mofa.go.jp Visa Application Japan : Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Organization : Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
Type of Facility : Visa Application
Country: Japan

Website : http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html

Visa Application :

Criteria of Visa Issuance:
A Japanese visa will be issued to an applicant when he/she meets all of the following requirements and the issuance is regarded as reasonable.

Related : Ministry of Foreign Affairs Authentication/ Apostille Japan : www.statusin.org/8897.html

(1) The applicant possesses a valid passport and is entitled for the re-entry to a country of his/her nationality or a country of his/her residence.
(2) All submitted documents shall be authentic, completed and satisfactory.

(3) The activities to be engaged in Japan/ the civil status or the position of the applicant/ the period of stay shall meet the requirements for the status of residence and the period of stay stipulated in the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act. (Cabinet Order No.319 of 1951. Hereinafter referred to as the “Immigration Control Act”)

(4) The applicant shall not fall under any of the items of Article 5, Paragraph 1 of the Immigration Control Act.

Points to Note and Application Method:
An application for visa is made by the applicant him/herself at the Japanese Embassy / Consulate General with jurisdiction over the area in which the applicant lives. In some cases the application may be made by an accredited travel agent that has been approved by the Japanese Embassy / Consulate General.

When making an application, documents prepared by the applicant him/herself and documents prepared by the inviting person in Japan are required.

The documents that are necessary for the application differ depending on the travel purpose and the nationality of the applicant. Refer to the relevant section of this web site.

Number of Days Required for Acquiring a Visa:
The period required from the visa application to the issuance of the visa is approximately 5 working days as long as there are no particular problems with the content of the application, it takes less time than this depending on the Embassy / Consulate General and the purpose of your travel.

If there is some problem with the content of the application, the Embassy / Consulate General make an inquiry to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo. In such cases more than a month will be required to issue the visa.

If your purpose is to work or a long-term stay, it is recommended that you submit a Certificate of Eligibility when you make your application. If a Certificate of Eligibility is not submitted, issuance of the visa will take a long time (typically one to three months) regardless of whether or not there is a problem with the content of the application.

Frequency of Valid Entries on a Visa and Period of Validity of a Visa:
Visas are only valid for entering Japan on one occasion. The period of validity of the visa is three months calculated from the day after the day of the issuance of the visa. Please make sure that you enter Japan within three months of the day after the day of the issuance of the visa.

Multiple-entry visas can be issued to business travelers, etc. The period of validity of these visas is from one to five years, and these visas can be used on any number of occasions during their period of validity.

There is a double-entry visa for transit. The period of validity of this visa is four months.

Visa Fees:
Fees must be paid for the issuance of visas. The fees are about 3,000 yen for a single-entry visa, 6,000 yen for a double-entry or multiple-entry visa, and 700 yen for a transit visa. Fees are collected in the currency of the country (territory) of which the Embassy / Consulate General is located.

Depending on the purpose of your travel and your nationality, fees may not be required or may be a different amount.

If the visa is not issued, no fees are required.

Inquiries Concerning Visas:
Phone: 03-5501-8431

Automatic answering machine service (24 hours, Japanese only)

Inquiries about visa examination status:
(Note: Only in cases in which the application documents have been sent from the Japanese Embassy/or Consulate General to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Monday to Friday, 10:00-12:00 and 14:00-16:00

Other inquiries about visas:
Monday to Friday,
09:00-12:30 and 13:30-17:00