Transit Visa

2017/9/1

*U.S. citizens do not require a visa to enter Japan if their stay is less than 90 days*

Travelers who stop in Japan en route to another country may require a transit visa. Activities are limited to:

  • Leisure and sightseeing
  • Rest (i.e. staying in a hotel with overnight flight connections)
  • Arriving at an airport in Japan and departing from another airport in Japan (i.e. arriving at Narita Airport and departing from Haneda Airport)

Once the transit visa is issued, neither change of visa status nor extension of visa is permitted.

Any activity involving business or profit requires a different type of visa, regardless of amount of time spent in Japan. Transit visas are for non-paid activity only.

Nationals of countries with visa exemption arrangements are not required to have a transit visa.

IMPORTANT: If your final destination country requires a visa, please obtain this visa first before applying for a Japanese transit visa.

Required Documentation

A person applying for a transit visa to Japan must submit the following documentation:

1. Valid Passport

Must have at least one complete blank visa page.
or
Immigration documents showing legal status and permission of reentry into the United States
May be a U.S. Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) or a valid U.S. visa sticker on a valid passport
F or J visa holder must show an I-20 or DS-2019 (formerly IAP-66) with the valid signature of an appropriate official in order to reenter the U.S.

Please note that in principle we do not accept an application from B-1 (Temporary Business Visitor) and B-2 (Temporary Visitor for Tourism/Leisure) U.S. visa holders. If you hold a B-1 or B-2 U.S. visa, you should return to your country of origin and apply for a Japan visa from there.

2. One visa application form

Must be completely filled and signed by the applicant.
Blank visa application forms are available at the consular office or may be downloaded here.

3. One 2” x 2” square passport-type color photograph

Must be taken within 6 months of application date with front-face view of applicant and plain background.

4. A flight itinerary or reservation confirming arrival and departure in Japan

An e-ticket or print-out from a travel agency, airline, or travel website is acceptable. The print-out should include:

  1. Passenger's name.
  2. Confirmation number/record locator.
  3. Airline names, flight number and all departure/destination cities.
  4. Complete round-trip flight itinerary, starting/ending in the US. This should include all of the countries you are visiting other than Japan, if applicable.

Please note: We do not require the purchase of tickets, but we require a confirmed reservation. The Consular Office of Japan is not responsible for tickets which may be unusable due to the delay or denial of a visa.

5. Visa fees (if applicable)

Visa fees vary by country. Please check the list of visa fees to see if you are required to pay a fee.

The consular office accepts exact payment in cash only. No checks or cards will be accepted.

6. Hotel confirmation

Hotel reservation must be issued by the hotel or a travel agency. Hotel reservation must cover entire stay in Japan.

If the stay in Japan exceeds one night: hotel reservation confirmation plus proof of sufficient funds to cover stay (i.e. most recent U.S. bank statement)

Visa for next destination country (if applicable)

Must be in the passport at the time of Japanese transit visa application.

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