Beginner’s Guide to Getting Japan Tourist Visa in Cebu

By in Features Travel

Japan, you had me at “konnichiwa“!

For ten years now, I’ve been meaning to visit Japan owing to its wonderful sights, mouth-watering cuisines and amazing culture. I have high regards to those people who’ve been to Japan either for study, relative visit, work or tourism and seeing their social media posts about Japan while living their dreams, my eagerness to visit to the most-coveted East Asian country grew even more. However, visiting Japan is not as easy as 1, 2, 3.

There are 27 types of visa in Japan and the requirements as well as the authorized activities are different for each of them. I will only share my knowledge based on personal experience as a temporary visitor in Japan. Filipinos traveling to Japan for “tourism” or “vacation” purpose require a non-working visa. Upon knowing this condition back in my college years, it seemed like my dream became a blur all of a sudden. But not for long. Last August 1, 2018, the Government of Japan decided to relax visa requirements for short-term stay for nationals of the Philippines in order to promote people-to-people exchanges between said countries. My burning desire to set foot to the Land of the Rising Sun skyrocketed into a whole new level.

Japan is the fourth international country (but third country I visited requiring a visa) in my travel pipeline this year and the thought of applying for a Visa is still nerve-wracking. Can’t blame me, especially with a lot of horror stories like visa denied for various reasons not disclosed by the embassy. I could still vividly recall my tourist visa application experience ~ a bittersweet moment. My hands were shaking and the wanderlust soul in me was screaming on top of my lungs. I just got my single entry to Visa for Japan as a first-timer and I am still in cloud nine as of writing to be honest.

So here’s a step-by-step guide on how to get a single entry Japan Tourist Visa for first-timer applicants in Cebu. (If you’re aiming for a multiple entry visa, proceed here: 10-YEAR MULTIPLE ENTRY VISA)

A. Gather ALL the requirements (Mandatory)

A stay of up to 90 days for tourism, business, visiting friends or relatives, etc. that does not include remunerative activities. Size of document for application is A4 size only. If a document is printed on other sizes, please submit copy that is already adjusted in A4 size from its original and without staples or pasting pages.

1.) Valid Philippine Passport

  • Broken passport is not accepted
  • Passports must be signed and must have at least two (2) blank visa pages
  • Passport must have a validity of more than six (6) months from date of departure
  • Ensure to sign page 3 and add emergency contact at the last page of your passport
  • old passport (expired) not required, unless there is used Japan Visa (for multiple entry visa requirement)

2.) Visa Application Form

  • Visa Application From to Enter Japan (including sample) is available at the Embassy website, at the entrance of the Embassy or at any of the accredited travel agencies.
  • Application form should be filled out all items correctly, if item is not applicable, please fill in (N/A). Embassy may not accept application with blank item, no signature or no date in the application form; may deny the application that is filled out incorrectly or has wrong information.
  • Do not use liquid paper as means for erasures. Corrections must be crossed out with a double line only.

3.) Photo

  • Specs: 4.5cm x 4.5cm, with white background
  • Photo must be taken within 6 months. Head to a professional photo studio ‘coz they already know the photo specs for Japan Visa.
  • Please write applicant’s name and birth date on back side of photo
  • Must be pasted or glued on the application form

4.) Birth Certificate (Original)

  • Must be issued within one year from Philippine Statistics Authority or PSA (previously NSO). For convenience, request your Birth Certificate online (free delivery 2 to 7 days after payment) via NSOHelpLine.
  • If birth certificate is unreadable or has incomplete information, please also provide birth certificate issued by the Local Civil Registrar.
  • If birth certificate is “Late Registration”, please submit in addition, a Baptismal Certificate and School Record (Form 137) from high school or elementary and School Yearbook (if possible).
  • if there is no record in PSA, please submit a “Certificate of Non-Record” from PSA together with a birth certificate from the Local Civil Registrar.

5.) Marriage Certificate (Original), if applicable

  • Applicable if applicant is married, must be issued within one (1) year from PSA.
  • If there is no record in PSA, please submit a “Certificate of Non-Record” from PSA together with a marriage certificate from the Local Civil Registrar.
  • If marriage certificate is unreadable or has incomplete information, please also provide marriage certificate issued by the Local Civil Registrar.

6.) Daily Schedule in Japan (Taizai Yoteihyo, Original)

Don’t make your daily itinerary too complicated. Your schedule of stay (containing your activities per day) matters as it affects how much budget you really need to prepare for your Japan trip. Get an Embassy-format itinerary here.

