The SPOT.ph Guide to Applying for a Japanese Visa

(SPOT.ph) Japan is one of the most popular travel destinations among Filipinos. There are many reasons to go: cherry blossoms, ramen, Mt. Fuji, shrines, Universal Studios, TeamLAB Planets, and more. But for Filipino nationals to breathe the same air, taste the food, experience the culture of Land of the Rising Sun, and more, you'll need to apply for a Japanese visa first.

We created this comprehensive guide that tackles the different Japanese visas you can apply for, the respective requirements, and other frequently asked questions.

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How to Apply for a Japanese Visa: Tourist Visa, Multiple-Entry Visa, and More

Japanese Visas: Temporary Visitor, Multiple-Entry, and Business

Temporary Visitors, commonly referred to as single-entry visas, are for tourists who can only stay in Japan for 90 days maximum. This is often the Japanese visa Filipinos apply for if it's their first time visiting the country.

There are different kinds of Temporary Visitor visas that depend on the reason and nature of the travel.

• Tourism (Individual Travel): This is for applicants who arranged their travel to Japan by themselves.
• Package Tour Arranged by a Registered Travel Agency: This is for applicants who joined a package tour arranged by a registered travel agency of the Japanese Embassy. This visa only has a 15-day validity and is strictly for Philippine nationals only.
• Business, Conference, Cultural Exchange, et cetera: As in the name, for visa applicants whose purpose for visiting Japan is to attend a business meeting, conference, or cultural exchange program. 
• Visiting Relatives: This is for applicants visiting relatives, specifically of first- to third-degree, who are currently residing in Japan.
• Visiting Friends or Distant Relatives: This visa is issued to applicants visiting friends or distant relatives beyond the third-degree relationship.
• Visiting US Military Personnel: For applicants whose purpose is to visit a U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan.
• Spouse/Child of a Japanese National in the Philippines: This visa is for the spouse or children of a Japanese national that is residing in the Philippines and wants to visit Japan.
• Transit: This visa is specifically for those with layovers in Japan.

For Multiple-Entry visas, these are granted to visa applicants who would like to frequently travel to Japan or for those who with business purposes that need more than 90 days.  The two kinds of Multiple-Entry visas are the following:

• Multiple-Entry for Visa For a Frequent Traveler: This visa is issued to applicants who plan on visiting Japan frequently for one or multiple reasons, like tourism, business, or visiting relatives. The period of each stay in Japan must be within 30 days only.
• Multiple Entry-Visa for Business Purpose and Cultural or Intellectual Figures: This visa is for Philippine nationals who will go to Japan firstly for business purposes, then followed by other reasons such as tourism and visiting relatives. The validity of this visa varies from one, three, five, or 10 years and the period of stay can either be 15, 30, or 90 days.

There's also a visa for students and workers whose purpose is to study or work in the country. The seven visas listed below are for long-term stays:

• Student, Worker, and Dependent: This visa is for applicants whose purpose is to study, work, or live with a spouse or parent/s.
• Diplomat/Official: This visa is for applicants whose purpose to visit Japan is on diplomatic or official purpose.
• Housekeeper of Diplomat/Official: This visa is for applicants who want to work in Japan as a private housekeeper of people holding diplomatic or official status in the country.
• Nikkei-Jin: This visa is for applicants who are either children, descendants, or spouses of 2nd Generation Japanese nationals (Japanese nationals that migrated to the Philippines before or during World War II).
• Filipino Parents Travelling To Japan With Japanese-Filipino Children: This visa is for Filipino parents raising Japanese-Filipino children under 20 years old by themselves and is willing to travel to Japan to migrate, consider migration, and search for Japanese parents.
• Medical Stay: This visa is issued to foreign patients who want to go to Japan for medical purposes such as a medical check-up.
• For Permanent Resident who failed to re-enter Japan and lost status of residence due to influence of COVID-19: This visa application is for foreign nationals holding the status of residence of “Permanent Resident” who departed Japan with a re-entry permit, then failed to re-enter Japan within the period of validity of the re-entry permit because of COVID-19 and consequently, lost the status of residence. 

