If you’re a foreigner living in Singapore and you are thinking about visiting Japan, you might find yourself needing to apply a tourist visa.
As you can guess from the number of posts I’ve written about Japan, I’ve visited the country many times. I have a visa exemption to Japan now, but for a good portion of my life, I used to have to apply for a tourist visa.
So yes – I am quite familiar with the Japan embassy, because I’ve had to physically go to the embassy to apply for a visa each time I wanted to go to Japan. And even now, I still have to apply for Japan visa since my family members require visa to go to Japan.
Without further ado, here is everything I know about applying Japan visa in person at the embassy in Singapore.
- Requirements for applying for a Japan visa in Singapore
- Should I apply for the Japan visa online or in-person?
- How to secure an appointment at the Japan Embassy
- How long does it take for the in-person application to be processed?
- Preparing documents for the in-person visa application
- How to get multiple entry Japan visa in Singapore
- How to get domestic helper visa for Japan
Requirements for applying for a Japan visa in Singapore
Before we go on, let’s determine if you can apply for a Japan visa in Singapore.
In Singapore, the in-person Japan visa application is only available to legal residents of Singapore, which means you must hold a valid residence pass like an Employment Pass or Long Term Pass. If you are just visiting Singapore and not living or working here legally, you can’t apply for a visa in Singapore. You’ll have to apply at the country of your passport instead.
You’ll also need to book an appointment to apply for the visa in person at the Japanese Embassy at 16 Nassim Road. Without appointment, you’ll be turned away at the gate.
Should I apply for the Japan visa online or in-person?
The Japan tourism visa can actually be applied both electronically online and physically in-person. However, choosing the method of application is not a matter of preference, but rather based on necessity. I’ll explain more in detail what I mean by this soon.
Japan Electronic Visa (eVisa): I have written a detailed process on how to apply for the Japan electronic visa online. You can read my post here.
At first glance, it makes sense to try to apply for the visa online to save time and hassle. However, there is a down side to the eVisa. Due to the high demand in visiting Japan, the eVisa takes a long time to process. Especially if you’re visiting Japan during the peak period like Sakura time, or school holiday season. To be safe, you should apply for eVisa about two months before your trip. This is based on the many experience of my reader which you can read about in the comments section of my eVisa post.
On the other hand, if you manage to secure an appointment at the embassy and submit your application in person, you would have your passport back with the visa within 5 business days.
So if you have an impromptu trip to Japan in less than a month, your best option is applying in-person. Sounds good right? But no, there is a big catch: The in-person appointment is limited and very difficult to get. I’ll write out more tips on getting an appointment slot below.
How to secure an appointment at the Japan Embassy
The appointment can be booked through the official Japan embassy website here. When you’re visiting Japan as a tourist, you MUST book under Visa (Sightseeing). If it says “No events to display”, it means there is no more appointment slot. Do not be cheeky and try to book under other categories, because they will check at the entrance and again at the visa counter before you can submit your application.
As I said before, the visa appointment at the Japan embassy is highly coveted and they’re often booked out quickly in advance – basically as soon as the slots open up, it will be gone within minutes. People do cancel last minute so I advise you to keep checking and get all your documents ready so that you can apply the next morning if the slot opens up. Sometimes, slots are also released in bulk at a random time.
Some people don’t have time to keep checking back. Thankfully, a kind soul named Dominic Arrojado has created an unofficial Japan visa slot notifier via Telegram: You can subscribe to the channel here and be notified when a slot opens up. But keep in mind that there are a bunch of people watching this telegram channel (Almost 4,000 subscribers at the time of writing), so you still need to be FAST. At least, it saves you the time and efforts to manually check. PS: The tool is totally free. If you find it useful, please consider donating to his efforts! I did 🙂
If you’re applying as a family, you only need one slot. DO NOT try to book multiple slots, bc it will get canceled. Don’t ask me how I know 😶
There are two appointment slots per day for 8:30-9:30am and 9:30-10:30am, but people show up early to queue because it’s first-come first-served. If you managed to get the 8:30am slot and need to go back to work after, be sure to be at the embassy by 8am so you don’t have to wait too long. I’ve waited as long as an hour just to submit the application.
The appointment needs to be made in the applicant’s name, even if you are applying on behalf of someone and the applicant is not going to be present in person. For example, if you are applying for a domestic helper’s visa, the appointment needs to be made in the helper’s name even if its the employer who will be going to the embassy. And you’ll need a power of attorney / letter of authorization signed by the applicant as well. You can download a template at the document list at the embassy website.
