Visa to Japan – independently, requirements, cost

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The simplification of the procedure for obtaining a visa to Japan has finally happened: from January 1, 2021, independent tourists are freed from the need to resort to the services of a Japanese travel guarantor - thus, the inviting party is eliminated. From now on, individual travelers just need to provide the consulate with a simple list of documents, almost no different from the standard Schengen one. There is still no visa fee. Well, upon arrival at the airport you will have to undergo a palm scan and facial photography.

Russian citizens can apply for multiple-entry tourist visas to Japan for a period of 3 years. In this case, the duration of stay in the country should not exceed 30 days.

From Vladivostok to Japan without a visa

The only option to get to Japan without a visa is to take a ferry from Vladivostok.
Regardless of the purpose of the trip, every tourist needs a visa to Japan. Therefore, first familiarize yourself with the list of required documents, the requirements for obtaining an entry document, and then begin this process.

The only option to enter the country without a visa document is to travel from Vladivostok to Japan by ferry. In this case, if you have a foreign passport and fill out a special form (issued on the ferry), an entry stamp is issued, which allows you to stay in Japan for no more than 3 days.

Possible reasons for visa refusal

The employees of the Japanese embassy are big reinsurers. Everything must meet entirely their requirements and instructions, such is the mentality of these Asian people. It happens that they refuse to issue another permit to a tourist who has already visited their homeland several times. Despite the fact that a citizen has not violated any laws or been under suspicion, he may still be refused.

No one will explain the real reason. Perhaps it’s not even about you personally; there could have been changes in personnel, and the new boss is simply playing it safe, refusing all, in his opinion, unsuitable candidates. If a refusal is received, a new application can be submitted after six months.

Types of visas

This is what a Japanese visa looks like in a passport.

The types of Japanese visas are determined depending on the duration of the trip. For short-term travel:

1. Business (multiple and single). Issued to citizens of the Russian Federation traveling to the Land of the Rising Sun to attend conferences, symposiums, and business meetings.
2. Tourist. Sightseeing, cultural treasures, relaxation.
3. Guest cards to visit friends.
4. Guest rooms, for visiting relatives.

Any short-term Japanese visa is issued for 90 days, with the possibility of a single entry into the country and a stay there of no more than 15 days. If several trips are necessary, a multiple entry document is provided.

It is important to know! When traveling to Japan with a tourist entry document, the tourist does not have the right to get a job.

If there is a long trip ahead, long-term entry documents are issued. Their receipt is possible only if the purpose of the trip is significant by the standards of the Japanese authorities. Most popular visas:

• educational or student (provide for education in the country);
• medical (for treatment);
• workers or Certificate of Eligibility, provide for employment in the country, an employment contract with the host company is required;
• visas for husband or wife (travel to a spouse officially staying in the territory of the state).

The validity period of a long-term visa is 1 year without the possibility of extension. After the validity period expires, you need to fill out the document again, but the procedure is much faster.

A separate category of visa is transit. Its registration is mandatory (except for force majeure). This visa is valid for 72 hours.

Types of visas by purpose and conditions of stay

All visas can be divided into the following types:

1. Short-term visa without work permit. The maximum period of stay in the country is 90 days. What could be the goals:

• Tourism is a trip guaranteed by a travel agency. The trip will be legal and conducted legally, and will also be registered in the register of tour operators.
• Visitor visa – visiting local residents:

1. Friends.
2. Familiar.
3. Invitation from a private person.
4. Relatives.

• Family – visiting relatives who are relatives up to the 3rd generation.
• Business – a one-time visit to the country for business purposes . It can be:

1. Entrepreneurship and business affairs (negotiations, business meetings, meetings, business trips, contracting, marketing, advertising).
2. Taking part in certain activities.
3. Short-term internship.
4. Exchange (cultural, sports, etc.).

• Business – short-term, multiple visits . This may include:

1. Business (has the same characteristics as in a one-time visit, but here there is the opportunity to cross borders with wife/husband and children).
2. Exchange (similar to a one-time visit, but with permission to enter with close relatives).
3. Short-term visas for the spouse of a Japanese citizen who resides in Russia for a long time. Can be single or multiple.

• Medical visa (issued for the purpose of staying in Japan for medical treatment) . Covers a wide range of medical services - from preventive treatment in medical institutions to therapy at hot springs. The visa can be single or multiple with a period of 3 years with a one-time stay in Japan for 3 days.
• Long-term visa (for the purpose of long-term residence or work activities). Finding purposes:

1. Living in Japan for more than 3 months.
2. Carrying out work that involves remuneration (the length of tenure does not play a significant role).
3. Apparatus employed.

