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Introduction
The Tourist Visa (properly titled "Temporary Visitor Visa")is available all year round, and is the simplest visa to obtain. With this visa, people from most countries can stay in Japan for up to 90 days or 3 months (roughly the same, but the visa exchange agreement varies from country to country: check your country's arrangement with Japan here). Citizens of some countries are issued the visa on arrival in Japan; others are required to apply for the visa in advance at the Japanese Consulate in their own country. Before you come, contact the Japanese Consulate and ask for details about applying for the Tourist Visa for Japan for citizens of your country.
Requirements on arrival also vary. Many nationalities (largely from OECD countries) will be issued the visa on arrival in Japan without any (or with only cursory) questions asked. Others will be given a full interview, will have all their luggage searched, and the entire process may take several hours. As with any country, be sensible, be friendly, be patient, smile as much as you can bear and NEVER carry drugs, pornography, or anything else that is likely to cause problems. If you have medicines, make sure that you bring with you the prescription or a letter from your doctor explaining what the medicine is.
Some nationalities will require a guarantor in Japan to get even the tourist visa. The guarantor needs to write a letter of invitation which asks you to come and visit them in Japan, which you take to the Japanese Consulate nearest you with your passport, itinerary of your stay in Japan, explanation of why you are going to Japan, return airplane ticket, and sometimes proof of sufficient funds to support your trip. The time it takes to issue the tourist visa will vary from immediate to several months depending on your nationality, and where you are applying from. Please also note that it is often not possible to get the visa that you want if you are outside your native country: often the Japanese Consulate where you are will ask you to return to your own country before they will issue the visa.
Application before travel to Japan
If you need to apply for the visa before you come to Japan, you will need all or most of the following:
- a passport (valid for at least six months) which enables you to enter foreign countries out of Japan. (Note 1)
- two 45mm x 45mm passport-type photos taken within the previous six months (stateless persons must submit three photos). (Note 2)
- two official visa application forms, available here or at the consulate.
- a ticket for boarding an airplane or a vessel to leave Japan, or a written guarantee issued by a transport company that you will have passage out of the country.
- documents certifying the purpose of the visit: either a letter of acceptance from a language school or a letter of invitation from a friend (click for form). If it is a letter of acceptance from a school, also bring along the receipts showing that you have paid the tuition. (See note 3)
- documents certifying that the person concerned can defray all expenses incurred during the stay in Japan. (Note 4)
Note 1: There have been cases of people being given a hard time on arrival with a passport that is not valid for over three months. Make sure you renew yours before you travel.
Note 2: Colour photos, looking straight at the camera with both ears clearly showing. Yes, this is to establish that you have two ears.
Note 3: If you are studying at a language school in Japan, they will usually issue a Letter of Acceptance when you pay the tuition fees. The letter of acceptance will stand in place of the Letter of Invitation when you are applying for your tourist visa, but not all schools will issue the Letter of Acceptance if you require a guarantor: they may ask for a Letter of Guarantee first.
Note 4: Bank statements or a letter from the bank, or this can be covered by the letter of invitation from a friend if they agree to guarantee your expenses.
Issue on arrival in Japan
If you are issued the tourist visa on arrival in Japan, you will probably only need to bring the following:
- a passport (valid for at least six months) which enables you to enter foreign countries out of Japan. (See note 1 above)
- the return portion of your ticket for a flight or a vessel to leave Japan, or a written guarantee issued by a transport company that you will have passage out of the country. This may not be necessary, but some airlines will not let you board a flight to Japan if you have no visa in your passport (this is because if you are refused entry to Japan, they have to provide your return flight to your destination).
- a Letter of Acceptance from a language school (helpful but generally not necessary).
General
In all cases, bring with you the contact details and address of the school, the address of your accommodation in Japan (the actual accommodation if at all possible, not just the school address), and details of the course dates. You may be asked how you will pay for your stay in Japan: a credit card, cash or traveller's cheques are useful to show.
If you just come to Japan without checking the requirements for entering Japan, the Immigration Officials at the airport may just put you on the next plane home - which can be very expensive. So make sure that you do check with the Japanese Consulate nearest you for information regarding the process of getting a Tourist Visa for your nationality.
Transit Visa
There is also a Japanese transit visa. This is the same as the Temporary Visitor's (tourist) visa, and is for up to 15 days. You will generally need to apply for this as well, in the same fashion as the 90 day visa. Use is for those arriving from a foreign country and who wish to do some brief sightseeing before moving on to a third country. This visa is no use for studying in Japan.
Free consultation service from Education Japan.
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