Japan tourist visa requirements: documents, fees and how to apply

Who needs a visa

Japan has reciprocal visa-exemption arrangements with 74 countries and regions. Nationals of the EU and EEA states, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan (passports with a personal ID number), Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica and most of Central America enter for 90 days with no visa. Brazil, Peru, Paraguay, Panama, Serbia, Montenegro and the UAE are exempt only with an ICAO-compliant ePassport; Malaysia likewise. Thailand is exempt for 15 days with an ePassport. Indonesia is exempt for 15 days only when the ePassport has been registered in advance at a Japanese mission in Indonesia.

Everyone else needs a visa: the Philippines, Viet Nam, India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Mongolia, Colombia (MOFA’s note says Colombians are "advised to obtain a visa in advance, otherwise will be strictly examined and may be refused entry"), Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Cuba, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Russia and the CIS, among others. The visa this guide covers is the single-entry short-term stay visa for tourism, valid for three months from issue, with a period of stay of 15, 30 or 90 days set by the consulate.

The six documents MOFA requires

MOFA’s April 2025 checklist for a tourist paying their own way lists six items. Every embassy builds on this list, and section 9 of the kit sets out each country’s additions.

• A valid passport, signed, with two blank visa pages.
• One Visa Application Form to Enter Japan, every box completed (write "N/A" where nothing applies), signed as in the passport.
• One photograph, 45 × 35 mm, taken within six months, plain background, not retouched.
• A flight itinerary with the flight number and the dates of arrival in and departure from Japan: a reservation, not a purchased ticket. Every mission advises buying the ticket only after the visa is issued.
• One proof of the ability to pay: an income certificate or tax return issued by a public agency, or a bank statement or balance certificate. Each embassy says which it wants and for how many months.
• The Itinerary in Japan: MOFA’s four-column form (Date, Activity Plan, Contact, Accommodation), day by day, with the arrival and departure flights and every hotel’s name, address and telephone number. See the Itinerary in Japan guide.

Fees from 1 July 2026

Japan revised its consular fees for the first time since 1978. For applications accepted on or after 1 July 2026 the fee is approximately ¥15,000 for a single-entry visa and ¥30,000 for a multiple-entry visa, paid in local currency; nothing is charged if the visa is not issued. MOFA adds that "depending on the purpose of your visit and your nationality, fees may not be required or the amount may differ", and several posts publish exceptions: the temporary visitor visa remains free for Philippine nationals, Indian nationals pay INR 500 for a single or multiple visa, and the Hanoi embassy lists VND 2,590,000 for a single entry (VND 140,000 for Indian nationals). Visa application centres charge their own service fee on top (PHP 520 in the Philippines, IDR 250,000 in Indonesia, VND 200,000 at VFS in Viet Nam). The separate transit visa was abolished at the same time.

Where and how to apply

MOFA names four ways to lodge an application: in person at the embassy or consulate for your place of residence, through a proxy with a letter of authorization, through an agency accredited by that mission, or online through JAPAN eVISA. Which of them is open to you depends on where you live.

• Philippines: only at a Japan Visa Application Centre run by VFS Global (Parañaque, Makati, Quezon City, Cebu, Davao) since 7 April 2025, by appointment booked up to 90 days before travel. Full guide for Filipinos.
• India: through VFS Global, no prior appointment needed, at the centre for your consulate’s jurisdiction, or online through JAPAN eVISA since 1 April 2024. Full guide for Indians.
• Viet Nam: only through the designated outsourcing companies and, for package tours, designated travel companies; the consular window does not take tourist applications. Full guide for Vietnamese travellers.
• Indonesia: at the JVAC in Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Makassar or Bali, or online through JAPAN eVISA; registered ePassport holders need no visa for 15 days. Full guide for Indonesians.
• Residents of Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, the UK, the USA, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Macau, Mongolia, Korea, Singapore and the UAE who are not visa-exempt: JAPAN eVISA for a tourism single-entry visa, paid by credit card, shown live on your phone at check-in (no PDF or screenshot).
• Everyone else: the embassy or consulate for where you live, following its own document list.

How long it takes, and the two rules that make the first file matter

MOFA’s standard processing time is five working days from the day after acceptance; posts publish their own minimums (Manila six business days, Hanoi six, Ho Chi Minh City five, Jakarta six) and all warn that an interview, a request for more documents or a referral to Tokyo adds weeks. Applications are accepted from three months before travel and cannot be expedited.

Two rules are unusual. First, no reason is ever given for a refusal: MOFA’s FAQ explains that publishing reasons would let others "get around the visa examination process". Second, an application for the same purpose within six months of a refusal is not accepted, unless circumstances have changed significantly. Nobody can tell you afterwards what went wrong, so the file has to be complete and consistent the first time: the dates on the form, the flight reservation, the Itinerary in Japan and the hotel details must all agree, and the money shown must fit the job described.

The Japan Tourist Visa Kit sets all of this out in 33 pages with the country chapters, the Itinerary in Japan filled in for 7, 10 and 14 days, and ten editable templates. If you are flying to Japan on a one-way ticket, check whether you also need proof of onward travel: Do I need an onward ticket for Japan?