Even if you book a flight to Japan for 14 days, it’s not wise to declare the exact 14 days in your Japan Visa application as you need to match it with your bank balance, thus more budget is needed. Just state that your schedule of stay in Japan is 7 days maximum and intend to visit free attractions (no entrance fee) in various districts (e.g., Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya, Akihabara, etc.) in one area only, say Tokyo, for easier calculation of your trip’s maximum spending. Besides, you won’t be asked for a plane ticket so there’s no way the Embassy would know exact days you’d stay in Japan. Of course, if you stay for over 90 days, that’s a different story. That said, you don’t also need to follow the “dummy” itinerary during your actual Japan trip. Less days of stay, less budget needed, more chances of getting your visa approved given you only have a not so high bank balance in actual. Unless of course money is not an issue.

7.) Applicant’s Latest Income Tax Return (Form 2316)

  • Photocopy is allowed as long as it is clear and copied in A4
  • It doesn’t have to be checked by BIR with stamp or supported with a sworn declaration for inclusion in alpha listing unlike visa requirement for South Korea or China
  • Must be signed by the taxpayer and authorized representative of the employer
  • Make sure that your income reflected in ITR is not too far off with your bank balance, say you have 1 million in your bank account but your annual income is only 100,000. This may raise a red flag to the Embassy.
  • If you don’t have an ITR, you can make an explanation letter why you don’t have one. See sample letter here: MULTIPLE ENTRY VISA APPLICATION (WITH EXPLANATION LETTER – NO ITR)

8.) Personal Bank Certificate (Original)

  • Original Bank Certificate is required if applicant will shoulder part or all of his/her travel expenses
  • Validity of Bank Certificate is three (3) months from the date of issue.
  • Payroll account and joint account are fine (as long name of applicant also appears in the bank certificate as account owner)
  • Opening Account Date and Average Daily Balance (ADB) are NOT required, but must not be a freshly-baked account with one-time, big-time deposit just intended for visa application purposes
  • Should not be confused with Bank Statement requirement for South Korean Visa or Chinese Visa.
  • If Bank Certificate is under the name of the company, please refer to Company Incentive Tour Requirements

How much money is really needed for Japan Visa application?

This is probably one of the most frequently-asked questions when applying for a Japan tourist visa. To be honest, I don’t really have any concrete idea. I think nobody knows exactly how much is required in your bank account balance. For the minimum fund for bank certificate purposes, Japan embassy did not specify the range. But for some reason, Japan Embassy would like to know whether a certain traveler has the capacity to tour around Japan and has enough funds to cover the cost of his/her trip. According to my ample research, the safe amount is Php 10,000 per day but for increased assurance, I secured a bank certificate with a balance of less than Php 150,000, directly obtained from BPI (paid Php 200 processing fee). Since this topic is one of the frequently-asked questions, I will also share what I’ve learned from reading a lot of experiences from Filipino Tourists who visited Japan themselves. Applying for a Visa having less than Php 10,000/day balance may be approved, as evidenced by the following legit testimonials from some of my friends, to wit:

Hopeful now? We all should! It all boils down to creation of one simple itinerary (see details in number 6 above). As already noted above, this is for purposes of tourist visa application only so you don’t have to follow such itinerary during your actual trip.

If a Guarantor who lives in the Philippines will shoulder part of the applicant’s travel experiences, here are the requirements in lieu of 7 and 8 above:

  • Guarantee Letter (Embassy Form) (Signature/Seal), Original and addressed to Ambassador/Consul-General of Japan
  • Proof of relationship between applicant and guarantor (Original)
  • Guarantor’s Bank Certificate (Original) and ITR (Form 2316) (Clear Photocopy in A4)

ADDITIONAL BASIC REQUIREMENT AS OF FEBRUARY 03, 2020

In light of the recent Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak and designation of said novel coronavirus as “Designated Infectious Disease” under the Infectious Diseases Act of Japan, Japan Embassy requires attachment of “Questionnaire” as one of the basic requirements, effective immediately. Visa applicants are required to fill in and submit questionnaire whether or not they have (or will have) travelled to Hubei Province in the People’s Republic of China within 14 days before arriving in Japan.

Secure a downloadable form of the questionnaire here: QUESTIONNAIRES

B. Submit additional requirements (Optional)

It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that he/she meet the requirements for the grant of a visa. Submission of supporting documents not listed above is also encouraged, as follows:

1.) Applicant’s economic or social ties with the Philippines

  • Certificate of Employment (with applicant’s salary, tenure and position) printed in the official letterhead of the company and signed by authorized signatory
  • Photocopy of Company ID (not required but demonstrates that you’re actually employed in addition to a COE, regardless of whether you’re full-time, regular or not)
  • If a government employee, show proof that your leave(s) is(are) approved (may also be used for immigration purposes)
  • Certificate of Business Name Registration (for owners of a company, must be issued by Department of Trade and Industry or Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission)
  • Personal Property and Land Titles
  • Stock Certificate, Insurance Policies and other records

