was applying for both a Korean and Japanese visa in the same three week period. Korea offers a rush 3-day service. Japan doesn’t. Online I read it takes about a week to get the visa but the official travel agent we went to swore it was 14 days. Our agency wasn’t very good, and as it turned out it only took 7 days. YMMV.
The visa at the time I got it was USD 29.00 (P 1500) plus a little bit more for copies and other fees.
Tokyo nightlife, Kyoto geisha and maiko, Universal Studios in Osaka, bullet trains and lots of sushi. Visiting Japan has always been a dream. Compared to other international visas the Japanese visa is usually classified as pretty easy – at least not difficult, as long as you have all your paperwork in order.
Having previously gotten multiple Schengen, Irish and other visas there are several unique things you don’t need for Japan that other stricter embassies would ask for:
Health Insurance
You’re not required to have health insurance. I wasn’t aware of that, so purchased it anyway online. In the end, it can’t hurt. For a month trip through 4 Asian countries, it was only USD 55.00 (P 2,900). I always use Pacific Cross Travel Safe Insurance. It offers USD 40,000 for medical and various travel insurance. Worth checking out if you’re on a longer trip.
Trip Itinerary
You also don’t need a super in-depth travel itinerary. Normally I show all air tickets, full hotel reservations with both my and my travel partners name, all transportation between cities and then the dates of each stop. Even though our Japan visit would take us from Okinawa – Tokyo – Kyoto – Osaka – Hiroshima – Osaka, our agent just put down the name of one hotel (Osaka) with their address and phone number.
This was a little unnerving as I would rather show a complete itinerary and dates – so the embassy could better understand the trip. It just looks weird to show that we’re flying into Tokyo and spending 13 days in Osaka.. (shrug).
They also only require to see the last 5 international destinations with entry/exit dates. I included a full two-page spreadsheet to show all travel over the last 10 years – just to be safe.
Visa documentation I brought
I’m not saying you need ALL of these, check the embassy website for full (and current requirements). As always I always try to come over-prepared. This normally leaves the agent staring at our mounds of paper initially confused… Eventually, they work through them and understand what you’ve done.
- Japan Visa Form: normally this has to be typed out, and I let the travel agent handle this, I don’t want a rejection because I missed something (or misunderstood) one question on one this multi-page form.
- Cover letter: Addressed to the embassy and offering just a few paragraphs (one page) bio of my travel history, goals, and why I want to come to visit their country. I try to keep it light but a good narrative. It’s always great if someone can put a face (or character) with your application. I genuinely want to visit their country to have fun and for positive reasons. I want to get that across.
- Copy of my passport and all inner pages with visas (B&W)
- Letter of promise to return to the Philippines (notarized). Again, this is optional, but I always include 3 paragraphs stating I’m a college graduate, have family and roots here, have a life here that I’ll respect all their rules, not work, and not overstay my visa.
- Copy of my CTO and CTO receipt. CTO class is also not necessary, but I have it and like to show it. The idea is to remove possible reasons for someone to stop you at the airport.
- Copy of my college degree
- Current school records (if any)
- Document showing all my travel history (countries and dates) for the last 10 years
- 12 photos of myself and my travel partner with recognizable backgrounds (Paris, Amsterdam, St. Moritz, Thailand, Germany, etc) These are all printed as thumbnails on one page w/ the city listed
- Itinerary of days and countries listed. This one may not seem obvious – but a clear list of countries I will visit and the number of days in each: (Taiwan: 7, Japan: 15, Korea: 9). This is more important when it comes to Schengen visa, but it gives a clear number to the often overworked agents or processors who are looking through your data for the first time. They want to see the total number of days in each country.
- Certified Bank Record showing current balance and open/close date on bank letterhead
- Copies of all hotels with my name and my travel partners listed as a guest
- Copies of all flights showing both our names
- Any tickets purchased (like if we’re going to a ballet or opera etc) – again optional
- Spreadsheet itinerary of the trip – including city, transportation, and a brief description of day by day plans
- Consent to travel from my mother – this is unnecessary unless you’re a minor, but I have one anyway. A customs official in MNL once wanted to see the text on my phone that my mother knew I was leaving (shrug)
- Visa photos – you’ll need to check the size they’re looking for
Documents from my partner
- Letter of Guarantee and Support (notarized): a 3 paragraph letter describing our relationship, his bio and ties to the Philippines and his promise to support the trip and send me home at any time if there is any problem
- Letter of his financial capability: a few bullet points outlying 3 or 4 banks accounts with current balances
- Supporting bank account documents (not certified, just copies of statements or screenshots)
- Copy of his passport (not visa page)
Japanese visa notes
Sometimes submitting ‘extra’ documents can confuse your travel agent. For instance, by submitting a consent to travel from my mother, all of a sudden the agent wanted my father signature as well. Even though this document is not a requirement if you are over 18 (I’m 22). So you have to patiently explain this to the agent.
I’m currently in a cooking school, but because I travel so much, it’s not a degree course, just a weekly session where I learn to cook different international dishes. I already completed my normal degree. I included current school enrollment. Again, the agent became flustered – asking for additional current school records, etc. Something I declined to go get as my travel partner is sponsoring the trip and the current school records are irrelevant to show that I have ties to the Philippines.
A special note on Birth Certificates for Japan
For Japan: They no longer accept original birth certificates that are ‘old.’ Even though I got an original copy in 2017. Evidentially you need a ‘new’ birth certificate, one that is computerized and hooked up with an international system so they can verify the data. I was able to get a new copy the same day I applied for it, you might want to get several copies, they’re fairly inexpensive.
A special note on Bank records
We brought bank certificate (which shows account data and balance) as you would need with Schengen and UK, but here they also want a certified bank statement – which shows a running balance for the last 3 months. Small differences, but another trip back to the bank. Still, everything was completed within 3hr of walking in the travel agents door.
Thoughts on the ‘Official Travel Agency’
My agent didn’t see especially knowledgeable and often asked us what to put in some of the computer fields. So, if you have an agent you trust, you might just want to go with them. Not to a specific agent that says they specialize in Japanese visas.
Outcome
I submitted the Visa on Wednesday, and the passport back the following Thursday. So pretty much 7 days. The entire Japanese visa process seems organized and efficient – as long as you have all your paperwork.
A note going through the MNL airport.
While I’ve never been questioned on the destination side, I have been questioned in Philippines airports several times. I always bring a full set of paperwork with me (copies) and then discard them once the trip has begun. It’s a waste of paper and ink – but sometimes it seems the agent will be looking for any loophole to deny your trip – so coming prepared is your best defense. These are just the rules of the game, always keep a smile on your face and be polite but confident. 90% of agents are easy to deal with, but you can always run into someone who’s having a bad day – so come overprepared.
