Visa and Travel Information

DMV residents only

• The Embassy in Washington DC only accepts visa applications and visa inquiries from Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia residents.
• For residents of other states, please refer to the List of Embassy/Consulates in the U.S.

5 business days

• It takes at least 5 business days to have your visa issued. 

  We do NOT have expedited services.

No mail application

• Applicants need to visit the Embassy in person

  (a single-entry short-term tourism visa can be applied by online after 3/27)

  .

  The Embassy will NOT accept any applications by mail.

No B-1/B-2 visa holder

• We do not accept any applications from U.S. B-1 and B-2 visa holders, including online applications.

Visa validity

• Single Entry Visa is only valid for 3 months. You must enter Japan within this time frame. Therefore,

  we will NOT accept any visa applications more than 3 months before your departure date.

Proxy/Authorization Form

• In principle, applicants need to visit the Embassy in person, however, if it is not possible, applicants (including minors) may authorize a proxy.
• To authorize a proxy for application drop off/pickup, the applicant MUST fill out 

  Authorization Form

   and have the proxy submit the original form to the Embassy along with his/her ID card (electronic signatures are invalid).

• Applications for diplomatic/official visas submitted by a representative of their organizations do NOT need to submit authorization forms.

Your passport

• We will keep passports while processing visa applications (excluding online applications).

• No 6 months rules.

  As long as your passport is valid during the time of your stay in Japan, it should not be a problem.

• Your passport must have at least 1.5 blank pages left.