Details about visa for Japan and Customs Information

IMMIGRATION AND VISAS

Passport Requirements:

All travelers except the following require a passport:

1. Travellers with a ‘Certificate of Identity’ issued to residents of Singapore.

2. Travellers with the ‘Laissez Passer’ issued by the United Nations.

3. Travellers with a Seaman Book traveling on duty.

4. Travellers with a ‘Travel Certificate’ or ‘Temporary Passport’ issued to citizens of the Republic of Korea; the validity is shown in the certificate.

5. Travellers with a Travel Document known as ‘Titre de Voyage’ issued to refugees and people without nationality or citizenship by signatory countries of the following conventions:

• London Convention of 1946;
• Geneva Convention of 1951;
• New York Convention of 1954.

6. Travellers with a United States ‘Re-entry Permit’ (Form no. l-327) issued to the United States of America residents.

7. Travellers with an Emergency Passport with a blue cover issued to Australia’s citizens after December 1, 2003.

8. Travellers with an Emergency Passport issued to citizens of Sweden.

9. Travellers with ‘Kinderausweis,’ a German identity document issued to children.

Document Validity:

1. Passports and the alternative papers, which or either of them, and it must be valid on arrival.

• Expired passports issued to citizens of Japan are accepted.

2. However, to avoid possible delays at immigration, it is advised that Japanese citizens visit a Japanese embassy to apply for a new passport, an extension of the visit, or any other document proving nationality.

The Minors:

In case the children are traveling with their close family members, it is acceptable to include such children in the passport of their parents or legal guardian.

Visa Issuance:

Before arrival: Travellers are kindly requested to contact the nearest representation of Japan.

Visa Exemptions:

All travelers must hold a visa except the following:

1. Citizens of Japan.

2. Travellers staying for no more than 90 days; it is possible to extend the visit for British travelers with passports endorsed ‘British Citizen’ or ‘British National (Overseas).’

3. Travellers staying for no more than 90 days provided they are:

• Citizens of Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Macedonia, Guatemala, Honduras, Iceland, Israel, Latvia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Malta, Mauritius, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Suriname, Sweden, Tunisia, Uruguay and the United States of America;
• Travellers with normal passports for citizens of Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Slovak Republic, Spain, Turkey;
• Travellers with normal passports for Austria, Germany, Republic of Ireland, Liechtenstein, Mexico, and Switzerland; extension of the visit is possible.
• Travellers with passports issued by Hong Kong (A Special Administrative Region of China) and by Macao (A Special Administrative Region of China);
• Travellers with Chinese Taipei passports provided the document includes a Personal ID Number on the personal data page. If there is no Personal ID Number, then a visa is required;
• Travellers with consular, service or special passports for citizens of Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Slovak Republic, Spain, Turkey; Travellers with official or diplomatic passports for citizens of Brunei, Iran, Malaysia, and Mexico;
• Travellers with consular, service, or special passports for Austria, Germany, Republic of Ireland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland; extension of the visit is possible.
• Citizens of Albania, India, Laos, and Vatican City so long as they have diplomatic passports;
• Citizens of Malaysia and Peru with normal passports or with consular, service or special passports;

Notes:

Citizens of Peru are specially allowed to enter if they have a visa or one of the following documents: A letter of guarantee from a Japanese employer or a certificate of eligibility from the Japanese Ministry of Justice. However, travelers are highly urged to obtain a visa before arrival. Travelers arriving without a visa will be strictly interrogated and be subject to a full examination by the immigration authorities on arrival; above all, they may be denied entry.

4. Travellers with official or diplomatic passports provided they are citizens of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Republic of Korea, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Slovak Republic, Spain, Switzerland, and Turkey.

5. Travellers with official or diplomatic British passports.

6. Travellers with official or diplomatic passports provided they are citizens of Colombia, Morocco, Romania, Thailand, or Vietnam.

7. Foreign residents with a re-entry permit to Japan attached to the foreigner’s passport or a booklet type re-entry permit.

8. Travellers with a Business Travel Card issued by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. The back of the card must indicate that it is valid for travel to Japan. Besides, a visit pass will be issued upon arrival.

9. Travellers with a travel document known as ‘Titre de Voyage’ issued by Japan.

10. Citizens of Brunei with normal passports come for tourism and stay for no more than 14 days.

TWOV (Transit without Visa):

TWOV is permissible for:

1. Citizens of the People’s Republic of China if continuing their trip to a third country on the same day and not leaving the transit area.

2. Travellers are continuing their trip to a third country on the same day. If transit time is less than 72 hours, and the traveler departs from the same airport of arrival, a Shore Pass may be issued. Another intermediate landing in Japan is possible:

• only when traveling on a domestic sector of an international flight; and
• not leaving the city and the vicinity where the airport is located.
• Shore Pass may be finely issued only by the immigration officer’s determination.

It is strongly recommended to obtain a transit visa before arrival. TWOV application is subject to a refusal of the Japan Immigration inspection.

3. Those holding a Transit-Pass issued if:

• transit time is not more than three days; and
• departing from another airport (or seaport) in the airport (or seaport) of arrival.

Both ports in the neighborhood must be listed within the same group listed below.

• Group A:

Airport: Narita, Haneda, Nagoya, Niigata, Komatsu, Yokota;

Seaport: Tokyo, Yokohama, Niigata, Nagoya;

• Group B:

Airport: Osaka, Nagoya, Komatsu;

Seaport: Kobe, Nagoya;

• Group C:

Airport: Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Naha (Okinawa), Kadena;

Seaport: Hakata (Fukuoka), Shimonoseki, Naha (Okinawa);

• Group D:

Airport: Chitose (Sapporo);

Seaport: Tokakomai, Otaru, Hakodate, Muroran.