• Transit visa (for the purpose of transfer in Japan on the way to a third country). This visa is permitted if the maximum period of stay in the country does not exceed 3 days. If your plans include sightseeing during your transfer, you will need a completely different visa. If you are on a sea cruise, it is prohibited to go ashore with a transit visa.

How to get a visa to Japan on your own?

To obtain a visa to Japan on your own, you must contact the embassy.

Many tourists are interested in how to get a visa to Japan on their own. To do this, they go to the Embassy or Consulate of the country with a prepared package of necessary papers.

If you don’t want to deal with all the bureaucratic red tape yourself, you can turn to intermediary firms or travel agencies, but the prices for their services are quite significant.

Where to apply for a visa

The application and documents for a visa to Japan are submitted to the Consular Section of the Japanese Embassy in Russia (based on the territorial basis of the applicant’s area of ​​residence). Documents are submitted in person or through a representative. A power of attorney is issued to the representative in simple written form. If a visa is issued through an agency, then the power of attorney is issued to a specific person of this agency. Documents sent by mail or email will not be accepted for consideration.

Embassy of Japan in Moscow. Here residents of the capital and other Russian cities can apply for a visa. The applicant must submit all documents personally or through an authorized representative. The application will be reviewed within 4 working days.

Documents for a visa to Japan

There is a mandatory package of documents for a Japan visa that must be provided.
Sometimes other additional papers may be required. They highlight the required documents for a visa to Japan and those that may be required depending on the type of trip.

Note! A visa to Japan is not issued without an official invitation from a legal or natural person of the state.

Each type of document requires its own invitation. The inviting party must send:

• a letter stating the purpose and reason for the trip;
• a detailed plan for each day of the trip;
• letter of guarantee.

Also, the organization acting as a guarantor must send official information about itself. If this is a tourist trip, all information is issued by a travel agency.

The applicant will be required to:

Additionally, before applying for a visa to Japan, you need to ensure that you have the following documents:

• original round-trip tickets;
• letter from sponsors (for unemployed citizens);
• copies of student ID (for students) and notification from school (for schoolchildren), copies of pension certificate (for pensioners).

When traveling in transit, you will need a transit visa for your destination.

Note! If a third party (even a travel agency employee) is handling the paperwork, he must have a power of attorney for this, approved by a notary.

When traveling to Tokyo, be prepared to go through immigration control procedures (face photography and palm scanning). Only children and diplomats will be exempt from this.

Application form for a visa to Japan (173 Downloads) Sample of filling out an application form for a visa to Japan (180 Downloads) Memo on filling out a visa application form for Japan (164 Downloads) Letter of guarantee for a visa to Japan (to be filled out by the Japanese side) (165 Downloads) Invitation from Japan for a single entry visas (to be completed by the Japanese side) (136 Downloads) Invitation from Japan for a multiple-entry visa (to be filled out by the Japanese side) (134 Downloads) Stay program for a Japanese visa and a sample of its completion (155 Downloads)

Short stay visas

Short-term visas are issued, as a rule, for tourists and guests visiting Japan, as well as for short business trips at the initiative of the organization in which the citizen works, or a public organization of which the citizen is a member (unions, societies).

A single continuous stay in the country is limited and cannot exceed 15 days within the framework of a short-term visa (and within the validity period of the passport). In this case, departure to Japan and return entry to Russia should be carried out only within the period of time provided by the visa.

The validity of a short-term visa cannot be extended under any circumstances.

This is what a short-term tourist visa for 15 days in Japan looks like. It will be pasted into your passport.

Tourist visa

A tourist visa to Japan is issued to citizens who wish to visit Japan on a tour package or independently without the help of intermediaries. If Russian citizens go on a trip to Japan on a purchased tour package, the tour operator takes on all the hassle of obtaining a visa.

The cherry blossom season on average starts at the end of March, but depending on the region and weather, it may not begin until the end of April. At this time, tourists from all over the world, including from Russia, arrive in the land of the rising sun. So, if your trip is planned during the hanami season, we recommend that you take care of a visa in advance.

To obtain a tourist visa, a traveling person is required to submit the following main (basic) package of documents:

• a questionnaire containing a person’s application requesting a visa, according to the established template, filled out in 2 copies in English;
• original international passport and copies of its pages with personal data (the passport must be valid for six months at the time of return);
• copies of pages with personal data of a general passport;
• two photographs (color or black and white) 4.5x4.5 format; photographs must be fairly recent, no more than six months old;
• a certificate from the employer about the position and salary, for non-employees - a sponsorship letter, as well as for students - a copy of the student card, for schoolchildren - a certificate from school; for pensioners - a copy of the pension certificate;
• originals of round trip travel documents;
• documents confirming the availability of accommodation reservation;
• bank statement showing the availability of funds (at the rate of $400 per day);
• program of stay indicating specific cities and places to visit;
• questionnaire (when using the services of a visa center).

