How to Get a Japan Visa in Less Than 5 Days for Only 800 Pesos? Know it here!
I’ve been to 14 European countries and almost all Southeast Asian countries, and I will tell you that Japan is a country you should visit. Heck, I’d even choose Japan over Paris anytime. Going to Japan is surreal—as if you’re in a different Universe. It’s clean, people are nice, and I like that everywhere is so organized.
I’m also happy that getting a Tourist Visa to Japan was the cheapest compared to my experience in getting a visa to United States and to Europe. I only paid PHP 800 and got my visa within 3 business days!
RELATED: Here are the 66 Visa-Free Countries For Philippine Passport Holders
Acknowledgement: This is a contributed guide by Jacklynne Lambino
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How to get a Japan visa for Philippine Passport Holders?
STEP 1: KNOW THE TYPE OF VISA YOU WILL BE NEEDING
Each country offers different types of visas: tourist visa, medical visa, spouse visa, work visa, etc. For this blog post, I’m going to teach you how to get a Tourist Visa for Japan. If you need help and information on any other type, please refer to the Japanese Embassy website here.
STEP 2: CHECK THE REQUIREMENTS FOR YOUR TOURIST VISA
Under tourist visa, you can check the requirements if you’ll be visiting Japan using your own money or if you will be visiting Japan with a sponsor. Here are the requirements:
Japan Tourist Visa without a sponsor
1. Passport. Valid for another 6 months and must have 2 blank pages. If you haven't got one, read my Philippine Passport Application Guide.
2. Visa application form. Download it from the Japanese Embassy here.
Optional: you can get a Japan Tourist Visa with the help of iVisa!
3. Photo.
- Specs: 4.5cm x 4.5cm, with white background.
- Photo must be taken within 6 months.
- Please write applicant’s name and birthdate on back side of the photo.
- Photo must be pasted on the application form.
- Must be issued by NSO within one year from visa application
- If the birth certificate is “late registration”, please submit in addition, a baptismal certificate and school record (Form 137) from high school or elementary and School Yearbook (if possible).
- If there is no record in PSA, please submit a “Certificate of Non-Record” from PSA together with a birth certificate from the Local Civil Registrar.
5. Marriage certificate. If the applicant is married.
- Must be issued by NSO within one year from visa application
6. Daily schedule/itinerary in Japan. Must be detailed day-by-day.
- They have the template on the Japan Embassy site.
7. Bank certificate. Valid three months from the issue date.
- You can request this from your bank. Bank certificate shows the balance on your account with the creation date of you card and signed by the bank’s manager.
8. ITR/Form 2316. Clear photocopy.
- You can request the latest copy of this to your company’s HR.
- If you do not have an ITR because you’re self-employed or for other reasons, feel free to include a letter addressed to the Japanese Embassy stating your reasons.
ATTRACTIONS TO SEE IN MANILA
Klook.comJapan Tourist Visa with a sponsor who lives in the Philippines
9. Guarantee letter from your sponsor
- Have your sponsor fill out a guarantee form that you can find on their site.
10. Sponsor’s passport
Japan Tourist Visa with a sponsor who lives in Japan
11. Sponsor’s residence certificate. This is also called Juminhyo.
- Must be issued within the past 3 months
- Must include all family members
12. Sponsor’s proof of income
- Income Certificate (Shotoku Shomeisho) from City Hall
- Tax Return Certificates with Gross Income (Nouzeishomeisho: form2) from tax office
- KAKUTEISHINKOKUSHO HIKAE or Bank Certificate (YOKIN ZANDAKA SHOMEISHO)
- – Must be issued within 3 months. Submission of Withholding Slip (GENSENCHOSHUHYO) in lieu of the proof of income is unacceptable. Please note that tax certificates must indicate the gross income amount
- – Guarantor’s Income credential etc. is important in measuring the guarantor’s capability, therefore, submission of more than one document is allowed.
STEP 3: CHOOSE A TRAVEL AGENCY
Unlike US Visa and Schengen Visa where you lodge your application in the Embassy itself, Japan Visa application needs to be submitted at an accredited travel agency. There will be no interviews. You just need to submit your requirements, pay the fee, and wait for the result. The fee ranges from P800-P1800 depending on the agency.
I chose the Discovery Tour, the cheapest travel agency that can process your Japan Visa Application. It only costs P800 and is near my place.
REMEMBER: No matter what agency you choose would not matter if you will be approved or not. They’re just a liaison between the applicant and the Japan Embassy. Meaning, they’re just organizing and submitting your requirements to the Embassy. So just choose the cheapest one or the one that is nearest your place.
STEP 4: HOPE FOR THE BEST AND WAIT FOR THE RESULT
Once you submitted the requirements, the agency will then submit it to Japan Embassy. They have no control when it will be released but normally, it should be released within 2-5 days. I applied on October 1, 2016 (Saturday) and got the visa by October 4, 2016 (Tuesday). I was very happy receiving my visa! True enough, applying for Japan visa is very easy just as long as you’ll have the requirements.
ACTIVITIES AND TOURS IN MANILA
FAQs on applying for a Japan Visa
When should I apply for a Japan visa?
Like most visa application, you should apply 3 months before your intended departure. Meaning, if you plan to go to Japan by November 18, the earliest you should apply is around August 18.
Do I already need to book a flight and hotel before applying?
No. I did not book a flight before I applied but I already reserved a room via Booking.com and presented the reservation confirmation to the agency.
How long can I stay in Japan with a tourist visa?
If granted a Single Entry Visa, you can stay in Japan for a maximum of 15 days. If fortunate enough to be granted a Multiple Entry Visa, you can stay for up to 30 days.
How much money should I have in my bank account?
Unlike Schengen visa, Japan does not provide information on how much you should have in your bank account. For me, it’s all a matter of knowing if you can afford travelling with your money. P80,000 is good if you’re going to Japan for a week. A friend of mine stayed in Japan for 15 days and only showed P100,000, yet she was still accepted. I think that anything less than P40,000 will be risky. Rule of thumb for me is multiply the number of days you’ll be staying by P10,000.
Ex. 7 days of stay x P10,000 = P70,000 on your bank account
I am an employee and I’d like to submit my Certificate of Employment. It’s not required but can I submit it?
Yes, you can submit as many documents as you like even if it’s not required by the Embassy. If you feel like it would prove that you won’t be a TNT in Japan, go submit it. I submitted my COE and Leave of Absence so that I can prove that I have a work here and my employers know about my vacation.
I am a freelancer and I don’t have an ITR. Can I still apply?
Yes. A friend of mine was a freelancer and she didn’t have an ITR yet she was still approved. What she did was she included a letter addressed to the Japan Embassy the reason why she couldn’t provide an ITR. She got approved. So if you don’t have an ITR, just let the Embassy know why.
What if my visa got denied? What can I do?
To tell you the truth, I don’t know anyone who has applied for a Japan visa and got denied. In the unfortunate case that you were denied, you can reapply again after 6 months. Make sure that this time, you have a complete document and proof of rootedness.
I haven’t received my visa in a week. What can I do?
Call your agency if you haven’t received your visa in one week. However, if the agency said that your passport it’s still not yet returned to them, you just have to wait as the agency can only do so much.
Acknowledgement: This is a contributed guide by Jacklynne Lambino
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