2.) Urgent reasons for visit

  • Medical certificate
  • Wedding invitation

3.) Not required documents but you may want to secure or submit for whatever purpose it may serve

  • Cover Letter
  • Plane Ticket
  • Hotel Accommodation
  • Certified True Copy of Bank Statements for the last three months
  • Photocopy of valid visa/s and arrival stamps to other countries

You may apply for a multiple entry visa even if you are a first-time applicant. Please note however that a single(or double)-entry visa may be issued depending on the result of the examination even if you have applied for multiple visa. This just means that you could still get a single entry visa for Japan even if you are denied for a multiple entry visa. So even if you are still a first time traveler in Japan, applying for multiple entry visa is a good thing to try ‘coz you may still get a visa anyways.

C. Apply Through an Accredited Travel Agency

All visa applications (except some special cases) must be coursed through travel agencies accredited by the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines. To date, there are only five accredited agencies with branches in Cebu to wit:

  • Discovery Tour, Inc. (Northgate Center, Banilad)
  • Attic Tours Phils., Inc. (SM Cebu City and Cebu Waterfront Airport Hotel)
  • Friendship Tours and Resorts Corporation (Oakridge Business Park, A.S. Fortuna St., Mandaue)
  • Pan Pacific Travel Corporation (Diplomat Hotel, Ramos St.)
  • Universal Holidays, Inc. (Mahogany Place, Mabolo)

Temporary visitor visa for Philippine Nationals is gratis or FREE. Since accredited agencies are private enterprises, a handling fee is necessary for processing the application. Please inquire directly at the accredited agencies for the rates/ handling fee on visa application.

For visa application filed through accredited agencies, at least (1) week [five (5) working days] from the date of acceptance by the Embassy is necessary to be processed and released of passports to the accredited agencies. If however, the passport has not been returned after more than a week, the applicant who need to verify the status of the application may inquiry to the Embassy confirming the 8-digit acceptance number from your chosen agency.

I chose to apply at Discovery Tour, Inc. I only paid Php 500 for the handling fee for my visa application. I scored a discounted visa processing fee (from the regular fee of Php 1,000) during International Travel Festival 2019 last July at Ayala Center Cebu. I submitted all my documents to the Agency last October 21, 2019, lodged to the embassy on October 23, 2019 (approved the following day) and claimed my passport on November 04, 2019. That’s a total of 14 days processing lead time. I personally find it too dragging, thus inconvenient. If the waiting time matters to you, I highly recommend all other agencies in the list above. UHI is a great alternative.

Please note that submission of complete requirements doesn’t guarantee getting a Visa. You may end up putting incorrect or inconsistent details in your application form or having insufficient bank balance or any other reasons which the Embassy sees fit to deny your visa application. The discretion of whether or not to approve your visa application does not rest in travel agencies as they only serve as middlemen for facilitating your requirements and submission to the Embassy. Prayer is still needed. =)

D. Other Visa Considerations

Applicant must apply for visa according to the purpose of your travel. Temporary visitor’s visa is visa for those who plan to stay for not more than 90 days for the purpose of activities such as sightseeing, commercial purpose, conference, and visit to relatives or acquaintances only. It is not allowed in Temporary visitor’s visa activities (employment, entertainment etc.) that earn compensation or training with training allowance or included On the Job Training. If the purpose is to stay longer than 90 days (to live with spouse or to study etc.) or to engage in activities (employment, entertainment etc.) that earn compensation even if stay is for 90 days or less; or if a training allowance is paid or included in the training, please consult with the nearest immigration office in Japan, obtain the appropriate Certificate of Eligibility (COE) and apply for a visa.

Reason for the denial of visa will not be disclosed even if an inquiry is made. At the same time, if a visa application is denied, applicant may only re-apply for the same purpose after (6) months. For more info, please refer to the General Information page of Embassy of Japan in the Philippines.

If you follow the steps and submit all mandatory and optional requirements above, then hope for the best. I know it’s kind of stressful to even think of the little details from putting your name and birthday at the back of the photo before pasting it to the application form to the unknown answer of how much do you really need to deposit as show money in your bank. I tell you, with your Japan dreams at stake, it’s all worth it.

If you want to refer to my budget-friendly autumn experience in Japan for a week, read here: JAPAN TRAVEL GUIDE: 1 WEEK AUTUMN TRIP IN 10 PREFECTURES FOR P10,000 POCKET MONEY.

If you have further clarifications or additional comments or questions related to my personal experience in applying tourist visa for Japan, feel free to leave them below. Have you tried getting a single-enty or multiple entry visa to Japan as well? Share your experience in the comment section below.

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