There's also a JAPAN eVISA, an electronic travel authorization that can be issued instead of a physical visa. This visa does not apply to Filipino nationals who want to visit Japan. This visa is specifically for foreign nationals residing in Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

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List of Japanese Visa Requirements

Once finding the type of Japanese visa that best fits the nature of your travel, you will need to prepare the needed documents to proceed with the visa application. We will be enumerating the requirements typically required  for the type of visa you are applying for.

Listed below are the usual requirements an applicant needs to fulfill and submit:

Tourism

• Passport (with the signature of the owner)
• Application form with a 4.5x3.5-centimeter facial photo
• Birth certificate (Philippine Statistics Authority-issued certificate within one year)
• Itinerary in Japan
• Photocopy of Income Tax Return
• Marriage Certificate (Philippine Statistics Authority-issued certificate within one year) (if married)
• Bank Certificate (if spending own money for the trip
• Guarantee Letter, proof of relationship (e.g. birth certificate), bank certificate, and photocopy of Income Tax Return (if with a guarantor)

Multiple-Entry Visa for Temporary Visitor

• Passport (with the signature of the owner)
• Application form with a 4.5x3.5-centimeter facial photo
• Request for a Multiple-Entry Visa
• Itinerary in Japan
• For applicants who traveled to Japan as a temporary visitor in the last three years and have the financial capacity: Used Japanese visa as a temporary visitor, photocopy of Income Tax Return, and bank certificate.
• For applicants who traveled to Japan as a temporary visitor in the last three years and used visas and landing permissions of G7 countries—except Japan—in the last three years: Used Japanese visa as a temporary visitor, photocopy of Income Tax Return, and bank certificate.
• For applicants with sufficient financial capacity: Birth certificate (Philippine Statistics Authority-issued certificate within one year), marriage certificate (Philippine Statistics Authority-issued certificate within one year; if applicable), itinerary in Japan, photocopy of Income Tax Return, and bank certificate.
• Spouse or Child of "III" and has sufficient financial capacity: Birth certificate (Philippine Statistics Authority-issued certificate within one year), marriage certificate (Philippine Statistics Authority-issued certificate within one year; if applicable), itinerary in Japan, photocopy of Income Tax Return, and bank certificate.

Student, Worker, and Dependent

• Passport (with the signature of the owner)
• Application form with a 4.5x3.5-centimeter facial photo
• Certificate of Eligibility (photocopy of the email)
• Birth certificate (Philippine Statistics Authority-issued certificate within one year)
• Marriage Certificate (Philippine Statistics Authority-issued certificate within one year) (Only if married)

Package Tour Arranged by Registered Travel Agencies

• Passport (with the signature of the owner)
• Application form with a 4.5x3.5-centimeter facial photo
• Birth certificate (PSA-issued certificate within one year)
• For those who are married: Marriage Certificate (PSA-issued certificate within one year) (Only if married)
• Requirements of the registered travel agency in the Philippines: list of participants, itinerary, copy of the advertisement for the tour, round-trip airplane ticket reservation slips, and, if applicable, tour conductor's certificate of employment.
• Requirements of contract Japanese travel agency: itinerary in Japanese, copies of hotel reservation slips, and copies of domestic service reservation slips.

Transit

• Passport (with the signature of the owner)
• Application form with a 4.5x3.5-centimeter facial photo
• Birth certificate (Philippine Statistics Authority-issued certificate within one year)
• Marriage Certificate (Philippine Statistics Authority-issued certificate within one year) (Only if married)
• Itinerary in Japan
• Bank certificate
• Photocopy of Income Tax Return
• E-ticket or other documents to prove the flight (or vessel) schedule

For other Japanese visa requirements not mentioned, you can visit the Japan Embassy of Japan in the Philippines website to check the list of documents needed.

Japanese Visa Application Forms

The Japanese Embassy requires standard formats for their visa application documents, such as the application form, visa-fee exemption request, and for extending the re-entry permit. For these forms, you can either choose to print them on your own and fill them out before you head to an accredited agency, or you can ask for a copy directly from the accredited agency and fill the forms on the spot.

