Sep 4, 2022, 2:49 am
Last edit by: NewbieRunner
UPDATE FOR TOURISTS LOOKING TO VISIT JAPAN AFTER COVID-19 BORDER RESTRICTIONS EASE
<From 0:00 am (JST) on April 29, 2023, about all travelers and returnees> (NEW)
=====
See FAQ here: https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakuni...you_00016.html - most questions, including whether children need vaccination certificates, are answered here.
It was announced that the visa waiver will be reinstated from October 11th, by past logic of the government that would mean any flight landing on the 11th.
Rumours in the media is that travellers would still need to either be tripple vaxxed or show a negative PCR test before boarding. Which probably means the MySOS in advance doc check will remain. But other than that seems to be free entry.
Until and including 10th of October, see below rules
Japan does currently not allow entry for general tourism purposes. Most visa waivers are suspended, and travel to Japan for non resident foreigners generally require a visa. Quarantine is as described for the countries and territories below.
Guided and self-guided tours can be approved for a visa to enter Japan as a tourist. Not all details are clear yet for the self guided tours (see https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/japa...ng-up.html for discussions of the self guided tours)
UPDATE FOR PEOPLE WITH VISAS THAT ALLOW ENTRY INTO JAPAN
The quarantine requirements mentioned below will generally apply to entrants in Japan. As the conditions of who can obtain a visa for entry on exceptional circumstances are not clearly listed anywhere, it is necessary to confirm entry requirements with your local Japanese diplomatic representatives
Spouses and children of foreign permanent residents or Japanese nationals, can obtain visas for short term stays (up to 90 days) by applying in person or by mail at an overseas Japanese consulate. Required documentation includes application form, letter with reason for purpose of visit, bank statement and Koseki Tohon. Processing times have been reported as on the spot to up to one week.
Business travelers, students and technical trainees can again enter Japan. There is a need to have a receiving organisation to apply for the visa.
Business travelers must have a Japanese company or organization apply for a Certificate for Completion of Registration to the MHLW ERFS system. This is a two step process. The company must first register and then apply for the Certificate for the traveler. These can both be done online and completed in less than an hour.The website for doing this is https://entry.hco.mhlw.go.jp/.
After getting the certificate the traveler must apply for visa at the Japanese Consulate or Embassy with jurisdiction for where they reside. (They are quite strict about this. E.g. you can't apply while traveling in a foreign country.) The information on the Consulate pages state that you need Letter of Guarantee, Invitation Letter, etc when applying for the visa. In fact, however, if you have the EFRS certificate, all you need is the visa application, your passport and a photo. The Consulate will issue the visa within 5 days.
The process for guided tours and self guided tours is similar to the business visa, the travel agency will make the EFRS application. Travel insurance is required as part of the arrangement, check with the travel agency or embassy/consulate for required coverage.
UPDATE JAPANESE CITIZENS AND RETURNING FOREIGN JAPAN RESIDENTS
All people travelling to Japan has to present a negative PCR test taking no earlier than 72 hours before departure to be able to board the flight. The certificate has to meet the information requirements and test types from the Japanese government. See https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000799426.pdf for an example. From the 7th of June, passport number, nationality, signature and stamp from the doctor/medical institution are no longer required. Uploading documents in advance via the mysos app or via the mysos website is required. For details please see https://www.hco.mhlw.go.jp/en/
The requirement for pre-departure test will be removed for passengers on flights landing after the 7th of September 00:00 provided that they have received a full bases vaccination and a booster vaccination. Accepted vaccines include: Moderna, Pfizer, Astra, Zeneca, J&J, Novavax, and Covaxin.
The arrival process is as follows. Countries will be grouped in red, yellow, and blue. (See https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e....html#section3 for the latest list)
Red countries:
Albania, Sierra Leone
Yellow countries:
Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cook Island, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Macau, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Namibia, Nauru, Nicaragua, Niger, Niue, North Korea, North Macedonia, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Portugal, Republic of Burundi, Republic of Congo, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Vanuatu, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Solomon, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe
Blue countries:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentine, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d’lvoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyz, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Western Sahara, Zambia
For updates to the lists of countries and territories and changes to the rules check the website of the ministry of foreign affairs https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html and ask in the thread for clarifications and experiences of entering Japan.
<From 0:00 am (JST) on April 29, 2023, about all travelers and returnees> (NEW)
- (1) All travelers and returnees will no longer be required to submit either a certificate of negative result of COVID-19 test conducted within 72 hours prior to departure, or a valid COVID-19 vaccination certificate of three doses or equivalent.
- (2) Currently implemented measures including random sampling test which are provisional measures for all travelers and returnees arriving from China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau) by direct flights, will be replaced to the testing on arrival required to those who show symptoms, which is the same measure applied to all other travelers and returnees.
=====
See FAQ here: https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakuni...you_00016.html - most questions, including whether children need vaccination certificates, are answered here.
