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How to apply for a Japan visa: embassy, agency, visa centre or online

You apply before you travel, at the Japanese embassy or consulate for the place where you live, or through the channel it names: an accredited agency, a Japan Visa Application Centre or the JAPAN eVISA website. You cannot apply inside Japan, on arrival, or in a country you are only visiting.

Updated

5working days, standard examination
3months to enter after issue
90countries with the submission point listed

Guide

The five steps

Step 1
Prepare the documents. If someone in Japan invites or guarantees you, they send their documents to you, not to the embassy.
Step 2
Apply at the Japanese embassy or consulate for the place you live, at an accredited agency, at a Japan Visa Application Centre or online, whichever that mission specifies.
Step 3
Wait for the examination. The standard time is 5 working days from the day after the application is received. It can take more than a month if the case is referred to Tokyo.
Step 4
Collect the result. The visa fee is paid only if a visa is issued.
Step 5
Enter Japan within 3 months. A single-entry visa is valid for three months and for one entry.
MOFAOnce all the documents are ready, you may apply for a visa at the consular section of the Diplomatic Mission of Japan with jurisdiction over your place of residence, at an accredited agency, the Japan Visa Application Centre, or online, by the method specified by the Diplomatic Mission of Japan where you will submit your applicationVISA
MOFAThere are four ways to apply for a visa: (1) the visa applicant him/herself goes directly to the Japanese Embassy / Consulate General, (2) the visa applicant writes a Letter of Proxy and get a proxy to go to the Japanese Embassy / Consulate General in his / her place, (3) the visa applicant uses an accredited travel agent approved by the Japanese Embassy / Consulate General and (4) the visa applicant uses the JAPAN eVISA website and apply for visa online.Frequently Asked Questions

Which embassy takes your application

Your own country or the country where you live.

MOFAYou can apply for the visa at the Japanese Embassy / Consulate General in your own country (region) or country (region) of residenceFrequently Asked Questions
MOFAIn other words, you cannot apply for a visa at your travel destinationFrequently Asked Questions
MOFAThey cannot be obtained when you arrive in Japan or while you are staying in Japan.VISA

Where applications go, country by country

What 90 Japanese missions say on their own pages about where to hand in a short-term visa application.

