Nationals and citizens of countries including Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, USA, and Australia do not need a visa to enter Japan provided that they meet the eligibility criteria. Most qualified travelers are given a visa-free stay of up to 90 days.
Highlights
- Japan has a Visa Exemption Arrangement with 68 countries as of September 2019.
- The agreement allows for a visa-free entry to Japan and a short-term stay for a period of 15, 30, or 90 days (varies per country!).
- The Visa Exemption policy only applies to eligible foreigners whose purpose of travel is tourism, family visit, and commerce, among a few others.
- If profitable activities like employment are to be undertaken, the foreigner must apply for a visa that matches their purpose.
- If you are from the Philippines, Vietnam, Russia, Georgia, or China, you are required to obtain a visa to travel to Japan.
- Regardless of which country you’re from, if you’re already thinking about going to Tokyo or Osaka this year, you can check out WAUG — Korea’s #1 travel activity booking platform! Get the app here and start planning your trip.
Explore more: How to Apply for a Japan Tourist Visa: Requirements & Process in the Philippines
UPDATE: June 13, 2020
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, Japan has imposed travel restrictions for those who have visited these countries.
Traveling to Japan? Check out these essentials
With tons of attractions and hidden gems that await you in Japan, getting a reliable internet connection and money-saving transport passes is a must if you want to get a full immersive experience. Whether you have to obtain a tourist visa to Japan or not (the list of exempted countries follows shortly below!), you can already get started with your itinerary by considering the following essentials:
📶 Pocket Wifi & SIM Card
- LTE Pocket Wifi for Japan (Airport Pick-up)
- 4G/LTE SIM Card for Japan
Nationals and Citizens of These Countries May Enter Japan Without a Visa
If you find your country of nationality or citizenship in the following list, you are permitted to enter Japan with no visa if your purpose of travel is tourism, commerce, visiting a family or acquaintance, or attending a conference. These are activities that are categorized under short-term stay, which means that you may not engage in profit-making or income-generating activities.
Andorra
Citizens and nationals of Andorra may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Argentina
Citizens and nationals of Argentina may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Australia
Australians may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Austria
Citizens and nationals of Austria may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Bahamas
Citizens and nationals of the Bahamas may enter Japan without a visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Barbados
Citizens and nationals of Barbados who have a valid and ICAO-compliant passport (either machine-readable passport or e-Passport) may enter Japan without a visa and stay for up to 90 days. Those who do not own such a passport are advised to apply for a visa.
Belgium
Citizens and nationals of Belgium may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Brunei
Citizens and nationals of Brunei may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 15 days.
Bulgaria
Citizens and nationals of Bulgaria may enter Japan visa-free. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Canada
Canadian nationals and citizens may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Chile
Citizens and nationals of Chile may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Costa Rica
Citizens and nationals of Costa Rica may enter Japan without a visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Croatia
Citizens and nationals of Croatia may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Cyprus
Citizens and nationals of Cyprus may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Czech Republic
Citizens and nationals of Czech Republic may enter Japan without a visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Denmark
Citizens and nationals of Denmark may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Dominican Republic
Citizens and nationals of the Dominican Republic may enter Japan visa-free. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
El Salvador
Citizens and nationals of El Salvador may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Estonia
Citizens and nationals of Estonia may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Finland
Citizens and nationals of Finland may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Citizens and nationals of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia may enter Japan without a visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
France
French nationals and citizens may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Germany
Citizens and nationals of Germany may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Greece
Citizens and nationals of Greece may enter Japan without a visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Guatemala
Citizens and nationals of Guatemala may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Honduras
Citizens and nationals of Honduras may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Hong Kong
Citizens of Hong Kong do not need a visa to enter Japan if they are a holder of Special Administrative Region (SAR) passport issued by the Hong Kong SAR of the People’s Republic of China or British National Overseas (BNO) passports who have the right of residence in Hong Kong. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Hungary
Citizens and nationals of Hungary may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Iceland
Citizens and nationals of Iceland may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Indonesia
Indonesians are allowed to enter Japan without a visa if they have a valid registration of their ICAO-compliant e-Passport in the Embassy or Consulate of Japan in Indonesia. The maximum allowed period of stay is 15 days.
