JAPAN VISA Application, Requirements and Tips
Japan! ohhhh what an amazing country. The culture and tradition plus the spectacular attractions that it showcases are definitely worth it. No wonder why a lot of people include this place in their top dream destination to travel to. Speaking of going to Japan, like other countries, Japan also requires foreign nationals/tourists to secure a valid visa before entering their country. Yup, you heard it right, you need a Japanese Visa before you can enter this country. But there is an exemption to that. There are 68 countries/nationalities that the Japanese government allow visa-free entry for tourist, if your country is included in the list you are lucky 🙂 For us Filipino’s, since we are not included in the list, we must obtain a valid visa first. Here is a step by step guide we made on how to process a Japanese Visa.
JAPAN VISA
There are numerous types of Japanese Visa, but in this article, we will focus on the Tourist Visa.
Japan tourist visa, as stated by its name, is short term visa valid only for the purpose of TOURISM. This simply means that travelers are not allowed to engage to any paid work/activity during their stay.
Visa Term Validity
- Single Entry Tourist Visa – Valid 90 days upon issuance and will allow you to enter Japan once for a maximum stay of 15 days.
- Multiple Entry Tourist Visa – Valid 3-5 years and will allow you to visit Japan multiple times during the term but must not be longer than 15 or 30 days.
Some other type of Japanese Visa
- Business Visa
- Transit Visa
- Working Visa
JAPAN TOURIST VISA REQUIREMENTS
- Philippine Passport
- Of course, before you go out of the country you must have a valid Passport with at least 6 mos validity and must be in good condition.
- Passport must have your signature on it and have at least 2 blank pages. blank pages are for visa and immigration.
- A duly accomplished visa application form
- Download it here or visit the Japanese Embassy website for the form.
- The application form must be filled out all items correctly. Do not leave blank lines, use N/A for not applicable fields.
- Do not forget the dates and signatures.
- Print the form on an A4 size paper. Yup! A4 only, no other sizes.
- Your ID Picture
- 4.5cm x 4.5cm, with white background. Just tell your studio for the Japanese embassy, I’m sure they know what you need.
- It must be taken within 6 months and write your name and birthdate at the backside of the photo.
- Paste the photo at the application form. YES! PASTE NOT STAPLE.
- Birth Certificate
- It must be issued within one year from PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority)
- For a birth certificate with mark “LATE REGISTRATION”. Additional requirements are needed, Baptismal Certificate, Form 137 and a Yearbook (if applicable)
- If there is no record in PSA, submit a “Certificate of Non-Record” from PSA and birth certificate from Local Civil Register.
- If you have previous Japanese Tourist Visa no need to provide this.
- Marriage Certificate
- Of course, You need to be married first.
- Must be issued within one year from PSA
- If there is no record in PSA, submit a “Certificate of Non-Record” from PSA and Marriage certificate from Local Civil Register.
- If you have previous Japanese Tourist Visa no need to provide this.
- Daily Schedule in Japan (TAIZAI YOTEIHYO ）
- This is your day to day itinerary in Japan
- There is a copy of sample format in the Japanese Embassy website or you can click here to download directly
In case you don’t have a guarantor, meaning you shoulder your travel expenses, you need to provide these documents
- Bank Certificate
- The validity of Bank Certificate is three months from the date of issuance
- ITR or Income tax Return
- A photocopy of your latest ITR
For those who have guarantor here are additional requirements you needed to provide
- Guarantee Letter.
- There is a copy in the Japanese Embassy website or you can click here to download directly
- Proof of relationship between applicant and guarantor
- This is crucial, this is the time you need to prove that you and your guarantor are really known to each other. For instance, if the guarantor is family members, you can provide a PSA birth certificate and PSA marriage certificate.
- Original Bank Certificate of guarantor and his/her Income Tax Return (clear Photocopy).
SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION FORM AND REQUIREMENTS TO THE ACCREDITED TRAVEL AGENCY.
Yup! For a tourist visa, all you need to do is look for an accredited travel agency, submit the documents and form to them and wait for the result. (Here are the list of accredited travel agency ). Regular processing time given by the agencies is 2-7 working days, so make sure to consider this when you apply for your tourist visa.
Also just to be clear, the Tourist visa is free. The charges that we pay in the travel agencies are their processing fee. That is why the price may vary depending on which agency you are going to.
Tips
1. Do not apply too much in advance remember single entry visa is valid only for 90 days.
2. Though there are successful stories of applicants that were granted a tourist visa even it’s their first-time travel abroad. We still think that there is a greater chance of success if you already have traveled to other countries. More stamps on your passports prove that you’re a tourist and no other plan overstaying in their country. You can try to travel first in non-visa required countries like Hong-Kong and Singapore.
3. Make sure that there are no questionable transactions seen in your bank account/bank statement that may become a red flag for them.
4. Please be in mind that the only basis of the Japanese Embassy are the requirements we submitted. Make sure to carefully check and comply with all the requirements for a better chance of approval. Also, The Japanese Embassy is encouraging applicants to provide additional documents that can help you in your application. The stronger our documents the better, We don’t want to be denied just because of a lack of required documents.
5. Document size for application should be A4. Do not forget this.