How long does it take for the in-person Japan visa application to be processed?
If you manage to get the highly coveted appointment, congratulations!
From the appointment date, it will take 5 business days to get your passport and visa back, provided you have submitted all the correct documents and your application is accepted. You’ll get a small paper slip that details when you should come back for the passport.
The date of document submission is inclusive of the 5 business days. So for example, if you submitted your application on Thursday, 16 January, you would get your passport back on Wednesday, 22 January in the afternoon. There is NO other faster route available, no express or urgent visa.
Be mindful of both Singapore and Japanese public holidays, because the embassy will not be operating and it will add to the application process time. Check for embassy holidays here.
How much does the Japan visa cost?
The paper slip given by the visa consular after you’ve submitted your application will tell you how much cash you need to prepare depending on your passport. Good news, certain nationalities will be exempt from visa fees so you might even not have to pay anything!
Japan Visa Fees: You can check here for a list of Japan Visa Fee. This includes the list of nationalities exempt from paying visa fees.
Credit card payments or any other payment methods are not available. The embassy will only accept cash and don’t give change, so you need to prepare EXACT amount. Keep in mind the embassy will not accept more than ten coins in single transaction. I saw notices quoting Section 13(4) of Currency Act of Singapore posted on the visa application window when I was there. In addition to that, they will only accept S$1 coins, not the smaller coins like 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents coins. So make sure to prepare bills!
Preparing documents for the in-person visa application
Once you’ve secured an appointment, the next hurdle is preparing for the documents for the visa application. And trust me, you want to take this seriously because you don’t want to be sent back after securing the highly coveted appointment!
Here are my tips:
1. Review the required documents checklist
On the embassy official website, there is a checklist you can review. On the day of the appointment, make sure you have ALL the documents required.
I suggest printing out the check list and organize the document in the order that it is mentioned on the check list. Maybe you can even keep it in a folder. It will help the embassy employees to help review your application.
2. Filling out a Schedule of Stay
A “Schedule of Stay” is a list of daily activities and itinerary of what you are planning to do while you are in Japan. You can use the template provided and fill it in.
Be as detailed as you possibly can. This means, list down what you’re going to be doing every single day and where you plan to stay that day. Do this even if your plans are not set in stone.
In my case, my Schedule of Stay was rejected once. I was asked to redo the document as I did not furnish enough details. So since then, I made sure to include all the plans I have and where I was planning to stay. I was also honest that some of the domestic trips I wanted to do within Japan are still in the planning stage and put “TBD” as places to stay as I did not know yet. They were okay with it at that time, but I can’t say they’ll accept this for anyone else again, so I suggest to put as much details as you can.
3. Downloadable Digital Pass via myICA
If you hold Long Term Pass (LTP) in Singapore and renewed it after 2023, ICA has ceased issuance of physical card since 27 February 2023. You would have been issued only the digital pass, which can be accessed through Singpass. LTP includes Student;s Pass, Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) and Dependant’s Pass.
During the Japan visa application, you would be required to submit your LTP card, which needs to be physically printed out. No, you can’t just print a screenshot of your LTP card from Singpass – you need to provide the official downloadable version of your LTP, which includes a QR code that can be scanned to verify the legitimacy of the print out via FileSG.
To obtain the downloadable version of your LTP, follow these steps:
- Go to MyICA and login via Singpass
- Navigate to MyICA Home. In the Documents section, click on “View Documents”.
- You would be automatically redirected to a site called FileSG, where you can download a copy of your digital pass with the QR verification.
- You can print this out and submit it with your application.
4. Proof of relationship when sponsoring someone else’s visa
Applying for a visa for yourself is straightforward, but applying on behalf of another person might not be as easy. Keep in mind the one rule of thumb: If you’re sponsoring someone’s visa (as in, you will be the financial guarantor of the trip), you need to provide a document that proves your relationship with that person.
One common example of this is for parents who want to apply for a Japan visa for their kids. In this situation, the parents will be the financial guarantor for the kids. They would have to provide copy of their birth certificate with your name clearly stated as one of their parents. Similarly, if you’re married and applying for a visa for your spouse, you must provide a copy of your marriage certificate that states both of your name clearly. If your documents are not in english, you’ll need to get it translated and certified.
