Visa Information

August 24, 2018

A visa is NOT necessary for US passport holders visiting Japan for a short-term stay of less than 90 days with the purpose of tourism and business. *
*Please note that the visa waiver arrangement with the United States does NOT apply to U.S. individuals wishing to travel to Japan for news media related activities, attending depositions taken by U.S. Consul, or for U.S. Federal Government employees on official business or transit to/from official mission
List of Nationals and Citizens of Countries and Regions with Reciprocal Visa Exemption Arrangements with Japan
Please note that in principle we do not accept an application from B-1 and B-2 U.S. visa status holders.
You must be a resident of DC, VA, or MD in order to apply for a visa through the Embassy in DC.
To check the location of the Embassy/Consulate-General with jurisdiction over your place of residence, please click here.
As a general rule, the visa applicant should come in person with exception of applications for diplomatic/official visas and applications through formal application agencies.

1. Hours

Application drop-off: 9:15am to12:30pm (Arrive 30min before to process)

Visa pick-up: 1:30pm to 4:30pm

2. Processing Time

Diplomatic/Official visa: 2 business days (ex. Monday drop-off – Wednesday pick-up)
General visa: 5 business days (ex. Monday drop-off – Next Monday pick-up)

* Please note that some visa applications require consultation with our headquarters in Tokyo and may take up to one month to issue.

3. Visa Fee

Standard Fees (From April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019)

Single entry visa: 27 USD
Double and Multiple entry visa: 54 USD
Transit visa: 6 USD

Indian Passport Holder Fees (From April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019)

Single, Double, and Multiple entry visa: 7 USD
Transit visa: 1 USD

Visa Fee Exempt Countries

* US citizens are exempt from visa fees.

* Payment is due at the time of PICKUP. We accept CASH only. Please bring the EXACT amount. We DO NOT accept personal checks and credit cards.

* Visa fees are revised each year on April 1st.

4. Visa Validity

In general, a visa is only valid for one entry. A visa is valid for 3 months from the day of issuance. Therefore, entry into Japan should occur within this time frame.
A Multiple entry visa is valid for 1 to 5 years. Mulitiple entry visas can be issued to citizens of countries that Japan has bilateral agreements with and to visitors with business purposes.
A Double-Entry Transit visa is valid for 4 months and can be used twice (once on the way to your destination and once on the return trip) to complete a round trip.

5. Application Form and Necessary Documents

Embassy/Consulate General of Japan will not make copies. If you need original documents, please bring the original plus one copy.

Passport with sufficient validity date (An alien travel document must have 6 months or more validity)
Visa application form
- Visa Application Form [PDF]
- Sample [PDF]
Photo (passport size, attached to the visa application form)