Where short-term visa applications are submitted, by country, as stated by each Japanese mission (pages checked 5 October 2026)
Country (mission)Where to submitAppointment
BruneiEmbassy of Japan in Brunei DarussalamEmbassy counter Source—
IndonesiaEmbassy of Japan in IndonesiaJapan Visa Application Centre Source—
MalaysiaEmbassy of Japan in MalaysiaEmbassy counter SourceRequired
South KoreaEmbassy of Japan in the Republic of KoreaAccredited travel agencies Source—
SingaporeEmbassy of Japan in SingaporeJapan Visa Application Centre, JAPAN eVISA Source—
ThailandEmbassy of Japan in ThailandJapan Visa Application Centre (JVAC), Consulate-general Source—
Hong KongConsulate-General of Japan in Hong KongJapan Visa Application Centre, Accredited travel agencies, JAPAN eVISA Source—
MacaoConsulate-General of Japan in Hong KongJapan Visa Application Centre, JAPAN eVISA, Accredited travel agencies Source—
CanadaEmbassy of Japan in CanadaEmbassy counter, Consulate-general, JAPAN eVISA SourceRequired
United StatesEmbassy of Japan in the United States of AmericaEmbassy counter, Travel agencies, JAPAN eVISA SourceNot needed
ArgentinaEmbassy of Japan in ArgentinaEmbassy counter SourceNot needed
BahamasEmbassy of Japan in JamaicaEmbassy counter SourceNot needed
BarbadosEmbassy of Japan in BarbadosEmbassy counter SourceRequired
BrazilEmbassy of Japan in BrazilEmbassy counter, Consulate-general, JAPAN eVISA SourceNot needed
ChileEmbassy of Japan in ChileEmbassy counter SourceRequired
Costa RicaEmbassy of Japan in Costa RicaEmbassy counter SourceRequired
Dominican RepublicEmbassy of Japan in the Dominican RepublicEmbassy counter SourceRequired
El SalvadorEmbassy of Japan in El SalvadorEmbassy counter Source—
GuatemalaEmbassy of Japan in GuatemalaEmbassy counter Source—
PanamaEmbassy of Japan in PanamaEmbassy counter SourceNot needed
ParaguayEmbassy of Japan in ParaguayEmbassy counter Source—
PeruEmbassy of Japan in PeruAccredited travel agencies, Embassy counter SourceRequired
MexicoEmbassy of Japan in MexicoEmbassy counter, Consulate-general SourceNot needed
SurinameEmbassy of Japan in Trinidad and TobagoEmbassy counter SourceRequired
UruguayEmbassy of Japan in UruguayEmbassy counter Source—
AustraliaEmbassy of Japan in AustraliaEmbassy counter, JAPAN eVISA, Consulate-general SourceNot needed
New ZealandEmbassy of Japan in New ZealandEmbassy counter, Consulate-general, By post SourceNot needed
QatarEmbassy of Japan in the State of QatarEmbassy counter SourceRequired
TürkiyeEmbassy of Japan in TurkeyEmbassy counter, Consulate-general SourceRequired
United Arab EmiratesEmbassy of Japan in the United Arab EmiratesVFS SourceRequired
LesothoEmbassy of Japan in South AfricaEmbassy counter, JAPAN eVISA, Consulate-general SourceRequired
MauritiusEmbassy of Japan in MauritiusEmbassy counter SourceRequired
AndorraEmbassy of Japan in FranceEmbassy counter, Consulate-general SourceRequired
AustriaEmbassy of Japan in AustriaEmbassy counter SourceRequired
BelgiumEmbassy of Japan in BelgiumEmbassy counter SourceRequired
BulgariaEmbassy of Japan in BulgariaEmbassy counter Source—
CyprusEmbassy of Japan in CyprusEmbassy counter SourceRequired
Czech RepublicEmbassy of Japan in the Czech RepublicEmbassy counter SourceRequired
DenmarkEmbassy of Japan in DenmarkEmbassy counter SourceNot needed
EstoniaEmbassy of Japan in EstoniaEmbassy counter SourceRequired
FinlandEmbassy of Japan in FinlandEmbassy counter, By post SourceRequired
FranceEmbassy of Japan in FranceEmbassy counter, Consulate-general SourceRequired
GermanyEmbassy of Japan in GermanyEmbassy counter, By post, Consulate-general SourceNot needed
GreeceEmbassy of Japan in GreeceEmbassy counter SourceRequired
HungaryEmbassy of Japan in HungaryEmbassy counter SourceRequired
IcelandEmbassy of Japan in IcelandEmbassy counter SourceRequired
IrelandEmbassy of Japan in IrelandEmbassy counter SourceRequired
ItalyEmbassy of Japan in ItalyEmbassy counter SourceRequired
LatviaEmbassy of Japan in the Republic of LatviaEmbassy counter SourceRequired
LiechtensteinEmbassy of Japan in SwitzerlandEmbassy counter SourceRequired
LithuaniaEmbassy of Japan in LithuaniaEmbassy counter SourceRequired
LuxembourgEmbassy of Japan in LuxembourgEmbassy counter SourceRequired
MaltaEmbassy of Japan in MaltaEmbassy counter Source—
MonacoEmbassy of Japan in FranceEmbassy counter SourceRequired
NetherlandsEmbassy of Japan in the NetherlandsEmbassy counter SourceNot needed
North MacedoniaEmbassy of Japan in North MacedoniaEmbassy counter Source—
NorwayEmbassy of Japan in NorwayEmbassy counter SourceRequired
PolandEmbassy of Japan in PolandEmbassy counter SourceRequired
PortugalEmbassy of Japan in PortugalEmbassy counter SourceRequired
RomaniaEmbassy of Japan in RomaniaEmbassy counter Source—
SerbiaEmbassy of Japan in SerbiaEmbassy counter SourceRequired
SloveniaEmbassy of Japan in SloveniaEmbassy counter SourceRequired
SpainEmbassy of Japan in SpainEmbassy counter, By post, Consulate-general SourceRequired
SwedenEmbassy of Japan in SwedenEmbassy counter, By post SourceRequired
SwitzerlandEmbassy of Japan in SwitzerlandEmbassy counter, Consulate-general SourceRequired
United KingdomEmbassy of Japan in the UKEmbassy counter, Accredited travel agencies, JAPAN eVISA, Consulate-general SourceRequired
ChinaEmbassy of Japan in ChinaAccredited travel agencies Source—
PhilippinesEmbassy of Japan in the PhilippinesVFS Source—
VietnamEmbassy of Japan in VietnamAccredited travel agencies Source—
IndiaEmbassy of Japan in IndiaVFS SourceNot needed
RussiaEmbassy of Japan in RussiaJapan Visa Application Centre Source—
NepalEmbassy of Japan in NepalVFS SourceRequired
MyanmarEmbassy of Japan in MyanmarJapan Visa Application Centre Source—
MongoliaEmbassy of Japan in MongoliaVFS, JAPAN eVISA SourceNot needed
PakistanEmbassy of Japan in PakistanVFS SourceNot needed
BangladeshEmbassy of Japan in BangladeshVFS SourceRequired
Sri LankaEmbassy of Japan in Sri LankaJapan Visa Application Centre (VFS Global) SourceRequired
CambodiaEmbassy of Japan in CambodiaEmbassy counter, Accredited travel agencies, JAPAN eVISA Source—
South AfricaEmbassy of Japan in South AfricaEmbassy counter, JAPAN eVISA, Consulate-general SourceRequired
Saudi ArabiaEmbassy of Japan in Saudi ArabiaJAPAN eVISA, Embassy counter SourceRequired
EgyptEmbassy of Japan in EgyptEmbassy counter SourceNot needed
NigeriaEmbassy of Japan in NigeriaJapan Visa Application Centre (VFS Global) SourceRequired
KenyaEmbassy of Japan in KenyaEmbassy counter SourceNot needed
ColombiaEmbassy of Japan in ColombiaEmbassy counter, Travel agencies SourceRequired
EcuadorEmbassy of Japan in EcuadorEmbassy counter SourceRequired
KazakhstanEmbassy of Japan in the Republic of KazakhstanEmbassy counter SourceNot needed
UzbekistanEmbassy of Japan in UzbekistanEmbassy counter SourceRequired
KuwaitEmbassy of Japan in the State of KuwaitEmbassy counter SourceRequired
OmanEmbassy of Japan in the Sultanate of OmanEmbassy counter Source—
BahrainEmbassy of Japan in BahrainEmbassy counter SourceNot needed