Ireland
Citizens and nationals of Ireland may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Israel
Citizens and nationals of Israel may enter Japan without a visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Italy
Citizens and nationals of Italy may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Latvia
Citizens and nationals of Latvia may enter Japan without a visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Lesotho
Citizens and nationals of Lesotho who have a valid and ICAO-compliant passport (either machine-readable passport or e-Passport) may enter Japan without a visa and stay for up to 90 days. Those who do not hold such a passport are advised to apply for a visa.
Liechtenstein
Citizens and nationals of Liechtenstein may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Lithuania
Citizens and nationals of Lithuania may enter Japan visa-free. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Luxembourg
Citizens and nationals of Luxembourg may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Macao
Citizens and nationals of Macao may enter Japan without a visa if they hold a SAR passport that’s issued by the Macao SAR of the People’s Republic of China. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Malaysia
Malaysians who have a valid and ICAO-compliant e-Passport may enter Japan without a visa and stay for up to 90 days. Those who do not possess such a passport are advised to apply for a visa. (Oh, and do consider adding this nice onsen to your itinerary!)
Malta
Citizens and nationals of Malta do not need a visa to enter Japan. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Mauritius
Citizens and nationals of Mauritius may enter Japan visa-free. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Mexico
Citizens and nationals of Mexico may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Monaco
Citizens and nationals of Monaco may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Netherlands
Citizens and nationals of Netherlands may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
New Zealand
Citizens and nationals of New Zealand may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Norway
Citizens and nationals of Norway may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Poland
Citizens and nationals of Poland may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Portugal
Citizens and nationals of Portugal may enter Japan without a visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Romania
Citizens and nationals of Romania may enter Japan visa-free. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
San Marino
Citizens and nationals of San Marino do not need a visa to enter Japan. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Serbia
Citizens and nationals of Serbia who have a valid and ICAO-compliant e-Passport may enter Japan without a visa and stay for up to 90 days. Those who do not possess such a passport are advised to apply for a visa.
Singapore
Singaporeans may enter Japan without a visa and stay for a maximum period of 90 days. (If you want to explore Osaka, do check out this WAUG-exclusive activity!)
Slovakia
Citizens and nationals of Slovakia may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
South Korea
South Koreans do not need a visa to enter Japan and may stay for a maximum period of 90 days.
Spain
Citizens and nationals of Spain may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Surinam
Citizens and nationals of Surinam do not need a visa may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Sweden
Citizens and nationals of Sweden may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Switzerland
Citizens and nationals of Switzerland may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Taiwan
Citizens and nationals of Taiwan may enter Japan with no visa and stay for a maximum period of 90 days if their passport bears their personal identification number.
Thailand
Thai nationals and citizens who have a valid and ICAO-compliant e-Passport may enter Japan without a visa and stay for up to 15 days. Those who do not possess such a passport are advised to apply for a visa.
Tunisia
Citizens and nationals of Tunisia do not need a visa to enter Japan. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Turkey
Citizens and nationals of Turkey who have a valid and ICAO-compliant passport (either machine-readable passport or e-Passport) may enter Japan without a visa and stay for up to 90 days. Those who do not hold such a passport are advised to apply for a visa.
United Arab Emirates
Nationals of the UAE are allowed to enter Japan without a visa if they have a valid registration of their ICAO-compliant e-Passport in the Embassy or Consulate of Japan. The maximum allowed period of stay is 30 days.
United Kingdom
Citizens and nationals of the UK may enter Japan with no visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
United States of America
Citizens of the USA may enter Japan without a visa and stay for up to 90 days. (Check out this go-kart experience if you’re looking for some fun things to do in Okinawa!)
Uruguay
Citizens and nationals of Uruguay may enter Japan visa-free. The maximum period of stay is 90 days.
Notes & Reference
If you are from Austria, Germany, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, the UK, or Mexico and want to stay in Japan for more than 90 days, you must apply for an extension of stay to the Ministry of Justice (Regional Immigration Bureau) before your period of permitted stay elapses.
This article is based on MOFA’s list of countries with visa-entry to Japan from September 2019. We did not include any policy updates that have arisen following the COVID-19 pandemic, so we encourage you to check with any of Japan’s diplomatic offices in your country (Embassy or Consulate) if your visa exemption is still valid prior to making any travel plans.
