Japan Visa for Indonesian Citizens
Indonesian citizens don't need a visa for short trips to Japan. Here's how long you can stay, what you can and can't do without a visa, and when you do need one.
No visa needed
For visits of up to 15 days — tourism, business, visiting family or friends — once your ePassport is registered with Japan. Without registration you need a visa.
Condition: Register your ePassport before you go — online (JAVES, free) or at a Japan Visa Application Centre. Travelling unregistered, you will be refused entry at the airport.
- How long
- Up to 15 days per visit
- Not allowed
- Paid work of any kind
- Passport
- ePassport, registered in advance
Last checked 25 September 2026 against the Embassy of Japan in Indonesia and the Consulate-General of Japan in Denpasar.
First: register your ePassport
Visa-free entry for Indonesians works only with an ICAO ePassport (chip logo on the cover) that has been registered with Japan before departure. There are two ways to register:
Online — JAVES (free)
Create an account on the Japan Visa Exemption System (JAVES) and apply. It is for Indonesian nationals living in Indonesia who fly to Japan for a short visit. It takes 2 working days, including the day you apply, and you receive a “Visa Exemption Registration Notice” by email.
On paper — at a Japan Visa Application Centre (JVAC)
Take your ePassport and the registration form to a JVAC (run by VFS Global). The registration itself is free, but JVAC charges an admin fee. It takes 3 working days, including the day you apply, and you get a visa-waiver sticker in your passport.
At the airport
If you registered online, show the registration notice on your own phone or tablet — a printout or screenshot is not accepted. Officers may ask about your plans and for a return or onward ticket.
- Registration is handled by Japan’s embassy and consulates in Indonesia.
- The registration is valid for 3 years, or until the passport expires if that is sooner, and covers any number of trips of up to 15 days.
- New passport or a change of name: register again. Travelling on a new, unregistered passport means being refused entry.
- Registration does not guarantee entry. People who were deported, are in a ban period, or served a prison sentence of 1 year or more cannot enter even when registered.
How long can you stay?
Up to 15 days each time you enter
At the airport the immigration officer grants you Temporary Visitor status and puts a landing permission seal in your passport showing how long you may stay.
Extending is the exception, not the rule
A visa-free stay is extended only for truly unavoidable reasons — the Immigration Services Agency gives medical treatment as the example. More sightseeing doesn't qualify. You apply at a regional immigration bureau before your permitted stay ends.
Leaving and coming back doesn't reset the clock
Japan publishes no yearly limit, but every entry is examined. If you spend most of the year in Japan on back-to-back visitor entries, you can be refused entry.
Don't overstay
Staying past your permitted date breaks the Immigration Control Act: you can be deported and refused re-entry to Japan for years (5 years after a first deportation).
What you can do without a visa
✓ Fine on a visa-free visit
- Sightseeing, holidays and sport
- Visiting family or friends
- Business meetings, negotiations, market research, after-sales service and conferences — as long as you don't earn income in Japan
- Short courses, study tours and site visits
✕ Needs a visa, even for a short trip
- Any paid work or income-earning activity in Japan
- Staying longer than 15 days
- Working, studying or living in Japan long-term
Who this applies to
It follows your passport, not where you live.
Indonesian citizens are covered wherever they live. Living in Indonesia on another passport? Your own nationality decides — check the list of visa-free countries.
Your passport must meet a condition.
Visa-free entry applies only if your ICAO-standard ePassport has been registered with a Japanese embassy or consulate. The registration is valid for 3 years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. Without it you need a visa.
Children too.
Children travelling on their own passport get the same visa-free entry.
Your passport must last the whole trip.
It must be valid for your entire stay in Japan.
Foreign residents of Indonesia
If you live in Indonesia but your passport needs a visa for Japan, you can apply for a single-entry tourist visa through an accredited agency and get it electronically (eVISA).
When you need a visa — and how to get one
To work, study, join family or stay longer than 15 days, the Japanese side — your employer, school or family — first applies for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE). You then take it to a Japanese embassy or consulate for the visa.
Work visas
Engineer / Humanities, Highly Skilled Professional and more
See details →
Digital Nomad
Up to 6 months of remote work for a foreign employer — Indonesian citizens are eligible
See details →
Student
Language schools, vocational schools and universities
See details →
Spouse / Child of Japanese National
Marriage to a Japanese national
See details →
If you do need a visa: applying in Indonesia
| Where | Japan Visa Application Centres (JVAC, run by VFS Global) in Jakarta (Kuningan City), Surabaya, Medan, Denpasar and Makassar — at the one for the Japanese office that covers your province (table below). The embassy itself does not take applications. |
| How | Book an appointment on the VFS website (walk-ins may wait a long time). |
| How long | At least 5 working days after the documents are received. Tourist visas are now usually issued as an eVISA that you show on your phone. |
| Japanese office | Covers |
|---|---|
| Embassy, Jakarta | Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, South Sumatra, Bangka Belitung, Bengkulu, Lampung |
| Consulate-General, Surabaya | East Java, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, South Kalimantan |
| Consular Office, Makassar | North, Central, Southeast, South and West Sulawesi, Gorontalo, North Maluku, Maluku, Papua, West Papua |
| Consulate-General, Denpasar | Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara |
| Consulate-General, Medan | Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Jambi, Riau, Riau Islands |
Coming later: JESTA
Japan has passed a law for JESTA, an online pre-travel authorisation for visa-free visitors, similar to the U.S. ESTA. It must start by 31 March 2029; the start date and fee haven't been announced. Until then there is nothing to apply for — ignore websites that offer it.
Frequently asked questions
Do Indonesian citizens need a visa for Japan?
Not for visits of up to 15 days — tourism, business, visiting family or friends — but only with an ICAO ePassport registered with Japan before departure (online through JAVES, or at a JVAC). Longer stays, work, or a non-electronic passport need a visa.
How long can I stay in Japan without a visa?
Up to 15 days per visit. For a longer trip, apply for a visa before you go.
Can I extend my stay?
Only for truly unavoidable reasons such as medical treatment — apply at a regional immigration bureau before your stay ends. More sightseeing doesn't qualify.
Can I leave Japan and come back for another 15 days?
You can re-enter, but every entry is examined. Repeated long stays that look like living in Japan can be refused.
Can I work in Japan without a visa?
No. Any paid work needs a work visa. Business meetings and conferences are fine as long as you don't earn income in Japan.
Do I need to apply for JESTA?
Not yet. JESTA must start by 31 March 2029, and there is nothing to apply for until it launches.
How long does ePassport registration take?
Online (JAVES): 2 working days, including the day you apply. At a JVAC: 3 working days. The registration then covers any number of trips of up to 15 days for 3 years, or until your passport expires.
Sources
- Embassy of Japan in Indonesia — Visa information (JVAC, visa waiver registration)
- Consulate-General of Japan in Denpasar — visa waiver with ePassport registration
- Consulate-General of Japan in Denpasar — online pre-departure registration (JAVES)
- Embassy of Japan in Indonesia — consular offices and jurisdictions
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan — Exemption of Visa (list of 1 Sep 2025)
- Immigration Services Agency — Temporary Visitor status, extensions (Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency — JESTA (Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency — digital nomad: eligible countries and regions (PDF, Japanese)
Other visa-free nationalities
Planning to stay longer or work in Japan?
Ask us which visa fits your plan — free consultation by email.
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