The simplification of the procedure for obtaining a visa to Japan has finally happened: from January 1, 2017, independent tourists are exempted from the need to use the services of a Japanese travel guarantor – thus, the inviting party is abolished. From now on, it is enough for individual travelers to provide the consulate with a simple list of documents, almost no different from the standard Schengen one. The visa fee is still missing. Well, at the airport upon arrival, you will have to undergo a palm scan and face photography. According to COUNTRYAAH, Japan is a country that starts with letter J.
Citizens of Russia can apply for multiple entry tourist visas to Japan for a period of 3 years. The duration of stay in the country should not exceed 30 days.
Japan Tourist Visa: General Information
| Do they give multivisa? | give at least 3 months |
| Term of receipt | from 4 working days |
| Validity limit | after the end of the trip |
- The cost of a regular visa: free
- Express visa: not issued
- Visa fees
Types of visas
- transit visa: valid for 72 hours, needed by those who are planning a transfer in the Land of the Rising Sun when traveling to another country. It is not issued at the airport, it should be issued through the embassy or consulate in advance. With such a visa, you can go into the city and even travel around the country, but only for the purpose of sightseeing. You must leave Japan before the visa expires;
- tourist: issued to tourists, as well as those who make business trips and travel for the purpose of exchanging cultural experiences or go to visit acquaintances and relatives, including husband / wife, who live in Japan. A short-term visa is issued for 90 days, the exact period of its validity is indicated on the visa sticker and is usually equal to the validity period of the tour package. A multi-visa is issued to businessmen, politicians, cultural figures for up to 3 years, but only on condition that the person has previously been to Japan and has not violated the country’s laws. It is also important that during the trip, the person is not engaged in activities in Japan that generate income or imply remuneration;
- medical: this type of visa is needed if the period of stay in Japan can exceed 90 days, and the purpose of the trip is medical treatment;
- long-term: needed for those who plan to study or work in Japan, as well as engage in any other activity for which remuneration is due, or who want to stay in the country for more than 90 days without treatment.
Do-it-yourself visa application
Self-submission of documents for a visa to Japan does not require any superpowers. You just need to carefully fill out the questionnaire and provide all the necessary papers in the required amount to the embassy or consulate. They can be submitted either by the applicant himself or by his authorized representative, including a representative of a visa or travel agency (in this case, a power of attorney should be written, but it is not required to certify it with a notary).
Documents should not be stapled or stapled together.
If the required documents are missing or filled out incorrectly, the application will not be considered. Providing false information equals visa denial and a ban on re-submission of documents within 6 months from the date of refusal. The consulate or embassy has the right to request additional documents to the standard package, so the issue of obtaining a visa should be taken care of in advance, but not earlier than 3 months before the date of departure from Japan.
They promise to issue a visa in 4 working days, there is no express processing. During the period of Russian or Japanese holidays, the period may be extended. There is no need to pre-register for the submission of documents, admission is carried out on a first-come, first-served basis.
Self-issuance of any category of visas to Japan is free. For about 100 USD, the preparation and delivery of documents to the consulate can be carried out by intermediary companies and tour operators.
Japan visa documents
Required documents for obtaining a visa:
- international passport
Valid for the duration of the trip;
- Copy of international passport
Pages with personal data;
- Copy of internal passport
Pages with personal data and registration;
- Photo
Two photos (see requirements below), which must be pasted on the questionnaires;
- Questionnaire
Two questionnaires filled out in accordance with the memo. In the columns about the guarantor and the inviting person, you need to write “NO” or put dashes;
- Help from the place of work
Original certificate from the place of work on a letterhead with a seal indicating the position and salary and / or an extract from a bank account;
- Airline originals
Along the entire route, a third country visa (in case of transit) and a notarized power of attorney for the courier, if the documents are not submitted personally.
- Route
daily program of stay.
It is necessary to take out medical insurance for the entire duration of the trip. Let it be better not to be useful than to be left without qualified help in case of an accident.
Additional documents for different types of visas
From October 1, 2018, it has become easier for tourist groups from Russia to obtain a visa to Japan. For organized tourists, only completed questionnaires in two copies, a photo, the original of a valid international passport and a copy of the internal passport of the Russian Federation remained in the list of documents. All other information is provided by the tour operator. Three people can be considered an organized group, so a family or company is also entitled to take advantage of this relief.
Those who organize the trip on their own will need confirmation of hotel reservations in order to obtain a transit visa (if they plan to stop in Japan). For a tourist multivisa, you need a letter in English or Japanese, explaining the need for frequent trips. Everyone who goes to visit friends or relatives, in addition to the above, will need copies of documents confirming family or other ties with the host.
A visa for travel for business purposes, for the purpose of cultural or sports exchange, attendance at conferences will be issued if the host country also provides a letter explaining the reasons for the invitation. If the Japanese organization is also paying for the trip, it must provide a letter of guarantee and information about the inviting organization.
The package of documents for obtaining a medical visa should include a certificate from a medical institution indicating the planned medical actions and a letter of guarantee from the organization (with a seal, indicating the name of the medical institution, address, registration number, last name and first name of the person in charge, last names of the patient and accompanying person – in Latin letters like abroad).
A visa to visit a spouse who lives in Japan will be issued after providing a document confirming the couple’s cohabitation for a year (copies of registration stamps at the place of residence or a lease agreement where both of them are entered). In addition, a family member living in Japan provides a copy of the passport (pages with a photo and a Russian visa), a copy of a work permit or a temporary residence permit in Japan, a marriage document (a copy of a certificate or a copy of a family record book – the second item is required if need a multivisa).
Those wishing to have a long-term visa should obtain a Certificate of Eligibility, “determining the applicant’s filing status”, through the immigration office and attach the original and a copy of the certificate to the package of documents.
If there is a valid visa in the old foreign country, but for some reason you had to get a new passport, you can not request a visa again. You should take both passports to Japan and present them at the border. But it is better to go through the procedure of rearranging the visa by providing the consulate with a single copy of the questionnaire with a photo, the old and new passports and their copies (from the new one – a copy of only the page with the photo, from the old one – a copy of the page with the photo and visa).
Upon arrival at airports in Japan, all foreign citizens undergo a palm scan and face photo during immigration control. Diplomats accredited to the country and having resident status, persons under the age of 16 and transit passengers who transfer from one international flight to another are exempted from “providing biometric data”. Immigration control upon departure remained unchanged.
Photo Requirements
The package of documents for applying for a visa to Japan must be accompanied by two matte photographs 4.5×4.5 cm in size, on a light background, without corners. They can be in color or black and white, but they must be the same and made a maximum of 6 months before the trip. Headwear, heavy-rimmed glasses, foreign objects and extra people in the frame, glare, fuzziness, retouching should be said no.
Visa processing for children
For children, the same documents are provided as for adults (depending on the reason for the trip), plus a copy of the birth certificate and sponsorship letter. If minors travel without parents, a notarized consent to travel from at least one of the parents is required, as well as copies of the pages of his internal passport (with a photo and registration).