When an application is not accepted

  • You apply outside your country of birth or residence.
  • You already hold a valid visa or re-entry permit.
  • A previous application for the same purpose was rejected within the last six months.
  • The same application is being processed at another mission.
  • Documents have errors or omissions.
  • The passport's validity or its space for the visa is insufficient.
MOFAWe do not accept your visa application if your previous application was rejected and you will apply for the same purpose of visit within six months from the rejection.Frequently Asked Questions

The list above is from the foreign ministry's FAQ on why an application may not be accepted.

After the visa is issued

MOFAVisas are only valid for entering Japan on one occasion. The period of validity of the single-entry visa is three months.Validity of a Visa
MOFAThe extension of period of validity of visa is not possible.Validity of a Visa
MOFAFurthermore, holding a visa is only one of the requirements for a landing permission application at the port of entry of Japan and does not guarantee that the holder of the visa will be able to enter Japan.Visas and Landing Permission

Frequently asked questions

How do I apply for a Japan visa?

Prepare the documents, then apply at the Japanese embassy or consulate for the place where you live, or through the channel it names: an accredited agency, a Japan Visa Application Centre or the JAPAN eVISA website. The standard examination takes 5 working days.

Can I apply for a Japan visa online?

Only for a single-entry tourist visa, and only if you live in a country or region where JAPAN eVISA is offered. Other purposes are applied for on paper.

Can I apply for a Japan visa in a country I am visiting?

You can apply for the visa at the Japanese Embassy / Consulate General in your own country (region) or country (region) of residence. In other words, you cannot apply for a visa at your travel destination.

Can I get a Japan visa on arrival?

No. The foreign ministry states that visas cannot be obtained at the port of entry in Japan. Apply before you travel.

Does VFS handle Japan visa applications?

In some countries. The Japanese missions in United Arab Emirates, Philippines, India, Nepal, Mongolia, Pakistan and Bangladesh name VFS on their visa pages. Elsewhere the mission names its own counter, accredited agencies or a visa application centre.

How soon can I reapply after a refusal?

We do not accept your visa application if your previous application was rejected and you will apply for the same purpose of visit within six months from the rejection.

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Compiled by Japan Japan !! · Updated October 5, 2026