Visa Exemptions
To enter Japan, you must have a valid passport with a visa corresponding to the purpose of visit. Visa must be obtained in advance from Japanese embassy, consulate or other diplomatic mission abroad. Nationals and citizens of those countries and regions shown below are not required to obtain visas to enter Japan when their visits are :
tourism, commerce, conferences, visiting relatives or acquaintances, etc.
However, when foreign nationals engage in paid activities in Japan, or their periods of stay exceed those stipulated in each country’s arrangement of short-term stay, visas will be required to enter Japan.
67 Countries and Regions for Visa Exemptions (as of December 2014)
Period of Stay :
15 days for Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand
90 days for other countries and regions
| Asia Brunei (15 days) Indonesia *Note 1 Malaysia *Note 2 Republic of Korea Singapore Thailand *Note 3 (15 days) Hong Kong *Note 4 Macao *Note 5 Taiwan *Note 6 North America Canada United States Latin America, Caribbean Argentina Bahamas Barbados *Note 7 Chile Costa Rica Dominican Republic El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Mexico *Note 8 Surinam Uruguay Oceania Australia New Zealand Middle East Israel Turkey *Note 7 Africa Lesotho *Note 7 Mauritius Tunisia |
Europe Andorra Austria *Note 8 Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia France Germany *Note 8 Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland *Note 8 Italy Latvia Liechtenstein *Note 8 Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Monaco Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland *Note 8 United Kingdom *Note 8 |
- Note 1 For nationals of Indonesia (since December 1, 2014), visas are not required only for those who have registered ICAO-compliant ePassport to diplomatic missions of Japan in Indonesia (the embassy, consulates-general, or the consulate). Validity of the registration is three years period or until the passport expires, whichever comes first.
- Note 2 For nationals of Malaysia (since July 1, 2013), visas are not required only for holders of ePassport in compliance with ICAO standards. Those who do not hold such ePassport are advised to obtain a visa in advance, otherwise will be strictly examined and may be refused entry to Japan.
- Note 3 For nationals of Thailand (since July 1, 2013), visas are not required only for holders of ePassport in compliance with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) standards.
- Note 4 For citizens of Hong Kong, visas are not required only for holders of Special Administrative Region (SAR) passport issued by the Hong Kong SAR of the People’s Republic of China or British National Overseas (BNO) passports who have the right of residence in Hong Kong.
- Note 5 For citizens of Macao, visas are not required only for holders of SAR passport issued by the Macao SAR of the People’s Republic of China.
- Note 6 For citizens of Taiwan, visas are not required only for holders of Taiwan passport which includes a personal identification number.
- Note 7 For nationals of Barbados (since April 1, 2010), Turkey (since April 1, 2011) and Lesotho (since April 1, 2010), visas are not required only for holders of Machine-Readable Passport (MRP) or ePassport in compliance with ICAO standards. Those who do not hold an MRP or ePassport are advised to obtain a visa in advance, otherwise will be strictly examined and may be refused entry to Japan.
- Note 8 For nationals of those countries with visa exemptions permitting stays of up to 6 months under the bilateral visa exemption arrangements, those who wish to stay in Japan for more than 90 days are required to apply for an extension of the period of stay to the Ministry of Justice (Regional Immigration Bureau) before the period of permitted stay is to expire.
- Note 9 Nationals of Peru (since July 15, 1995) and Colombia (since February 1, 2004), are advised to obtain a visa in advance, otherwise will be strictly examined and may be refused entry to Japan.
