What the Japan visa is
Japan issues a Short Term Stay visa for visits of 90 days or less, covering tourism, business, and visiting friends and relatives. Most of the world's nationalities need one. A limited list of countries can enter without a visa, and the terms differ between them.
Thai passport holders can travel to Japan for up to 15 days without a visa, for tourism only. Beyond 15 days, or for any purpose other than tourism, a visa is required. The 15 days cannot be extended once you are in Japan, so a longer trip has to be arranged before you fly.
The visa fee is approximately 3,340 THB. You cannot work in Japan on this visa.
Who needs one
- Foreigners living in or visiting Thailand whose nationality is not covered by a Japanese visa exemption. The exemption follows your passport, not your Thai residence.
- Thai nationals travelling for longer than 15 days.
- Anyone travelling for a purpose beyond tourism, including visiting friends and relatives, or business.
- Anyone who has had a previous immigration problem in Japan.
Documents required
Japan is strict about the condition of documents as well as their presence. Certificates must be issued within the last three months, and the photograph has to meet an exact specification. We check all of this before anything is submitted.
Everyone
- Passport with at least two blank visa pages. Your old passport as well, if you have one.
- One photograph, 2 x 1.4 inches, light plain background, taken within the last six months.
- Completed visa application form and the visa questionnaire, signed with the same signature as your passport.
- House registration or national ID card. For foreign residents, your Thai visa and residence documents.
- Bank passbook or bank statement covering the previous six months.
- Itinerary and schedule of stay.
Proof of occupation
- Employees and government officials. Certificate of Employment stating your position, start date, monthly salary and approved leave period.
- Business owners and self employed. Certificate of Company Registration or Commercial Registration Certificate from the Ministry of Commerce.
- Students aged 16 and over. Certificate of Student Status, plus the employment or business documents of whoever supports you financially.
- Dependents and those not employed. The employment or business documents of your financial supporter.
- No standard certificate available. A written explanation of your occupation and income is accepted instead. We prepare this with you.
Additional
- Documents covering any change of name or surname, such as a marriage or divorce certificate.
- Where you are visiting a friend or relative: a letter of invitation, a letter explaining the relationship and its history, and copies of their passport and residence status pages.
Financial requirements
Japan publishes no minimum balance. What is assessed is whether six months of bank records show funds consistent with the trip you have described and with the income you have declared. A balance that appeared shortly before the application invites questions unless its source is documented.
If a supporter in Japan or Thailand is funding the trip, their financial documents can be used in place of yours, with the relationship documented.
If you are visiting family or friends
This is the category where applications most often come back. Japan wants a documented, consistent account of the relationship: how and when you met, how long you have known each other, and why they are inviting you now. Your host also has to produce specific pages of their passport and evidence of their status of residence in Japan.
We contact your host directly and give them an exact list, so this is settled in one exchange rather than several.
What this costs
- Our fee: 4,500 THB. This covers document preparation, the forms, submission and follow up through to the decision.
- Visa fee: approximately 3,340 THB, paid separately, along with the visa centre service charge.
How we help
You are not buying information, you are buying execution. We confirm whether your nationality and trip need a visa at all, work out which document set applies to your purpose, and give you one list built for your circumstances instead of the full checklist. We complete the application form and the questionnaire, check every certificate against the three month window, confirm the photograph meets specification, and write the explanation of occupation and income where your work does not produce a standard certificate. Where you are visiting someone, we deal with your host. Then we submit the application, follow it through, and check the visa itself when your passport is returned so any error is found here rather than at the airport.
FAQ
1. Do I need a visa for Japan?
Most nationalities do. Thai passport holders do not for tourist trips of 15 days or less. Send us your passport details and we will confirm.
2. How long can I stay?
Up to 90 days, set according to your purpose and documents. For anything longer, tell us your plans and we will look at which status of residence fits.
3. What do I need to do myself?
Tell us about your trip and send us the documents on the list we give you. We handle the rest.
4. Why do applications come back?
Almost always a documentary detail rather than anything substantive. A photograph of the wrong size, a certificate dated four months ago instead of three, an unsigned questionnaire, or missing pages from a host's passport.
5. I am freelance and have no employment certificate.
Common, and not a problem. A written explanation of your occupation and income is accepted, usually alongside a financial supporter's documents. We prepare it.
6. Do I need to submit my old passport?
Yes, if you have one. It shows your travel history, which supports the application.
7. Can I get a multiple entry visa?
They exist, and are generally issued to applicants with a record of previous travel to Japan. We will tell you what suits your history.
8. How long does it take?
Usually a matter of working days once a complete file is submitted, longer over cherry blossom season and year end. Three to four weeks before you travel is comfortable.
9. Can I work in Japan on this visa?
No. Work has its own status of residence. Tell us if that is the goal and we will look at the right route.
10. What if I was refused before?
Send us the details. The decision belongs to the Embassy of Japan and no one can promise an outcome, but we build the new file around whatever was not established last time.
Send us your passport details and your travel dates and we will confirm what is needed for your case.
