Visa: General Information

Japan Visa Information Hotline: 0844-986-4968 (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Calls will be answered in English).
 

Who needs a Visa?

The Visa Exemption Arrangement applies based on your nationality, NOT on your UK residence status.
 

		Types of Travel	Visa Requirements
British Citizens ※		Short-term stay (less than 6 months) FOR Tourism, business (without paid activities from the organiser/inviter in Japan), conference, or study purposes	NOT Required
		COE (Certificate of Eligibility) holders	Required
Non-British Citizens	Visa Exemption Countries and Regions (List) ※	Short-term stay (less than 90 days) FOR Tourism, business (without paid activities from the organiser/inviter in Japan), conference, or study purposes	NOT Required
		COE (Certificate of Eligibility) holders	Required
	Non-Visa Exemption Countries and Regions	Required

※Holders of British Overseas Citizen, British Subject or British Dependent / Overseas Territories Citizen passports or Convention Travel Documents are not included in “British Citizens”and “Visa Exemption Countries and Regions”. Holders of such documents must obtain a visa prior to travel and should contact us for visa information.

 

How to Apply

Applications from non-residents in the UK (e.g. visitor visa holders) cannot be accepted.

Apply at the Embassy

Please submit all the required documents for your visa category at the Consular Section in person. An appointment must be booked in advance HERE.

Visa applicants may use a registered visa agent to apply for a visa unless the application is for a Student visa, Working Holiday visa, or Spouse or Child of Japanese National visa.

Please click here for a list of registered visa agents.

Apply through Japan eVISA System

You may submit a visa application, receive your eVISA, and pay the visa fee by credit/debit card via the Japan eVISA system.
For more details, please click HERE.

 

Jurisdiction

Visa applications should be made at the Japanese Embassy with jurisdiction over the applicant's place of residence. Visa applicants living in Scotland and the North of England (Cumbria, County Durham, Darlington, Gateshead, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Redcar and Cleveland, South Tyneside, Stockton-on-Tees and Sunderland) should contact the Consulate-General of Japan in Edinburgh.

 

Visa Category

• Temporary Visitor Visa
  ➥ eVISA is available for Tourism
• Work or Long-term Stay Visa
• Working Holiday Visa
• Volunteer Visa
• Spouse or Child of Japanese National Visa
• Medical Stay Visa

 

Processing Time

Once a visa application submitted in person has been accepted as valid, in most cases it will take 5 working days.
eVISA(online application) processing normally take on average 2 weeks.

 

Visa Fees

Visa fees vary depending on the applicant's nationality and the type of visa (See Visa Fees list).

 

Opening Hours

09:30 - 16:30, Monday to Friday (excluding British National Holidays, The Year-end and New Year Holidays, and some Japanese National Holidays. Please see the list of Embassy Holidays.)

 

News

• New Visa fees from the 1st April 2025 New
• Delivery slips can no longer be used to show your eligibility for tax-free
• Specified visa: Designated activities (Digital Nomad, Spouse or Child of Digital Nomad)
• Visa Waiver Measure for nationals of the Federative Republic of Brazil
• Foreign national coexistence policies
• Highly skilled professional visa
• Handling of foreign nationals planning newly enter Japan from Immigration Services Agency
• Guidance about animal and animal and plant products traveling into Japan from the Animal Quarantine Service and Plant Protection Station
• Guidance on safer travel from The Japan Tourism Agency
• Introduction of Japan Visa Information Hotline
• Launch of “Visit Japan Web” (for online registration of CIQ information)
• Application Procedures for Multiple Visa for Nationals of India
• Warning: Be aware of fraudulent website, social media, emails in an attempt to extract payments from visa applicants
• Visitors to Miyagi, Fukushima, and Iwate prefectures
• Application Procedures for Multiple Visa for Nationals of Viet Nam and India for business purpose and cultural or intellectual figures
• Visa applications from nationals and residents of Libya, Syria and Yemen
• Application Procedures for Multiple Visa for Nationals of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam

 

Links

• Guide to Japanese Visas (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan)
• Guide to Living in Japan (PDF)
• Immigration Bureau of Japan
• Japan National Tourism Organization