Information regarding a Temporary Visitor Visa application for the purposes of visiting relatives or acquaintances of a Japanese national, “Permanent Resident”, “Long-Term Resident” or foreign national who has residence status in Japan
2022/7/28
Foreign nationals newly entering Japan whose status falls within （1）～（5） below and who do not possess a “Certificate for Completion of Registration to the ERFS system”, are eligible to apply for a temporary visitor visa for stays less than 90 days under “special exceptional circumstances”. The visa issued is single entry only and is valid for 3 months.
1 Foreign nationals who are eligible for application
（5） Visiting an acquaintance who is residing in Japan.
(Note 1) Eligibility for ‘Visiting Acquaintances’ only applies to foreign nationals who have a relationship with a person residing in Japan equivalent to a relative, (e.g. fiancé/fiancée, Common-law marriage etc.), or those who are attending a wedding ceremony/funeral or visiting an acquaintance residing in Japan who is seriously ill.
(Note 2) If you are in any doubt about your eligibility under above category (5), please consult the Consulate General of Japan prior to visa submission.
2 Required Visa Application Documents
3 Submission
Submission and collection of visa applications are undertaken by the Japan Visa Application Centre. Please make an appointment prior to submission via the following website:
Japan Visa Application Centre 【Helpline: (+852) 3167-7033】
4 Points to note
（1） In general, visa issuance is based on the information contained in the requested application documents. However, please note that applicants may be required to provide further documents in order for us to reach a decision. Besides any additional documents requested by the Consulate, further documents will not be accepted once the visa application has been submitted.
（2） Processing time, etc.:
（2.1） Under this measure there is no standard visa processing timeframe. However, assuming the application is uncomplicated, it will take a minimum of one week to process. The Japan Visa Application Centre will contact the applicant once the visa has been issued.
In general, if a new visa is issued under this measure, any existing visas will be cancelled.
（2.2） The duration of the application process is expected to be significantly longer than normal and application tracking enquiries and early issuance requests will not be accommodated.
Please also understand that a visa may not ultimately be granted.
（3） The applicant is required to show proof of their relationship with the inviter upon arrival in Japan.
5 Related Links
Please refer to the web pages below for more information regarding these measures.
（1） Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan website:
・ Application for Visa for foreign nationals eligible for Phased Measures toward Resuming Cross-Border Travel
https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/ca/fna/page22_003381.html（Japanese）
https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page22e_000921.html（English）
（2） Immigration Services Agency of Japan website:
・ Regarding denial of landing to prevent the spread of COVID-19:
https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001347329.pdf（Japanese）
https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001347330.pdf（Japanese）
https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001361129.pdf（English）
6 Other
For the latest information on quarantine measures after entering Japan, please refer to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare website:
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/0000121431_00209.html（Japanese）
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/covid-19/bordercontrol.html（English）
1 Foreign nationals who are eligible for application
- Relative of a Japanese national.
- Relative of a person with the status of “Permanent Resident” (“永住者”).
- Spouse or child of a person with the status of “Long-Term Resident”(“定住者”).
（5） Visiting an acquaintance who is residing in Japan.
(Note 1) Eligibility for ‘Visiting Acquaintances’ only applies to foreign nationals who have a relationship with a person residing in Japan equivalent to a relative, (e.g. fiancé/fiancée, Common-law marriage etc.), or those who are attending a wedding ceremony/funeral or visiting an acquaintance residing in Japan who is seriously ill.
(Note 2) If you are in any doubt about your eligibility under above category (5), please consult the Consulate General of Japan prior to visa submission.
2 Required Visa Application Documents
- Foreign nationals of countries & regions with a visa exemption prior to the border control measures against novel coronavirus (COVID-19). ※ List of countries & regions with a visa exemption
- Foreign nationals other than those from countries & regions with a visa exemption prior to the border control measures against novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
3 Submission
Submission and collection of visa applications are undertaken by the Japan Visa Application Centre. Please make an appointment prior to submission via the following website:
Japan Visa Application Centre 【Helpline: (+852) 3167-7033】
4 Points to note
（1） In general, visa issuance is based on the information contained in the requested application documents. However, please note that applicants may be required to provide further documents in order for us to reach a decision. Besides any additional documents requested by the Consulate, further documents will not be accepted once the visa application has been submitted.
（2） Processing time, etc.:
（2.1） Under this measure there is no standard visa processing timeframe. However, assuming the application is uncomplicated, it will take a minimum of one week to process. The Japan Visa Application Centre will contact the applicant once the visa has been issued.
In general, if a new visa is issued under this measure, any existing visas will be cancelled.
（2.2） The duration of the application process is expected to be significantly longer than normal and application tracking enquiries and early issuance requests will not be accommodated.
Please also understand that a visa may not ultimately be granted.
（3） The applicant is required to show proof of their relationship with the inviter upon arrival in Japan.
5 Related Links
Please refer to the web pages below for more information regarding these measures.
（1） Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan website:
・ Application for Visa for foreign nationals eligible for Phased Measures toward Resuming Cross-Border Travel
https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/ca/fna/page22_003381.html（Japanese）
https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page22e_000921.html（English）
（2） Immigration Services Agency of Japan website:
・ Regarding denial of landing to prevent the spread of COVID-19:
https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001347329.pdf（Japanese）
https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001347330.pdf（Japanese）
https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001361129.pdf（English）
6 Other
For the latest information on quarantine measures after entering Japan, please refer to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare website:
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/0000121431_00209.html（Japanese）
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/covid-19/bordercontrol.html（English）