I gather that Japan does not have the usual "passport must be valid for six months after entry" requirement, but I'm unable to find proof of this in writing -- can any enterprising FTer find some? Proving a negative isn't easy, with eg. Timatic simply silent on the issue.
Timatic is NOT silent on the issue. It rather clearly says:
Passport and/or passport replacing documents must be valid on arrival.
And that means exactly what it says it means: the passport must be valid on [the day of] arrival. There is no requirement that it be valid any further in the future than that.
Originally Posted by
beep88
The standard tourist stay is 90 days. If your passport is due to expire in less than 90 days at time of landing, you'll spend a little more time at the immigration counter as the officer must manually adjust the date on the stamp to shorten the number of days you are allowed to stay.
I'm sorry, but that's wrong on at least three counts:
- The length of stay granted to Japan is not dependent on validity of the passport on day of entry. There are some countries where this is true, but they'll be denoted in Timatic as "Passport must be valid for intended length of stay." Japan has no such designation or requirement.
- Since Fall of 2003, Japan has not used manual stamps in passports. They have a computer-generated sticker that they issue upon arrival and stick in your passport that has the type of entry granted and the duration. Any adjustment to the permitted length of stay because of passport validity would happen automatically in the computer.
- I can speak to all of the above with absolute certainty, as my most recent visit to Japan involved a passport with only 2 weeks of validity remaining. I was granted the standard 90-day stay, even though that would be 2.5 months past the passport's expiration.
Now, the question arises: "What happens if your passport expires while you're in Japan?" Well, for one, if you don't have a Permanent Resident Card, you immediately become a law-breaker, because you wouldn't have a valid passport which is required to be carried on your person at all times as a foreigner. Second, you won't be able to leave the country, as you can't pass through exit immigration at the airport without a valid passport, and if leaving by plane, the airline won't accept you for transport because of your lack of a valid passport.
The obvious solution to the above is: if your passport expires while you're in Japan, it's your responsibility to renew it with your embassy/consulate. To be squeaky clean legal, this would have to be done before it expires, but certainly must be done before you leave. But upon arrival, as long as it's valid on that date, you've met the requirements to be granted permission to land.