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Temporary Visitor — visa-exempt short stay

JapanShort stays and visits

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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Explore pathways in Japan Read the five questions ↓

For the relevant traveller scope, is a visa, electronic authorisation, visa on arrival or no advance visa normally required?

No advance visa is required for a short-term stay by nationals of the 74 countries and regions with which Japan has reciprocal visa exemption arrangements (full list on the MOFA page). For some, the exemption is conditional: e.g. nationals of Montenegro, Peru, Paraguay, Panama, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Thailand and Serbia must hold an ICAO-compliant ePassport, and nationals of Indonesia and Qatar must have registered their ICAO-compliant ePassport with a Japanese diplomatic mission.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Nationals of countries not in the table need a visa; the per-country table is not reproduced here.
  • https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/short/novisa.html
    ## Exemption of Visa (Short-Term Stay)
  • https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/short/novisa.html
    Japan has reciprocal visa exemption arrangements with 74 countries and regions listed in the table below.
  • https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/short/novisa.html
    (Note 1) [For nationals of Indonesia (since December 1, 2014), visas are not required only for those who have registered ICAO-compliant ePassport to diplomatic missions of Japan in Indonesia (the embassy, consulates-general, or the consulate). Validity of the registration is three years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first.
  • https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/short/novisa.html
    (Note 2) For nationals of Montenegro (since September 1, 2025), Peru（since July 1, 2025), Paraguay (since June 1, 2025), Panama (since April 1, 2024), Brazil (since September 30, 2023), United Arab Emirates (since November 1, 2022), Thailand (since July 1, 2013) and Serbia (since May 1, 2011), visas are not required only for holders of ePassport in compliance with ICAO standards.
  • https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/short/novisa.html
    (Note 9) [For nationals of Qatar (since April 2, 2023), visas are not required only for those who have registered ICAO-compliant ePassport to diplomatic missions of Japan (the embassy, consulates-general, or the consulate). Validity of the registration is three years period or until the passport expires, whichever comes first.

What short-visit purposes does this route cover?

Short stays in Japan for sightseeing, recreation, sports, visiting relatives, inspection tours, attending lectures or meetings, business liaison and similar activities (e.g. tourists, conference participants).

See recorded sources

What maximum stay, rolling-period rule, validity and entry rules apply?

The period of stay granted on landing is 15 days for Indonesia and Thailand, 30 days for Brunei and Qatar, and 90 days for other visa-exempt countries and regions; the Temporary Visitor status allows 90, 30 or 15 days (or a period of up to 90 days designated by the Minister of Justice). The official source does not state a rolling-period or number-of-entries rule.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • No rolling-period (e.g. per 180 days) or number-of-entries rule is stated in these sources.

What important funds, accommodation, invitation, insurance, onward-travel or passport evidence may be required?

Passport conditions apply for some nationalities: Malaysia — ICAO-compliant ePassport (otherwise strict examination and possible refusal of entry); Barbados, Türkiye and Lesotho — ICAO-compliant Machine-Readable Passport; Uruguay — only the old version of the ordinary passport is accepted (new version issued after April 16, 2025 without place of birth is not recognised). The official source does not state funds, accommodation, insurance or onward-travel evidence.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Funds, accommodation, onward-ticket or insurance evidence at the border is not stated in these sources.
  • https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/short/novisa.html
    (Note 3) For nationals of Malaysia (since July 1, 2013), visas are not required only for holders of ePassport in compliance with ICAO standards. Those who do not hold such ePassport are advised to obtain a visa in advance, otherwise will be strictly examined and may be refused entry to Japan.
  • https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/short/novisa.html
    (Note 7) For nationals of Barbados (since April 1, 2010), Türkiye (since April 1, 2011) and Lesotho (since April 1, 2010), visas are not required only for holders of Machine-Readable Passport (MRP) in compliance with ICAO standards. Those who do not hold an MRP are advised to obtain a visa in advance, otherwise will be strictly examined and may be refused entry to Japan.
  • https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/short/novisa.html
    (Note 11) The new version of Uruguayan ordinary passport issued after April 16, 2025, which does not include a 'place of birth' on the personal data page, is not recognized as valid by the Japanese government. Therefore, these new passports will not be eligible for travel to Japan. The Japanese visa exemption arrangement applies only to Uruguayan nationals holding the old version of Uruguayan passports. Uruguayan nationals holding the old version of passports will remain eligible for visa exemption even if their passports were issued after April 16, 2025.

Where/how is permission obtained when required, and under what important circumstances can a stay be extended or changed?

Nationals of countries whose bilateral arrangements permit stays of up to 6 months must apply to the Ministry of Justice (Regional Immigration Bureau) for an extension before their permitted stay expires to stay beyond 90 days. Otherwise, extension of a Temporary Visitor stay is in principle allowed only for truly unavoidable humanitarian or equivalent special circumstances, such as the need for medical treatment; the applicant must show reasons, activities since entry, means to cover expenses during the stay and means of departure (e.g. bank balance certificate, return air ticket).

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Change of status from Temporary Visitor to another status is not described in these sources.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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