What You Need to Know about Japan Visas

Anyone who wants to enter Japan will need to secure a Japanese visa first. The visa, however, may not be necessary in some cases. This travel document is often confused with the landing permission, which is the seal stamped in your passport by the immigration officer upon your arrival. It is this landing permission, not the visa, which allows you to enter the country on your first visit.

The country currently issues two types of Japan visas: the seal type, in which a visa seal is tucked inside the passport, and the stamp type, in which a visa stamp is impressed or marked on your passport.

Overseas Japanese diplomatic offices that issue a lot of visas each year use the seal type. Examples are Thailand, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, and Hong Kong. Other Japanese diplomatic establishments issue the stamp type.

Types Available

The Japanese embassies and diplomatic offices issue different types of visas, according to the purpose of your visit. Each has a different residence status, term of residence, and range of foreigners who are allowed to enter the country.

Diplomatic visa- This type of visa is issued to diplomats with missions in Japan, or other members of diplomatic offices, as well as officers of United Nations, and family members.

Working visa- This type of visa is available to workers such as artists, professors, journalists, investors, managers, doctors, engineers, entertainers and more. The visa can range from a year to three.

Temporary Visitor’s or Tourist visa- This type of visa is for people who want to visit Japan for purposes of sightseeing, sports, visiting relatives, attending ceremonies, participating in tournaments, contests, as well as trade fairs. It allows you to stay in the country for 15-90 days.

Transit visa- This type of visa is for foreigners who are traveling to another foreign country through Japan, and who wants to stay in the country for a period of time up to 15 days.

General visa- This type of visa is for people who are entering the country for cultural activities that do not provide any form of income. These activities can involve learning Japanese culture or arts from experts. Examples are classes on judo and tea ceremony. Precollege and college students are also included in this category.

Requirements

To apply and acquire a Japanese visa requires several documents:

• Passport
• Completed application form for the type of visa you are applying
• Recent and decent photographs
• Your original return sea or air ticket or a copy of it for temporary visa category
• Proof of sufficient funds for your stay such as your recent bank statement
• Proof of accommodation and contact in Japan for temporary visa
• Original or photocopy of your certificate of eligibility for the working visa category
• Invitation or letter from the institution you are attending for your studies for the general visa category
• Fee

Additional Information

You can do everything conveniently on the Internet. Simply go the website of the Japanese embassy or consulate in your country and look for the particular application form you need. You may submit them through various means. One way is to contact their call center and book for a roundtrip courier service. Another way is to submit these travel documents personally or through a representative at the center designated by the embassy. After getting your Japanese Visa, time to head to Tokyo, Japan, which was rated no.7 on the Top Ten Tourist Hospots and be able to learn how to make sushi.