Entry permission to Japan
Foreign travelers included on the 152 countries and regions with existing travel restrictions who plan to visit Japan for short-term stay like recreational activities or tours during this pandemic that are not yet eligible to apply for entry permission. While travelers from other countries that were remain at Level 2 are subject to comply certain requirements for entry.
Foreign nationalities who are planning to transfer to Japan can seek approval from the government but under strict conditions.
New visa applicants from the 152 countries and regions covered by the travel restrictions will be subject to a stricter screening process.
- Applicant must provide a written assurance from his/her employer or sponsor organization that all quarantine procedures will be followed on entering Japan
- Visa sponsors are required to state the reason for the urgent entry for the foreign national
- Foreign travelers must also enroll on the national health insurance to gain entry permission
Entry procedures
All foreign nationals traveling to Japan that are included on the 152 countries and regions covered by entry restrictions are required to undergo specific tests for SARS-CoV-2. Only negative results for particular tests will be recognized valid such as the RT-PCR (real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction), LAMP (loop-mediated isothermal amplification) or CLEIA (chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay). SARS-CoV-2 test must be conducted within 72 hours prior to departure.
Traveler must present a certificate of negative test result stating the procedure that needs to be filled out entirely in English and providing a signature from a doctor from the medical institution where the test was conducted. In any case that the doctor’s signature is not present, institution’s stamp will do. Fail to comply will result to denied entry.
From 1st November 2020, all foreign nationals with the status of residence with a valid re-entry permit, are not required to obtain “the Letter of Confirmation of Submitting Required Documentation for Re-entry into Japan” or “Receipt for Request of Re-entry” when re-entering Japan from countries/regions designated as an area subject to denial of permission to enter Japan. Please be noted that the certificate of negative test result of pre-entry testing conducted within 72 hours of the departure time of the flight (hereinafter referred to as “certificate of negative test result”) is still needed when re-entering from countries/regions designated as an area subject to denial of permission to enter Japan. Please refer to this page for countries/ regions designated to denial of permission to enter Japan. Please see here for the valid format of the “certificate of negative test result”. [1]
All travelers covered by the travel restrictions are still required to undergo 14-days self isolation upon arrival.
