Japan Visa Guide: Visa Requirements & Application For Tourists

Japan is one of the most visited tourist destinations in East Asia. It has a visa exemption arrangement for short-term stays for certain countries, unfortunately, the Philippines is not on that list of Japan visa exemptions. The list of requirements can be intimidating but processing your Japan visa is quite easy, especially since an accredited agency will guide you and make sure that your requirements are complete. Read below for the step-by-step process of obtaining your Japan visa. You can also check our Japan travel guides here.

Japan Visa Application Steps Simplified

Simply put, here are the steps for obtaining your Japanese visa:

1. Complete the list of documents and requirements
2. Find an accredited travel agency
3. Submit the documents and requirements
4. Pay the visa processing fee
5. Wait for your visa approval and claim from the travel agency

Japan Visa Complete List Of Requirements

Important Reminder: All the required documents must be on A4 size paper! Provide the original copy, unless, it is stated that a photocopy will do.

Japan Visa Application Form

You may download the form here (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan website) or your travel agency may provide you with the form
Handwritten or printed are both accepted
Use only nonerasable black pen or black ink
Avoid erasures and do not use correction liquid
Do not leave fields blank, put NA if not applicable

Philippine Passport

At least six months of validity
Must have a signature
Must have at least two blank pages
In good condition, a broken passport is not accepted

ID Photo

If you’re having your photo taken from a photography shop, tell the photographer it’s for a Japan visa application and they will know the specifications such as size and background color
The photo size is 4.5cm x 3.5cm
The background should be white
Taken in the last six months
Name and birth date written on the back
Paste on the application form, do not use a stapler

PSA Birth Certificate

You can order online from the PSA website, it takes 3 to 8 working days depending on your location
Must be issued within the last 12 months, otherwise, it will be rejected
If your birth certificate is unreadable or has incomplete information, submit the birth certificate issued by the PSA together with a birth certificate issued by the Local Civil Registrar
If there is no record in the PSA, submit a “Certificate of Non-Record” from the PSA together with a birth certificate from the Local Civil Registrar
If your birth certificate is registered late (late registration), you need to procure two additional documents, photocopies will do; (1) a Baptismal Certificate and (2) your Elementary School Record Form 137

PSA Marriage Certificate

For married applicants only, skip to the next section if you’re single!
You can order online from the PSA website, it takes 3 to 8 working days depending on your location
Must be issued within the last 12 months, otherwise, it will be rejected
If there is no record in the PSA, submit a “Certificate of Non-Record” from the PSA together with the Marriage Certificate from the Local Civil Registrar

Schedule Of Stay (Taizai Yoteihyo 滞在 予定ヒョ)

You may download the form here (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan website) or your travel agency may provide you with the form
The date at the top of the document should be the date when you prepared the document
You need to provide the day-to-day activities, the activity plan doesn’t have to be as detailed as your actual itinerary
Contact is the phone number or email of your accommodation
Accommodation is your hotel or accommodation name and address
You only need to put the contact and accommodation once then just put “same as above” in the succeeding days

List Of Visa Applicants

For groups / families only, skip to the next section if you’re traveling alone!
You may download the form here (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan website) or your travel agency may provide you with the form
You need to assign a representative applicant who will be the key person in the group

Additional Requirements If Applying Without A Guarantor

You need to submit the requirements below if you will shoulder part or all of your travel expenses:

Bank Certificate with average daily balance (ideal average daily balance is at least PHP100,000), issued within the last three months, if not available, submit a bank statement with transactions for the last three months
Income Tax Return Form 2316 (a photocopy will do)
If ITR Form 2316 is not available, you may opt to provide both your (1) certificate of employment (COE) and a letter of explanation (see sample letter below)

Dear Sir / Madam:

I am writing this letter to express my intent to travel to Japan. I understand that an Income Tax Return (ITR) Form 2316 is one of the requirements for Japan visa application, however, I cannot submit an ITR at the moment because (your reasons). I have attached my certificate of employment instead as a proof of my source of income.

I am a frequent traveler, as shown in my passport. I have traveled to (countries you’ve been to, dates, and who you traveled with). I would love to visit Japan because/to (reasons why you want to travel to Japan).

Thank you and hoping for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Your complete name and signature

Additional Requirements If Applying With A Guarantor

You need to submit the requirements below if a guarantor who lives in the Philippines will shoulder part or all of the applicant’s travel expenses:

You may download the letter of guarantee here (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan website) or your travel agency may provide you with the form
Proof of relationship between applicant and guarantor (e.g. birth certificates)
Bank Certificate of the guarantor
Income Tax Return Form 2316 of the guarantor (a photocopy will do)

Find An Accredited Travel Agency, Submit, And Pay!

Once you’ve completed all of the requirements above, the next step is to find an accredited travel agency. You can do a walk-in or schedule an appointment, depending on the agency. Make sure to reach out first to the travel agency. The agency will check your requirements in person and will ask you to provide more documents as needed or if there are any revisions. Once all the requirements are good, you’ll have to pay the visa processing fee.

Japan Visa List Of Accredited Agencies

You may check the list of accredited travel agencies here (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan website)
I transacted with Discovery Tour in Makati and the processing was quite smooth and the visa officers were very helpful. You may email them at japanvisa@discoverytour.ph to inquire

How Much Is The Japan Visa Processing Fee?

The processing fee rates below are from Discovery Tour:

Single Entry Tourist Visa: PHP1,200 per person
Multiple Entry Tourist Visa: PHP1,500 per person

Japan Visa Approval

After payment, you’ll have to wait around 5 to 10 business days. Once your passport is back at the agency, you’ll have to claim it in person from the travel agency.

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