Explore Japan! A Pinoy's Step-by-step Guide in Applying for a Tourist Visa to Japan
Aaah, Japan. The Land of the Rising Sun. The birthplace of technology, innovation, and all things "kawaii".
As I have mentioned in my previous blog post, I visited Japan from April 2-14, 2017 with my family as a tourist. Prior to our arrival, we planned every detail of our itinerary meticulously. If there was one aspect in our planning stage that nearly caused us to suffer from short-term neurosis, it's probably our nerve-wracking application for our Tourist Visas.
The infamous Tokyo Tower in the background.
PLEASE NOTE: I am a citizen of the Republic of the Philippines and I possess a Philippine passport. This guide is intended only for citizens of the Philippines and/or holders of Philippine Passports such as myself. This guide is fashioned after the SOP laid out by the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines. Also, please remember that every application/ every applicant is unique and the requirements may vary as the case may be, so I'm not saying that you should follow this self-made guide to a tee as some of the items may not be applicable to you.
BEFORE YOU FILE AN APPLICATION FOR A TOURIST VISA, PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING:
1. Know when and where in Japan you're travelling to. Japan is a pretty large country divided into numerous regions. It has four seasons. So, will you be traveling to the hip and trendy Kanto region or to the history-rich Kansai? Will you be traveling during springtime when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom? Or do you prefer to experience various matsuri with the warmth of summer? Either way, springtime is the most popular season to travel to Japan and tickets and accommodations tend to run out three months before the peak bloom of the iconic sakura.
2. Plane tickets are not required for the application process. Besides, what would you do if you've already booked your flight and the Embassy rejects your application (knock on wood)?
Cute monster wall art at a café in Harajuku.
3. You tourist visa has a rather short date of validity! Be sure you're committed to your travel schedule before filing an application, and only do so at least three months before your intended date/s of travel. Once you've been approved to travel to Japan and re-obtain your passport, check your visa for the "Date of Expiry". This will mean a lot to those who have been granted a single-entry tourist visa. To put it simply, you need to travel to Japan and use that visa before the date of expiry, which is usually three months from the date of issuance. What's more, you might be given permission to stay in Japan for as short as 15 days.
For those who have applied and have been granted a multiple-entry visa, be at ease. Your visa's validity is from one to five years from the date of issuance.
The Tree of Wisdom all lit up at Sanrio Puroland in Tama, Tokyo.
Sakura near Shinobazu Pond in Ueno Park, Tokyo.
4. Your chances of acquiring a tourist visa increases the more G-7 countries you've traveled to. G-7 (Group of Seven) Countries is composed of the seven countries in the globe with the most advanced economies. Japan is one such country, and it is part of the group along with the US, the UK, Italy, Germany, Canada, and France. For our visa application to Japan, I submitted my old passport along with my renewed passport because it contained my multiple-entry tourist visa to Canada. My mom submitted her old passport, too, as hers also had a single-entry tourist visa. Rumor has it that these visas could mean plus points for the Embassy of Japan to consider us, but I believe they more likely serve as proof of how trustworthy we are. If we have previously traveled to other G-7 countries in the past and did not break any immigration rules, then it's likely that we also wouldn't in Japan.
The Pokemon Center in Sunshine City, Ikebukuro.
5. Brush up on your Japanese. Based on my experience in living in Tokyo for 12 days, only a few Japanese people know how to communicate in English. Knowing a few basic words or phrases will help lots.
6. Pocket wi-fi is your bestest best friend! Believe it or not, even if you already have a trusty paper map with you, you'll encounter a lot of trouble without a pocket wi-fi. For one thing, apps like the JR Line app and Google Maps will tell you the correct platform and fare for when you need to take the train to get to somewhere.
Lately, there are more hotels and Airbnb accommodations that offer free pocket wi-fi with your booking. Also, Japan has pocket wi-fi rental services that can be booked on the internet; the company will deliver the gadget to where you'll be staying.
Colorful character shop in Harajuku.
7. Only travel agencies listed in the website of the Japanese Embassy in the Philippines are allowed to process and directly send your documents to the Embassy for approval. If you're not a Filipino citizen and/or don't possess a Philippine passport, you need to check with your country's Japanese Embassy first. Otherwise, here is a link to the list of travel agencies accredited with the Embassy of Japan.
8. Should you be approved for a tourist visa, your passports (and only your passports) will be returned to you in less than a week from the date you sent them to the travel agency. You may have pitched in some original copies of your documents with your application, but don't expect them to be sent back to you. We were warned this by our agency when we were on the last stages of preparations, so we photocopied everything as back-up just in case. We mailed our documents on a Friday and the agency opened our application on Monday. There was a bit of a delay when the agency informed us that we left a blank space on my little baby's signature-- a parent or a guardian should have affixed a signature. Nevertheless, we sent in a second duly signed copy. When we were granted with a visa, we got our passport back on Thursday.
Decorative barrels of sake wrapped in straw displayed near Meiji Jingu in Tokyo.
PREPARE ALL THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Before everything else, you need to gather all the basic required documents. Again, I would like to remind readers that the application requirements may vary depending on the case. Also, even if your chosen travel agency will review your documents before submitting them to the Embassy, there might be significant delays if you didn't adhere to the standards.