For a married couple, each person can also apply for a visa separately, so you may not need to provide a marriage certificate. However, each person would need to be able to qualify for a visa on their own, which means they need to be able to prove that they’re financially able to support themselves, either by providing certificate of employment or business registration profile if self-employed.
5. Where to print documents near the Japan embassy in Singapore
Mistakes happen, and you may have forgotten a document or be required to reprint some documents. The embassy would usually allow you to come back before noon, so that you don’t need to hunt for another appointment slot.
The closest print shop you can get to is the Fotohub at the basement of Forum Shopping Mall (Google Maps). It is about 10 minutes walk from the Japan embassy. They will charge $1 per page, which is way more expensive than other printing services, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
How to get multiple entry Japan visa
When applying for a Japan tourist visa, you have the option to apply for single or multiple entry. I advise to always applying for a multiple entry visa, because there is no down side to it. Even if you don’t get multiple entry, you will still be given a single entry visa.
First of all, if you want to get multiple entry visa, double check on the visa validity stated at the top of each visa application. For certain nationalities, you can only stay for 30 days at a time under multiple entry visa vs up to 90 days on single entry visa.
Here are some documents that might help you get multiple entry visa:
1. Multiple Entry Visa Document Checklist
Make sure you’re referring to the mutiple entry visa document checklist, which you can find here. The list of required documents vary depending on your passport.
2. Letter of explanation
Depending on your nationality, you might be required to attach a letter of explanation stating the reason of applying for the multiple visa, addressed to the Embassy of Japan in Singapore. This is required for certain nationalities, but optional for others.
If the letter is required, here is what you would want to include:
- List your past visit to Japan – If you’ve been to Japan multiple times before, list all of them! This would help justifying the multiple entry visa.
- Immigration entry stamp – Submit a copy of your passport pages, that shows Japan immigration entry stamps as proof of your past visits.
- Financial documents – Submit a document stating your financial capability. This can be in the form of Income Tax Notice of Assessment or the latest one month bank statement. This document is already required as part of your visa application.
- Reason – State the reason why you would like multiple entry visa (For example, you can say you plan to visit Japan again in the near future)
Likelihood of receiving a Japan multiple entry visa
Since I am not affiliated with Japan visa consular, I can’t tell your how hard or easy it is to get Japan multiple entry visa. However, I can tell you anecdotal stories from my own experience and my friends.
It took me three tries to get a multiple entry visa for one of my relatives, who has been to Japan multiple times. Finally, on the third try, they were granted multiple entry visa that’s valid for 5 years and for stay of 90 days at a time. At the same time, I also applied for another relative who has never been to Japan, and they were also granted a multiple entry visa.
But I have heard experiences for my friends who were granted multiple entry visa on first try, and despite never visiting Japan before. One of them applied via a travel agency, although when I called the agency they were not able to guarantee multiple entry visa. The other one was asked whether they want single or multiple entry visa when they were submitting the application at the embassy.
How to get domestic helper visa for Japan
If you hire a domestic helper in Singapore and would like to bring her along on your family trip, you can apply for a special visa. The process is the same as applying for any tourism visa. There is a separate checklist for domestic helper visa, which you can find here.
A few things to note:
- A domestic helper cannot travel alone – She must be accompanied by the employer or a family member. She cannot fly by herself in and out of Japan. Yes, I asked the embassy and this is what they told me.
- Letter of Guarantee – You have to submit a letter of guarantee for domestic helper, which states that you’re responsible for her trip. There is a template for that here.
- Letter of Authorization – If you intend to apply on her behalf at the embassy, your helper will need to sign a power of attorney / letter of authorization. You can download a template at the document list at the embassy website.
What should I do if my travel date is fast approaching but I still don’t have a visa?
As a last ditch effort, if you really can’t secure an appointment at the Japanese embassy, you can try engaging a travel agent to apply for your visa. I have not used them personally so I can’t vouch for them, but I have friends who have used JA Travel and they can get you a Japan visa for S$120. A few people in the comment section of this post have also used them successfully.
You’ll still need to prepare the documents and the agency will still need 5 business days to get the visa because you’re essentially paying for someone to pre-check your docs and go to the embassy for you. But hey, when push comes to shove – it’s a solution.
… And that’s all I know about applying for a Japan tourist visa at the embassy in Singapore! Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments below! If you want to share your experience applying the Japan visa, it’s also very much welcomed as it would be a valuable data points to other applicants.
Are you planning a trip to Japan? I’ve written loads about the beautiful country. Check out the ‘Japan’ category of this blog for some travel inspiration.