My Japan trip is just around the corner and I am so excited to visit the land of the rising sun very soon! But before I get too excited, I will share with you the process on getting a Japan tourist visa. It's actually easy breezy.
Japan tourist visa is the easiest (in my opinion) because I am forced to transact with an accredited travel agency. Since July 30, 2007, Japan Embassy in the Philippines announced that application can only be made via an accredited travel agency and there are only 6 accredited companies--check it out here.
Processing fees varies from Php 1,000 to 2,500 depending on what type of visa you are applying for. I chose Friendship Tours Travel Agency because it's very accessible to my office and they have the lowest visa processing fee of Php 1,200.
REQUIREMENTS FOR TOURIST VISA WITHOUT GUARANTOR:
STEP 1: Prepare your requirements
1. Passport
-Must have at least 6 months remaining validity and must have at least 2 blank pages.
2. Fully filled visa application form - May be typewritten or handwritten. - Forms are also available in the accredited agencies' offices. 3. ID Photo - 1 pc and pasted on the application form - 4.5cm x 4.5 cm in white background, no border, no hair accessories, no jewelries, no smiling
4. Original NSO Birth Certificate
- These are the yellow birth certificate documents. You can request for a copy via NSO's website and they will deliver it to your place conveniently via courier so expect 3-5 days to get it or if you have time, request for it on site and you'll be able to get the document the day itself!
- Authenticated NSO birth certificate must be issued within the past year.
5. Marriage Contract (if married) - Should be authenticated by NSO as well. Fees for NSO documents (birth/marriage): a. via Website (Delivered to your house after 3-5 days) - Php 315 per copy b. via On-site Request and printing- Php 140 per copy (Note: For numbers 4 and 5 it must be from NSO Main Office/Serbilis Outlet Center [Nationwide] issued within one [1] year. In case of non-record, you must submit certificate of non-record together with the one from Local Civil Registrar.)
6. Detailed Itinerary - Fill up the form (Embassy's template) according to your itinerary. - Print 1 copy - My Sample Itinerary (see photo below):
7. Bank Certificate
- No minimum amount required by the embassy but in my opinion and based on experience, you need to show around Php 50k minimum to prove that you have enough money to travel to Japan. Note that Japan has higher cost of living so goods and services there are really expensive.
- Bank Certificate does not show your monthly average or daily transaction... it's just a 1 pager certificate indicating the total money you have in the bank.
- Fee depends on the bank but in BPI, I paid Php 50 per copy.
8. Income Tax Return (ITR or Form 2316)
- Original and photocopy.
- Present only the original copy to your agency then they will only get the photocopy.
9. Provide Additional Requirements (Optional)
- This part is optional because it's not stated in the Japanese Embassy Website but you can always attach additional "credentials" such as: Certificate of Employment (COE), Airplane itinerary (if you have already booked your flights), Hotel itinerary (if you already booked your accommodation), or other certificates such as Certificate of Enrollment for students.
NOTE: If you have guarantors in Japan or you're visiting a friend/relative then you are required to send additional documents (e.g. Invitation letter, residence certificate, foreign registration etc...). Check out the official list here. I can't help you on this as I only know the process in getting a tourist visa WITHOUT guarantor so in case you have questions, best to ask your travel agency directly :) They should know what to do.
STEP 2: GO TO YOUR TRAVEL AGENCY
Friendship Travel Tours Manila's details: Address: 3F Dusit Thani Manila, Ayala Center Makati City, Philippines 1226. Phone: (02) 893-8180 | (02) 810-9622 Mobile No.: +63 915-8394654 | +63 908-1574956 Email: visa@friendshipmanila.com Operating Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 6:00 pm | Saturday 8:30 am to 12: 00 nn (NO LUNCH BREAKS so you can go there during lunch time on a weekday if you're working)
STEP 3: GIVE OUT YOUR REQUIREMENTS
I went to the agency on a weekend around 9 am fearing that there will be long lines but good think there's none! You need to go to the Japan visa counter and the staff will get your requirements one by one and check it on the spot based on their checklist. It will only take less than 5 minutes to do the entire process (including payment of visa). The giving out of requirements is so easy the only effort you need to do is to go there personally because they need to see the applicant. But when it's time for claiming, you may ask someone to claim it for you. No need for authorization letters anymore just show your receipt.
STEP 4: CLAIM YOUR VISA
I got a call from the agency on a Tuesday morning (because they filed my visa on a Monday). They said that my visa was ready for claiming. I was so excited and happy because my visa came in earlier than expected. The agency told me to wait for 5 to 7 working days but I got mine only after 2 working days.
I was granted a single pass tourist visa with 3 months validity and I am allowed to stay in Japan for 15 days. But I read somewhere that for those who will visit a relative in Japan, they can be granted a 90 days stay but not really sure about this. The following countries are not required to get a tourist visa: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Rep., El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France,Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico,Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal (except when the passport was originally issued in present or former Portuguese colonies), Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, U.S.A., and Uruguay NOTE: Countries highlighted in BOLD are allowed to extend for another 30 days. Brunei national is allow to stay up to 15 days without visa.
Disclaimer: This is an old post from my Blogspot account dated September 26, 2014.
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