> Source: MOFA — Visa Frequently Asked Questions · MOFA last updated March 31, 2023.
1. Prior to the Application
Q1. Do I need a visa to travel to Japan?
Citizens of certain countries/regions do not need a visa if their stay in Japan is 90 days or less and they will not engage in income-earning activities. See the List of Visa-Exempt Countries and Regions — 74 countries and regions per MOFA's 2025-09-01 update.
Q2. How do I invite a foreign national to Japan?
(1) Short-term stay (≤90 days, no income paid): prepare a Letter of Reason for Invitation and a Schedule of Stay. For invitees from China / Russia / CIS / Georgia, if you will pay travel expenses on the invitee's behalf, also prepare a Letter of Guarantee, the guarantor's certificate of residence, and proof of the guarantor's financial capacity (regardless of the applicant's nationality).
(2) Long-term stay (spouse, work, study, etc.): start by applying to the nearest Regional Immigration Services Bureau in Japan for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE).
(3) Once prepared, send all documents to the visa applicant.
Q3. What should I do to get a Certificate of Eligibility (COE)?
Ask your proxy inside Japan to consult with the nearest Regional Immigration Services Bureau. See our COE guide for the standard process.
Q4. The COE will not arrive by the time I apply for a visa. Can I apply with a copy?
Yes. Since March 17, 2023, the COE can be received by email, and you can apply for a visa or for landing by presenting the email or a printed copy. Holders of paper COEs can also apply with a printed copy after that date.
Q5. Must I go to the Japanese Embassy/Consulate in person to apply?
There are four ways to apply:
- The applicant goes directly to the Japanese Embassy/Consulate-General.
- The applicant writes a Letter of Proxy and sends a proxy in their place.
- The applicant uses a travel agent accredited by the Japanese Embassy/Consulate.
- The applicant uses the JAPAN eVISA website to apply online.
Q6. Can I apply for a visa at the nearest Japanese Embassy while traveling abroad?
No. You must apply in your country (region) of nationality OR country (region) of residence. Travel destinations do not qualify. If unavoidable circumstances exist, consult the embassy/consulate where you wish to apply BEFORE submitting.
Q7. Why was my visa application not accepted?
Possible reasons for non-acceptance (procedural — distinct from a substantive rejection after examination):
- The applicant holds Japanese nationality.
- Application made outside the applicant's country/region of birth or residence.
- The applicant currently holds a valid visa or re-entry permit.
- A previous visa application for the same purpose was rejected within the past 6 months.
- The application is already being processed at a different Japanese Embassy/Consulate.
- Errors or omissions in the submitted documents.
- Insufficient passport validity or visa-attachment space.
- The proxy applicant lacks proxy qualifications.
- A Certificate of Eligibility application is still pending.
2. Application Examination
Q1. How long does the application examination take?
Usually about 5–10 working days. MOFA's standard processing period is 5 working days from the day after acceptance, when the application is straightforward. May take longer (weeks to months) if a high volume of applications is received, additional documents/interviews are required, or the application is for long-term stay without a COE. Apply well in advance of your travel date.
Q2. Why was I asked to provide additional documents?
Each applicant has different circumstances. Some required documents are not requested up front because they only become relevant after initial review of the application. If you do not submit the additional documents requested, the examination cannot proceed and the visa will not be issued.
Q3. My departure date is approaching — can you issue the visa faster?
No. Decisions are made in the order applications are received and only after examination is complete. Apply as soon as your travel plans are confirmed.
3. Issuance or Rejection of the Visa Application
Q1. Why was my visa application rejected? Tell me the specific reason.
The reason is that the application did not meet the criteria for visa issuance. Specific reasons are not disclosed because doing so could enable applicants to circumvent the visa examination process. Legal basis: Administrative Procedure Act, Article 3, Paragraph 1, Item 10 excludes "dispositions concerning departure and immigration of foreign nationals" from the obligation to show examination criteria or rejection reasons. See our COE rejection reasons guide for an analysis of the most common patterns.
Q2. Why was my visa application rejected even though a COE was issued?
A COE does not guarantee visa issuance. The COE certifies only that the Ministry of Justice considers the applicant's planned activity in Japan to be non-fraudulent and qualified for a residence status. The visa examination by the Embassy/Consulate is a separate step that verifies the applicant's identity, passport validity, and other criteria. If the application fails to meet these criteria, or the COE is found to have been issued based on mistaken or fraudulent information, the visa is not issued.
Q3. Why can't I reapply immediately after a rejection?
For the same purpose of visit, re-application is not accepted within 6 months of rejection — circumstances are unlikely to change in such a short time, and the result would be the same. Exceptions are sometimes made if circumstances have significantly changed and travel is necessary for humanitarian reasons; consult the embassy/consulate before reapplying.
Q4. Can I pay visa fees with a credit card or check?
Cash in local currency only, in principle. The exception: applications via the JAPAN eVISA website accept online credit card payment for certain countries/regions. Visa fees are not charged if the visa is not issued.
4. Prior to Entering Japan
Q1. I want to postpone my travel — for how long is my visa valid?
A single-entry visa (which becomes invalid as soon as you enter Japan) is valid for 3 months from issuance. Enter Japan within 3 months. If you wish to postpone longer, you must apply for a new visa.
Q2. I have decided not to invite a foreign national to Japan after all.
Email the Embassy/Consulate that issued the visa to report the cancelled invitation, including the visa applicant's identification details. Have the visa applicant bring their passport to the Japanese Embassy/Consulate to cancel the visa. Visa fees are not refunded even when the visa is cancelled before use.
Q3. I lost my passport with the visa in it. What should I do?
Contact the Japanese Embassy/Consulate that issued the visa. File a lost-property report with the local police. If you still need to travel to Japan, you must apply for a new visa.
Q4. Why was my application to enter Japan rejected even though I had a valid visa?
A valid visa is one of several requirements for landing — it does not guarantee entry. (The visa application form contains a warning to this effect, and your signature acknowledges it.) Examples of denied entry despite a valid visa: the person presenting the visa is different from the visa holder; or the immigration officer cannot verify the planned activities in Japan.
5. Other
Q1. How is my personal information handled?
Personal information of the visa applicant, inviting person, and guarantor is managed in accordance with the Act on the Protection of Personal Information at Japanese Embassies/Consulates. Local accredited travel agencies handling visa applications must agree to the same management criteria as a condition of accreditation.
Q2. What is the legal basis for visa issuance or non-issuance?
Under international customary law, visa decisions are a sovereign act of each country. Japanese consuls administer visas under the Act for Establishment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Article 4 Item 13, Article 7 Item 1, and Article 10 Items 2 and 3).
Q3. Isn't refusing a visa to a Japanese spouse an infringement of human rights?
Entering Japan is not a right for foreign nationals, so refusal is not a human-rights infringement. Japan applies careful examinations to spouse visas in part to protect against human trafficking — economically and socially vulnerable applicants from developing countries have historically been brought to developed countries for fake marriages and illegal work. Careful examination is a protective measure, not discrimination.
Q4. Isn't it unfair that countries which exempt Japanese tourists from visas still require their citizens to get a Japanese visa?
Visa exemptions are not necessarily bilateral. Many developing countries grant Japanese citizens visa exemption unilaterally because accepting Japanese travelers is economically advantageous for them. If Japan reciprocated to all such countries, internal security and national interests could be negatively affected (illegal overstays, illegal work, etc.). Japan considers exemption arrangements comprehensively, on a case-by-case basis.