ever recorded.

Most visas were applied for by nationals of the following countries:

In 2014 most visas were issued for group sightseeing (1,100,495) and individual sightseeing (417,401). There were 18,353 multiple-entry visas for Okinawa and 1,635 multiple-entry visas for three prefectures in Tōhoku.