🇯🇵 Japan visa checklist

Step by step

1. Pick the right visa type first. Most holidays use the single-entry 'Tourism' visa. If you visited Japan in the last 3 years or have a high income, you can ask for a multiple-entry visa instead. If you join a package tour from a registered agency, the agency handles the 'Package Tour' route, which can be an eVisa.
2. Don't apply too early. The earliest you can apply is 90 days before your trip.
3. Book an appointment online with the Japan Visa Application Centre (VFS Global). Branches: Makati, Parañaque (Parqal Mall), Quezon City (Gateway Tower, Araneta City), Cebu and Davao. Pick the right visa category when you book, because you can't change it at the centre.
4. Download and fill in the forms from the VFS or embassy site: the Visa Application Form (typed, in English, with N/A for anything that doesn't apply) and the Itinerary in Japan. For a multiple-entry visa, add the Request for Multiple-Entry Visa form. If someone else pays for your trip, add the Letter of Guarantee.
5. Gather your documents using the checklist below. Philippine documents must be originals on A4 or legal-size paper, not stapled, and issued within 3 months of applying (birth and marriage certificates: within 1 year).
6. Go to your appointment, hand in your documents and pay the VFS service fee. A family member, or an employee of a travel agency or company, can file for you with an authorization letter and their company ID.
7. Wait for the result: at least 6 working days in Metro Manila and at least 10 in Cebu and Davao. It can take more than a month. Don't buy plane tickets until your visa is approved.
8. Pick up your passport at JVAC. If you got a visa, enter Japan within 3 months of the issue date. A single-entry visa can't be extended.
9. Package-tour eVisa only: the registered agency sets up the tour, and the application goes through the Visa Center/JVAC. When you arrive in Japan, show the 'Visa Issuance Notice' live on your phone. Printouts, screenshots and PDFs reportedly aren't accepted (not yet confirmed — check the embassy page).

Your document checklist

Tick things off as you get them. Your ticks are saved on this phone or computer.

Everyone needs

• PassportSigned by you, not damaged, with at least 2 blank pages for the visa.
• Visa Application FormTyped in English and signed by you. Parents sign for a minor or a person with a disability. For 'Date of application', write the day you submit at JVAC.
• 1 photo, 4.5 cm x 3.5 cmTaken in the last 6 months, plain white background, not edited. Glue it to the form and write your full name and birthday on the back.
• Colour photocopy of your passport bio page
• Colour photocopy of any old Japan visaOnly if you have one. A used Japan visa in your passport means you can skip the birth and marriage certificates.
• PSA birth certificateIssued within 1 year. If it's hard to read, add the Local Civil Registrar copy. If it was a late registration, add your baptismal certificate and school record (Form 137). If the PSA has no record, give the Local Civil Registrar copy plus a PSA Negative Certificate. Skip this if you have a used Japan visa.
• PSA marriage certificate (married applicants only)Issued within 1 year. The same rules apply if it's hard to read or the PSA has no record. Skip this if you have a used Japan visa.
• Itinerary in JapanYour entry and exit dates (with flight details if you can) and where you'll stay (hotel name, address, phone), filled in day by day. You don't need to book flights or hotels yet.
• Authorization letter + company ID (only if someone files for you)Lists every applicant's name. Signed by the head of the family, the head of the company (for incentive groups) or the head of the tour company.

Plus, depending on you

What it costs

Things you'll need to book

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For your application

After your visa is approved

Before you fly

While you are there

Tips that help you get approved

• Apply 1–2 months before your trip, but not more than 90 days ahead. Don't buy non-refundable tickets until your visa is approved.
• Book the correct visa category. You can't switch it at your appointment.
• Philippine documents must be originals, issued in the last 3 months (birth and marriage certificates: within 1 year), on A4 or legal paper, and not stapled. Take the receipts off your PSA certificates.
• Documents you hand in (except your passport) aren't returned. If you want an original back, add a photocopy and ask for the original to be returned.
• If the embassy asks for more documents, you have 1 month to send them or your application is closed.
• The embassy won't tell you why you were denied, even if you ask. After a denial, you can only reapply for the same purpose after 6 months (unless it's for humanitarian reasons).
• False or wrong documents can get you refused. The embassy may also ask for documents that aren't on the list.
• A used Japan visa in your passport (even an old passport) lets you skip the PSA certificates and helps you get a multiple-entry visa.
• The embassy decides if you get a multiple-entry visa. Asking for one doesn't guarantee it.
• Your bank certificate should show a 6-month average daily balance, not just today's balance. If it doesn't, add 6 months of bank statements.
• If someone in Japan invites you, list specific activities in the invitation letter. Vague reasons like 'sightseeing' or 'visiting relatives' aren't accepted.

What changed recently

• April 7, 2025: the Japan Visa Application Centre (VFS Global) took over all tourist visa filing. Accredited travel agencies stopped filing directly with the embassy after April 6, 2025. Agencies can still help you, but they file through JVAC.
• eVisa opened for Filipinos living in the Philippines who join a package tour from an embassy-registered travel agency. It's single entry, up to 15 days, with no bank or ITR documents needed. The embassy gives the start date as December 15, 2025, while news reports say May 15, 2026 (not yet confirmed — check the embassy page).
• 2026: the JVAC service fee went from ₱520 to ₱800 per application (not yet confirmed — check the VFS page).
• July 1, 2026: Japan raised visa fees fivefold for most nationalities (single entry ¥3,000 to ¥15,000, multiple entry ¥6,000 to ¥30,000), the first increase since 1978. The embassy confirmed Filipinos are still exempt for the tourist visa. Filipinos still pay for long-term visas (reported as ₱5,750 single / ₱11,550 multiple).