Japan entry requirements: visa, Visit Japan Web, forms
What you need to enter Japan: when you don't need a visa, which documents to carry and how to save time at immigration with Visit Japan Web.
Entry rules depend on your nationality and change over time, so this guide explains the general policy and points you to the official sources. Always confirm your own case there before you travel.
Visa
Japan grants visa-free entry for short stays, usually up to 90 days though it varies by country, to nationals of more than 60 countries, including most of the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia and much of Latin America. The official list by nationality, from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is on this page. If your nationality isn't on it, you need to apply for a visa before you travel, and the same Ministry explains the procedure.
What you always need
Whatever your nationality: a passport valid for the whole stay and an onward or return ticket.
Visit Japan Web
It isn't mandatory, but we recommend it. Visit Japan Web is the official portal from Japan's Digital Agency that combines the immigration card, the customs declaration and the tax-free registration into one online step. Fill it out before you fly, at least 6 hours before landing, and you get a QR code that speeds up immigration and customs a lot. If you don't fill it out, no problem: on the plane they give you the usual paper forms.
Vaccines and insurance
There are no mandatory vaccines. A yellow fever certificate is only asked for if you're coming from a country with transmission risk. Travel insurance isn't mandatory, but we recommend it, because private healthcare in Japan isn't cheap.
Entry requirements can change. Always check the official sources before you travel, not a blog from two years ago.
Our recommendation
Look up your nationality on the official list, fill out Visit Japan Web before you leave and keep your passport and onward ticket handy. You'll find the route in our 14-day Japan itinerary, and when to go in best time to visit Japan.
Our favorite activities in Japan
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