1. PASSPORT: Should be up to date and must not expire within six months from application date. When you send it, make sure you fill up the last page that asks for Death/Emergency Contact details. If you keep it in a passport holder/ has a passport jacket, remove it before sending. You can send an old passport together with your updated passport if it has pertinent travel history such as old visas and such.
Emas and bad luck fortunes all lined up at a shrine in Ueno Park.
2. DULY-ACCOMPLISHED APPLICATION FORM (Download it here.)
*This document should be printed in A4-sized paper.
*This document should be computerized except for the signature.
*Every blank should be filled up. If there are no applicable answers for a query, place "N/A" on the blank.
*You should fill up the blanks where they ask for your port of entry to Japan, name of ship/airline, and the contact details and location where you'll be staying even if it's still undecided; just put in where you'll probably deplane, what airline you'll probably book, and where you'll probably stay.
* This document should be signed in the end. If applicant is a minor but able to sign, then he/she must affix a signature. Otherwise, a parent or a guardian must sign.
Beautiful cherry blossoms in Yoyogi Park, Tokyo.
3. TWO PHOTOS
*The size should be 2in. x 2in. (4.5cm x 4.5cm) with a white background.
*The photos should be taken in a studio.
4. BIRTH AND MARRIAGE (IF APPLICABLE) CERTIFICATES
*Must be original copies. It would be great if you always have a spare original copy with you, as these documents might be inspected during random checks in the airport.
*The documents to be sent to the travel agency have to have been obtained from the PSA (Philippine Statistics Office, formerly NSO) within six months from the date of travel.
*Keep the receipt of your transaction with PSA and send it along with the original certificates.
Rikugien Garden.
*This document is composed of four columns: Date, Activity Plan, Contact Person, and Accommodation.
*Remember: The Japanese Embassy will determine whether or not you can afford your stay in Japan by correlating your financial capacity (see next item: Present Bank Certificate) to the activities you plan to do in Japan.
*Tip: there are tons of activities to do in Tokyo that are absolutely free, like parks and gardens, if you get my drift. *wink wink*
6. PRESENT BANK CERTIFICATE OF THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR FUNDING THE TRIP TO JAPAN
*Contrary to popular belief, the Embassy has no need for a Bank Statement of Account.
*The Bank Certificate should have been issued three months before the visa application date.
*Keep in mind that some banks require a day or more before the Certificate can be claimed.
Tokyo Disneysea.
7. INCOME TAX RETURN FORM OF THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR FUNDING THE TRIP TO JAPAN
*This can be acquired from BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue) offices nationwide.
*Since the person who funded our trip to Japan is exempted from tax, we were not required to submit an ITR form but a Letter of Explanation (see next item).
7A. LETTER OF EXPLANATION WRITTEN BY THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR FUNDING THE TRIP TO JAPAN
*The letter should be handwritten on A4 Size paper addressed to the Consulate General, Embassy of Japan explaining circumstances surrounding your application. My mom had to write this letter explaining why she and my dad are exempted from tax, and that she will be shouldering all the finances for the trip. This letter should go with a Letter of Guarantee and an Affidavit of Support (see next two items).
Senso-ji Temple.
7B. LETTER OF GUARANTEE WRITTEN BY THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR FUNDING THE TRIP TO JAPAN (Download it here or see a sample here.)
*To be printed out in A4 Size paper.
*In our case, my mom declared herself to be the guarantor. The guarantor could mean a person (preferably a Japanese citizen) who will invite the visitors to visit Japan and sponsor the trip, or just someone who will shoulder the finances of the trip. My dad was supposed to be the guarantor, but he wasn't able to go on the trip due to his line of work.
The adorable Gudetama, the Lazy Egg.
7C. AFFIDAVIT OF SUPPORT
*Should be drafted, signed and duly notarized by an attorney-at-law.
*The attorney should know the specifics within the document-- all I know is the document has to clearly state that the guarantor will shoulder all financial transactions during the applicants' trip to Japan.
The old English mansion at the Ryu-Furukawa Garden.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS (AS THE CASE MAY BE):
1. If the guarantor is married or directly related to the applicant/s, sending in a birth certificate or a marriage certificate should be enough. Otherwise, you should present any other proof of your relationship.
2. From the Discovery Tours website: "It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that he/she meet the requirements for the grant of a visa. Submission of supporting documents not listed above is encouraged (e.g. applicant’s economic or social ties with the Philippines, urgent reasons for visit: medical certificate, wedding invitation)."
Hello Kitty at Sanrio Puroland.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE APPLICATION PROCESS, OR FOR A TOUR AGENCY THAT CAN PROMPTLY PROCESS YOUR VISA APPLICATION
We enlisted the help of Discovery Tours Inc., the self-acclaimed Japan Tour Specialists, for our Japanese Tourist Visa applications. We paid Php 800.00 per applicant, and they also have an option if you want them to send your passports back to you through courier service (you can also pick them up from the agency).
CONGRATULATIONS ON ACQUIRING YOUR TOURIST VISA! YOU'RE ALL SET TO CONQUER JAPAN!
Japan has always been my family's favorite destination that we planned our trip for months on end. So beautiful, highly tech-savvy yet so rich in culture was the place that our hearts fell when the time came for us to leave. There's so much more to explore that we vowed to come back for more!
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