Here are the downloadable files of Japanese visa application forms:

• Visa Application Form
• Invitation Letter
• List of Visa Applicants 
• Itinerary in Japan
• Letter of Guarantee
• Details of the Company/Organization
• Request for a Multiple-Entry Visa
• Visa Fee Exemption Request
• Application to Extend Re-entry Permit
• Family Tree (PDF / Excel)
• Family Photo Sample
• Petition For expired "Permanent Resident"

IMPORTANT: It's ideal to already have booked the accommodation before the visa application, as this detail is included in the itinerary. Our tip is to book a place that you can still cancel before the date you booked it for, in the worst-case scenario that the visa application is denied.

Japanese Visa Application Process

How much is a Japanese visa application?

The fees are around 3,000 yen (roughly P1,247) for a single-entry visa, 6,000 yen (roughly P2,495) for a double-entry or multiple-entry visa, and 700 yen (roughly P291) for a transit visa. The fees vary depending on which accredited agency you apply to—it could be cheaper or more expensive than the standard rates.

Where can I apply for a Japanese visa application?

There are several accredited agencies where you can apply for a Japanese visa. Listed below are the accredited agencies by the Japanese Embassy and their respective addresses and contact numbers:

Universal Holidays Inc.

• Ground Floor of Dusit Thani Manila Hotel, Ayala Center, Makati City
  • Contact details: 02-8859-3800 (local 3892, 3857), 02-7618-2359, 0917-634-8280, and 0917-810-5061 (Japanese Staff)

Discovery Tour, Inc.

• Unit 301, G/F, Sagittarius Building, H.V. Dela Costa Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City
  • Contact details: 02-8812-3328, 0915-320-0780, and 0999-943-5231
• Zone 5H Bridge Town Square, Plaridel St., Alang-Alang, Mandaue City
  • Contact details: 032-340-1819, 0945-460-6613, and 0999-420-5556 
• G/F, Door 109 - 110, Quimpo Boulevard, Ecoland, Bucana, Talomo District, Davao City
  • Contact details: 082-285-7188, 082-321-1315, and  0915-326-0111

RAJAH TRAVEL CORPORATION

• 3/F 331 Building, 331 Senator Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City
  • Contact details: 02-8894-0886 and 0917-529-6774
• Room 202, GLC Building, A. Mabini corner T.M. Kalaw Streets, Ermita, Manila
  • Contact details: 02-8523-8801, 02-8523-8802, 0917-854-3628, 0917-854-3614 (Japanese)
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RELI TOURS & TRAVEL AGENCY

• 3/F, Dusit Thani Hotel, Ayala Center, Makati City
  • Contact details: 02-7004-3009, 0967-446-2000, and 0995-109-6034
• South Entrance of SM Department Store, SM Mall of Asia, Bay City, Pasay City
  • Contact details: 0906-513-6777
• G/F, Mega Strip A, SM Megamall, EDSA, Mandaluyong City
  • Contact details: 0906-513-6555
• 2F Antel Seaview Towers Condominium, 2626 Roxas Blvd., Pasay City
  • Contact details: 0916-448-7000 and 0999-942-5000
• 3F Cyberzone, SM Southmall, Almanza Uno, Las Pinas City
  • Contact details: 0906-513-6222, 0917-135-9884, and 0916-220-3240
• FS414, 4F, Lucky China Town Mall, 293 Lachamber Street, Binondo, Manila City
  • Contact details: 0927-870-9552

ATTIC TOURS PHIL., INC.

