Do I Need A Visa For Japan?

Most tourists to Japan can get a temporary visitor’s visa on arrival in Japan. Here’s a rundown of what to expect at immigration and whether you’re eligible to extend your visa

Visa

Most nationalities visiting Japan are issued a 90-day visitor visa upon arrival in Japan that cannot be extended within Japan (first list). Obviously, 90 days is more than enough for most tourist purposes. Some lucky countries are issued a 90-day visitor visa upon arrival that can be extended for another 90 days within Japan (second list). Other countries are issued 15-day visitor visas on arrival (third list).

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Check-in date

Check-out date

Visitors from the following countries are issued 90-day temporary visitor visas upon arrival:

• Australia
• Canada
• France
• Hong Kong
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Malaysia
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Republic of Korea
• Singapore
• Spain
• Taiwan
• USA

Visitors from a few countries are issued 90-day temporary visitor visas upon arrival and can usually extend these for another 90 days at an immigration office in Japan (i.e., you do not have to leave Japan to do this):

• Austria
• Germany
• Ireland
• Mexico
• Switzerland
• UK

Visitors from the following countries are issued 15-day temporary visitor visas upon arrival:

• Brunei
• Thailand

Do I Need To Show Proof Of Onward Travel?

Technically, you must be able to show proof of onward travel when entering Japan. In practice, immigration officers rarely ask to see this. However, if they were looking for a reason to refuse you entry, this would be an easy way to do so (if indeed you didn’t have an onward ticket).

Proof Of Sufficient Funds

You should be able to show proof of sufficient funds to travel for the length of your stay in Japan. This could involve a credit card, a large wad of cash or a bank statement. Again, immigration officers rarely ask to see this, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.

Note that all foreign visitors to Japan are photographed and fingerprinted upon entry (when you show your passport).

How To Extend Your Visa

If you want to extend your visa or deal with any other immigration-related issue, visit the Osaka Immigration Bureau Kyoto Branch. It located on the 4th floor of the Dai Ni Chiho Godochosha Building at 34-12 Higashi Marutamachi, Kawabata Higashi-iru, Sakyo-ku. It’s a 5-minute walk from the Keihan line’s Marutamachi Station.

Kyoto District Map

• Arashiyama
• Central Kyoto
• Northwest Kyoto
• Nishijin
• Northern Higashiyama
• Southern Higashiyama
• Downtown Kyoto
• Kyoto Station Area
• South East Kyoto

About InsideKyoto.com and Chris Rowthorn

• Chris Rowthorn is the co-founder of InsideKyoto.com and has an unparalleled travel knowledge of Kyoto spanning three decades. Chris has written or commissioned and edited every page on the Inside Kyoto website.
• A former author of Lonely Planet Kyoto and Lonely Planet Japan guidebooks, Chris is also the director of the Kyoto walking tour company Chris Rowthorn Tours, and Japan Travel Consulting, where you can get bespoke travel advice for your Japan trip.
• InsideKyoto.com has been cited by the New York Times and The Times of London, among many other publications and websites.