• Transit-Pass facility is restricted to transit between Narita and Haneda, Narita and Yokohama, or Osaka and Kobe only for Citizens of Albania, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cambodia, Congo (Brazzaville), Cuba, Czech Republic, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Republic of Moldova Mongolia, Russia, Slovak Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam.

Additional Information:

1. All travelers must have onward or return tickets, proof of enough money to cover the expenses of their stay in Japan, and necessary documents for their next trip.

2. Due to the outbreak of swine flu (H1N1), all travelers and crew members arriving from abroad must present a quarantine questionnaire to the Quarantine Booth officers upon arrival.

3. An unexpired visa in an expired passport may be accepted, provided the traveler carries a second valid passport that must be officially combined with the expired one. A valid visa in an expired passport can be moved to a valid passport by any Japanese consulate.

4. Taking up work without proper documents is prohibited.

5. Travellers with the United States Permanent Resident or Resident Alien Card (Form no. I-551) do not need a passport as long as their travel guidebook does not require them to leave the transit area. Otherwise, a passport will be required to go through the immigration control since the transit lounge in Narita closes at night.

Information to know:

Travelers who do not respect entry regulations will be denied entry, and the transporting carrier will have to pay a fine of JPY 500,000.

Customs and Foreign Exchange:

Import regulations:

Travelers aged 20 years old and more are allowed free import of:

1. Tobacco products:

 250 grams of tobacco; 50 cigars; 200 cigarettes; a combination of these weighing up to 250 grams of thereof; and other kinds of tobacco or a combination.

2. Alcohol (passengers 20 years of age or older): Alcoholic beverage bottles (approximately 0.760 liters each).

3. Perfume: two ounces (about 56 ml).

4. Gifts and souvenirs up to JPY 200,000.

5. Gold bullion up to max. 1 kilogram (not less than 90 percent purity);

6. Personal effects.

Information to know:

1. Plants, parts of plants, and fruit must be presented to the plant on quarantine officer.

2. A phytosanitary certificate issued by the quarantine authority in the country of origin is generally required to import on the certain fruits. For a health certificate that is required to import the meat, see the Ministry of Agriculture, Forest, and Fisheries.

3. And the Number of import restrictions apply to medicines and cosmetics.

Export regulations:

Free export on which (not for the commercial purposes) of reasonable quantities such as tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, perfume, gifts, and the other articles. Articles that are purchased on tax-free in Japan must be shown to the Customs and at the airport/port of departure from the country Japan.

Export to the Singapore of meats (both beef and pork) or the meat product for personal use is only allowed if holding an export certificate from the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and the Fisheries, and declaring that the products are free from any animal infectious disease.

Pets:

Dogs and the Cats: The Animal Quarantine Bureau of Japan must be notified on at least 40 days prior to the arrival of a pet in Japan, and to obtain that an “Approval of the Inspection of Animals.” and it that must:

• be fitted with the microchip (If not conforming to ISO Standard 11784 / 11785, and a microchip reader which must be provided);
• Its have been kept for the past 180 days and since the birth or since bringing out of Japan, in the designated regions (see below), and or the regions on with the no case of rabies in the past two years as mentioned ;
• show no clinical sign of rabies (leptospirosis for dogs) immediately on before a departure.
• Designated Regions such as Australia, Fiji, Guam, Iceland, Hawaii, and New Zealand finely.

For more, kindly see the Japanese Animal Quarantine Service.

Birds: The written notification of the importation must be submitted after the arrival and to the quarantine station, and it is responsible for the airport of entry as fine. The notification form which should be accompanied by the following things:

• certificate which is issued by the government authorities of the exporting country and or a certified copy thereof (a photocopy is not finely acceptable);
• identification of the consignee;
• copy of the airway bill, which concerns the importation of the birds.

Baggage Clearance regulations:

The traveller’s pieces of luggage should be cleared at the first airport of entry in Japan.

a. Exemptions:

1. The Luggage of transit travelers in which whose destination is outside of Japan and provided the next flight is in 24 hours.

Further Information:

Travelers who are sending their luggage as cargo and on a later flight which must make a written declaration in advance to report the time and place of their entry and that of the luggage as fine. Declaration after entry may not be accepted.

Airport tax:

No airport tax is just levied on the passengers upon the embarkation at an airport. Learn all about the regulations for your destination country. From the airport tax to be paid on the departure to be importing pets, and also the currency you may bring into that and out of a country.

Currency Import regulations:

Local currency, which is (JPN-Japanese Yen) and foreign currencies: unlimited. However, the amounts were exceeding the JPY 1,000,000, and it must be declared on the arrival.

Currency Export regulations:

Local currency, which is (JPN-Japanese Yen) and foreign currencies: unlimited. However, the amounts were exceeding the JPY 1,000,000 and it must be declared on the departure as fine.

The Money exchange and it must be made at an authorized bank and or at the money exchanger as fine.

Additional information on regulations:

Prohibited:

1. Narcotic drugs, which except those designated by the Ministry of Health and the Labour and Welfare Ordinance as follows

2. Obscene or immoral materials.

Information to know:

1. Plants and the parts of plants and the fruit must be presented to the plant quarantine officer as listed.

2. A phytosanitary certificate should be issued by the quarantine authority in the country of origin is generally required to import on the certain fruits. A health certificate is required to import meat.

3. Quantity import on restrictions, and they will apply to the medicines and are cosmetics.

Arms and Ammunition regulations:

Import is the only medium allowed and if holding a permit issued by the National Public Safety Commission (required, e.g., hunting guns, air guns, and the swords). Other firearms and ammunition are prohibited.