Japan tourist visa and visa-free entry

Japan has visa exemption arrangements with about 70 countries and regions, including the EU states, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, South Korea and Türkiye. The stay is usually up to 90 days (shorter for some nationalities), some exemptions require a machine-readable, ICAO-compliant passport, and it covers sightseeing, attending conferences, business meetings and contract negotiations, visiting relatives and similar activities that bring no income from Japan.

Holders of non-machine-readable passports may face strict checks or refusal of landing. Even when visa-exempt, you must convince the officer of the purpose and your departure, so carry a return ticket and accommodation details.

Nationals without an exemption apply before travel at the Japanese embassy or consulate for their place of residence. Missions take applications only from residents of their jurisdiction, and foreigners applying outside their country of nationality show their residence status there; some missions do not accept holders of short-term residence permits, who must apply in their home country or another country where they hold long-term residence.

Residents of several countries, including the United Kingdom, the USA, Canada, Australia and Brazil, can obtain a single-entry tourist visa online through JAPAN eVISA. Residents of countries not on the eVISA list apply at a mission.

Tourism: passport, form, photo, flight itinerary, day-by-day schedule with hotel details and proof of funds. Business: add an employer letter and the Japanese company's invitation letter. Family or friend visits: proof of the relationship and the host's invitation letter. If the Japanese side pays, it submits a letter of guarantee with its own income proof and residence certificate.

Visitors give fingerprints and a facial photo at immigration and receive a landing sticker; no residence card is issued. You can pre-register immigration and customs data in Visit Japan Web to get a QR code. Travel medical insurance is not compulsory but MOFA strongly advises it because treatment costs are high.

Temporary Visitor stays are extended only in genuinely unavoidable cases, for example illness that prevents travel; you apply at the regional immigration bureau with a medical certificate, proof of funds and onward travel. Overstaying, even by a day, can lead to deportation and a re-entry ban.