Visa query
 

Hi all-

My fiancee and I are planning to visit Japan in a few months' time and I've got a question re: visa.

She currently holds a Malaysian passport with Australian Permanent Residence visa so I click on the first link on this page:

http://www.sydney.au.emb-japan.go.jp..._term_stay.htm

We'll be in Japan for 10 days, go to Europe for 2 weeks, then fly back to Australia via Japan. As we'll have 10 hours or so in Japan our plan is to go out and spend the day in Narita or Tokyo.

Questions:

1. Does the first visa described (holiday/sightseeeing) allow for multiple entry or will she need to apply for two visas?

2. What is the difference between the above visa and the transit visa? The transit visa description says it's for up to 15 days, but the application form and process is exactly the same.

Thanks!

1. She'll have to get two Temporary Visitor's (aka tourist) visa statuses.

2. To my knowledge there is no transit visa in Japan, instead they usually get the standard "Temporary Visitors" status (like a regular tourist would).

3. For the second visit for 10 hours she might be able to get a "Shore Pass" granted on site, however this is at the discretion of the Immigration Officer.

Allrighty, simple enough.

As for the transit visa, if you look on the page, it does describe a "Transit visa" with the main difference (so it seems) to be its 15 days only validity. I'll guess at this point it's a case of engrish and just apply for two visas.

Thanks!

"Transit" falls under the same Temporary Visitor's (Short Term Stay) status.

Transit, visiting relatives, vacation etc, it's all the same visa, they all get stamped with "Temporary Visitor". That's why the documentation is essentially the same.

Though those who apply for the transit route only get 15 days vs 90 and I would imagine their chances of approval might be higher though I have no official stats to back up on.

Good luck and have fun!!

My understanding of it has always been that Transit Visas were only issued in situations where the person could not get a Temporary Visitor visa upon arrival because of their nationality. For example, if you enter Japan on a US passport, you ordinarily get a 90-day Temporary Visitor status just for showing up, so that's what you get, even if you tell the immigration officer clearly that your intent is for transit only.

But, if you're a citizen of a country where Temporary Visitor status requires a visa in advance and you don't have one, then the officer has the discretion of granting you a Transit visa.

As I mentioned, legally there is no transit visa just like there is no tourist visa, both fall under the Temporary Visitor status. So someone visiting Japan for the purpose of tourism, transit, short term study, and a whole list of other reasons will usually get "Temporary Visitor" stamped into their passport.

So an American who is only in transit through Japan will still get a Temporary Visitor status because the US & Japan have Visa-waiver agreements.

Those wishing to transit in Japan (leaving the international port to go to another international port or to layover outside the airside of the airport) from countries that do not have visa-waiver agreements with Japan are supposed to apply for a "Temporary Visitors" permit before they arrive in Japan. When applying for the Temporary Visitors Visa, they have to state what the purpose of the trip is, and they can say: tourism, transit, short-term study etc etc.

Their chances are much higher of getting admitted into Japan if they get the Temporary Visitor's Visa before they arrive.

*No visa is required for those who are staying in the airport for a connecting flight. Just go through a security check, but not immigration or customs.

If someone did not have a temporary visitors visa before they enter Japan (from a non visa waiver country) and they wanted to layover for a bit in the vicinity of the airport, then the immigration inspector has the discretion to give out a "Shore Pass", which is valid usually for 72hours. The drawback of this route is that it is all up to the discretion of the immigration officer.