• G-05 A Antel Seaview Tower 2626 Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City
  • Contact details: 0917-631-0845
• Unit 126 Level 1, South Parking Building, Mall of Asia, Pasay City
  • Contact details: 02-8252-0868 and 0917-631-0848
• G/F The Block, SM City North EDSA, SM City North EDSA Complex, Quezon City
  • Contact details: 02-8372-3254, 02-8373-2594, and 0917-898-0905
• Upper Ground Flr. Annex 3 Bldg. SM City Fairview, Quirino Highway cor. Regalado Ave. Brgy. Greater Lagro, Novaliches, Quezon City
  • Contact details: 0916-618-6165
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• 343 3F, SM Southmall Almanza Uno, Las Pinas City
  • Contact details: 02-8281-8506 and 0917-1866-853
• Unit MS104 (A) Mega Strip Building A, SM Megamall, J. Vargas, Wack-Wack Mandaluyong City
  • Contact details: 02-8706-6030 and 0906-516-3246
• Ground Level, Service Lane of SM City Clark, Manuel A. Roxas Hwy, Clark Freeport, Angeles Pampanga
  • Contact details: 045-499-7546 and 0917-305-4292
• 2F, SM City Cebu, North Reclamation Area, Mabolo Cebu City
  • Contact details: 032-239-8435 and 0956-551-9834
• Level 3, SM City Davao, Quimpo Blvd., Talomo Davao City
  • Contact details: 082-225-8920 and 0917-321-1328

Friendship Tours and Resorts Corporation

• 3/F, Dusit Thani Manila, Ayala Center, Makati City
  • Contact details: 02-8810-9622, 02-8819-5644, and 0915-839-4654
• Unit 2-508, 5/F, OITC 2 Building, Oakridge Business Park, A.S. Fortune Street, Banilad, Mandaue City, Cebu
  • Contact details: 032-345-3459 and 032-344-4825, and 0917-724-3373

Tips for a Successful Japan Visa Application

Best to bring an original copy of the needed documents

Before heading to the accredited travel agency, make sure you have all the necessary documents with you. As per the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, visa applicants should submit the original copy. In case you would like to keep the original copy, you can attach a letter explaining the reason why you are not able to submit the original copy.

Have enough money declared on the bank certificate

For the bank certificate, especially for first-time travelers to Japan, the statement should show that the applicant has enough money for the duration of the trip. Although there is no definite figure, it would be safest to have P100,000 in your bank statement if you're applying for a single-entry visa for a week's worth of traveling. 

In some cases of Japanese visa applications, an amount lower than P100,000 can still result in a visa application being approved. In the same vein, a bank certificate with an amount higher than P100,000 does not guarantee an approved visa.

Here's what a Japanese visa looks like:

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take for a Japanese visa application to get approved?

A Japanese visa application typically takes five working days after the acceptance of the application. It will take longer if there are many visa applications than usual, or if there are needed additional documents that would require more back-and-forth between the Embassy and the applicant.

How can I check the status of my Japan visa application?

The Embassy of Japan in the Philippines does not have an online tracker to check the status of Japanese visa applications. What you can do is call the accredited travel agency you applied to, and check the Japanese visa application progression from there. 

Why did my Japanese visa application get rejected?

It can be many reasons, such as incomplete requirements or insufficient funds, but whatever it is, the Japanese Embassy will not specify the reason. Even with a Certificate of Eligibility, this does not assure an approved visa application.

Can I reapply after a rejected Japanese visa application?

The Japanese Embassy will not entertain applications from applicants who were recently rejected or denied a Japanese visa. A minimum of six months is required before reapplying, prior to the results.

Although the Embassy does not typically accept re-applications within six months, there are very special cases in which they do. If there were significant changes in your life that could change the results, you will have to consult with the Japanese Embassy or Consulate where you plan to apply for the visa before making the application.

Do I need to take a COVID test before flying to Japan?

Passengers who have been fully vaccinated and with boosters that are approved by the Japanese government do not require taking a pre-travel COVID-19 antigen test. If your Japanese visa is approved, double-check that all of your vaccination certificates are with you.

Applying for a Japanese visa is fairly easy, as long as you have the necessary requirements for the visa you're applying for. And yes, this includes having enough money to fund your stay in Japan.

Once your Japanese visa is approved, it is best to do your research on where you're traveling to. There are different airports in the country such as Fukuoka, Nagoya, Tokyo (Kansai), and Osaka (Narita), and it would be best to research if each airline has its own travel restrictions and additional requirements and procedures. 

Once you've successfully landed in Japan, all the trouble  you went through will feel worth it. Capture all the scenic destinations of Japan and treat yourself to a hearty meal and matcha dessert, because, well, you deserve it.

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