If the visa is issued through a tour operator, a notarized power of attorney is required for a specific travel agency employee to represent your interests when obtaining a visa. No insurance required.

Transit visa

The shortest visas are transit visas, issued for a period of no more than 72 hours (3 days). A transit visa to Japan is issued in case of a trip to a third country in transit through Japan. In case of a transfer at the airport within 24 hours, a transit visa is not required, and in the presence of force majeure - up to 72 hours, about which a special mark (sticker) is placed in the international passport during the period of stay in the transit zone. In this case, leaving the transit zone is not allowed.

Narita Airport is the second busiest airport in Japan. It is located 75 km from Tokyo, so upon arrival, be prepared to travel to the city center for 1.5 to 3 hours.

A transit visa is required if you plan to leave the airport. A visa must be issued in advance, before the start of the trip. To obtain a visa, in addition to the main package of documents (application form, passport, photographs), you must additionally submit air tickets to Japan and air tickets for a flight from Japan to a third country, as well as evidence of obtaining a visa to a third country, if a visa regime is provided for that country.

In the case of a cruise through Japan, you will need to apply for a short-term visa in order to be able to disembark on Japanese shores. In any case, it is advisable to obtain a transit visa in order to feel more free and protected, in order to avoid any extreme situations at the airport at any time of the day.

Business trip/cultural exchange

If this is a business trip (a business trip abroad), then in addition to the main package of documents from the place of work, a copy of the business trip order is submitted, as well as an official letter from the organization confirming the purposes of the stay in the country and the program of stay.

Visa to visit relatives/friends

In the case when a Russian citizen wants to visit Japan on his own, he applies for a visitor visa (when visiting friends or relatives). In this case, in addition to the documents listed above, in order to obtain a visa to Japan, a Russian citizen must have in the package of documents that he submits independently to the embassy (consulate):

• a document confirming the applicant’s family ties with the inviting person;
• a letter from the inviting person indicating the place of residence and description.

Tourist, visitor, business, and transit visas do not entitle a citizen to work or engage in other activities aimed at generating income in Japan.

Japanese visa with a child

When traveling with children, you must prepare additional documents.
When traveling with children, you additionally need to prepare:

• a copy of the child's birth certificate;
• a certificate from the place of his studies;
• a notarized power of attorney for the parent who is traveling with the young tourist.

When traveling with third parties, you also need an additional power of attorney from your parents/guardians.

How long to wait for a permit to be issued?

In most cases, the visa processing time does not exceed 4 days (only workers are taken into account) . However, express registration is not provided. During holidays (in Russia, Japan), the delivery time may increase. There is no need to make an appointment in advance, because papers are accepted taking into account a simple queue.

A delay in obtaining a visa to Japan for Russians is possible if it is necessary to clarify a number of parameters. In this case, the Consulate submits a request for the transfer of additional documents. When calculating working days, the Japanese calendar is taken into account.

How much does a visa to Japan cost?

If you need to urgently obtain a visa to Japan, the cost will be 10 thousand yen, if applying in the usual way - 4 thousand yen.
When issuing an entry document in the usual manner, the tourist will not have to pay anything (except for the cost of sending documents).

If you need to obtain an urgent visa, the cost of a visa to Japan will be 10 thousand yen when applying less than 4 days before departure, and 4 thousand yen when submitting documents 5 days before the departure date.

Basic list of required documents

The list of documents required to obtain a visa to Japan depends on the purpose of visiting the country. However, it is possible to identify a basic package of documents common to all cases of applying for a visa:

• visa application form according to the established template in 2 copies (with all points of the application form filled out without gaps);
• original passport and copies of its pages with personal data (main spread with passport data and photograph);
• copy of internal passport (copies of pages with photo and place of registration);
• two photographs (color or black and white) 4.5x4.5 cm;
• a document confirming the ability to pay for the trip (certificate of earnings or bank account status);
• air ticket reservations (or original round trip travel documents);
• a document confirming the relationship between the applicant and the inviting person (birth certificate, marriage certificate, etc.);
• a letter explaining the need for multiple visits (when applying for a multiple-entry visa);
• letter from the inviting party explaining the purpose of the visit (original);
• program of stay (indicating specific cities, places to visit, times of entry and exit, address of place of residence, main events);
• power of attorney (if documents are submitted through a representative, in free form, indicating the contact details of the authorized person, does not require notarization).

Documents for a visa to Japan are prepared in A4 format and are not stapled or stapled. After consideration, they are not returned (except for the international passport). It is recommended to keep copies of the documents submitted to the embassy in case questions arise during consideration.

Before submitting, it is recommended to carefully check your documents to avoid returning them for revision and to obtain a Japanese visa as quickly as possible.