It was announced that the visa waiver will be reinstated from October 11th, by past logic of the government that would mean any flight landing on the 11th.
Rumours in the media is that travellers would still need to either be tripple vaxxed or show a negative PCR test before boarding. Which probably means the MySOS in advance doc check will remain. But other than that seems to be free entry.
Until and including 10th of October, see below rules
Japan does currently not allow entry for general tourism purposes. Most visa waivers are suspended, and travel to Japan for non resident foreigners generally require a visa. Quarantine is as described for the countries and territories below.
Guided and self-guided tours can be approved for a visa to enter Japan as a tourist. Not all details are clear yet for the self guided tours (see https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/japa...ng-up.html for discussions of the self guided tours)
UPDATE FOR PEOPLE WITH VISAS THAT ALLOW ENTRY INTO JAPAN
The quarantine requirements mentioned below will generally apply to entrants in Japan. As the conditions of who can obtain a visa for entry on exceptional circumstances are not clearly listed anywhere, it is necessary to confirm entry requirements with your local Japanese diplomatic representatives
Spouses and children of foreign permanent residents or Japanese nationals, can obtain visas for short term stays (up to 90 days) by applying in person or by mail at an overseas Japanese consulate. Required documentation includes application form, letter with reason for purpose of visit, bank statement and Koseki Tohon. Processing times have been reported as on the spot to up to one week.
Business travelers, students and technical trainees can again enter Japan. There is a need to have a receiving organisation to apply for the visa.
Business travelers must have a Japanese company or organization apply for a Certificate for Completion of Registration to the MHLW ERFS system. This is a two step process. The company must first register and then apply for the Certificate for the traveler. These can both be done online and completed in less than an hour.The website for doing this is https://entry.hco.mhlw.go.jp/.
After getting the certificate the traveler must apply for visa at the Japanese Consulate or Embassy with jurisdiction for where they reside. (They are quite strict about this. E.g. you can't apply while traveling in a foreign country.) The information on the Consulate pages state that you need Letter of Guarantee, Invitation Letter, etc when applying for the visa. In fact, however, if you have the EFRS certificate, all you need is the visa application, your passport and a photo. The Consulate will issue the visa within 5 days.
The process for guided tours and self guided tours is similar to the business visa, the travel agency will make the EFRS application. Travel insurance is required as part of the arrangement, check with the travel agency or embassy/consulate for required coverage.
UPDATE JAPANESE CITIZENS AND RETURNING FOREIGN JAPAN RESIDENTS
All people travelling to Japan has to present a negative PCR test taking no earlier than 72 hours before departure to be able to board the flight. The certificate has to meet the information requirements and test types from the Japanese government. See https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000799426.pdf for an example. From the 7th of June, passport number, nationality, signature and stamp from the doctor/medical institution are no longer required. Uploading documents in advance via the mysos app or via the mysos website is required. For details please see https://www.hco.mhlw.go.jp/en/
The requirement for pre-departure test will be removed for passengers on flights landing after the 7th of September 00:00 provided that they have received a full bases vaccination and a booster vaccination. Accepted vaccines include: Moderna, Pfizer, Astra, Zeneca, J&J, Novavax, and Covaxin.
The arrival process is as follows. Countries will be grouped in red, yellow, and blue. (See https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e....html#section3 for the latest list)
- Group “Red”：On-arrival test is required. 3-day quarantine at a government-designated facility is required, however, those who obtain a valid vaccination certificate may have 5-day home quarantine (or 3-day home quarantine + negative result of a voluntary test) instead.
- Group “Yellow”：On-arrival test and 5-day home quarantine (or 3-day home quarantine + negative result of a voluntary test) are required, however, those who obtain a valid vaccination certificate are not required to have on-arrival test, home quarantine and other measures.
- Group “Blue”：Regardless of the vaccination status of the entrants/returnees, on-arrival test, home quarantine and other measures are not required.
Red countries:
Albania, Sierra Leone
Yellow countries:
Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cook Island, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Macau, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Namibia, Nauru, Nicaragua, Niger, Niue, North Korea, North Macedonia, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Portugal, Republic of Burundi, Republic of Congo, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Vanuatu, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Solomon, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe
Blue countries:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentine, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d’lvoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyz, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Western Sahara, Zambia
For updates to the lists of countries and territories and changes to the rules check the website of the ministry of foreign affairs https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html and ask in the thread for clarifications and experiences of entering Japan.
Impact of COVID on Travel to/from Japan (2022)
Sep 21, 2022, 2:10 pm
#16
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,154
For those of you who have been to Okinawa in the last few months, how has it recovered, especially regarding restaurants and nightlife? The only award flights I could get for the first week of November that work with my schedule would put me there for 4 days, and as much as I miss Okinawa (haven't been in 20 years), I need to decide if I want to take away 4 days of mainland on this first trip back in almost 3 years.
Sep 21, 2022, 2:42 pm
#17
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite
Posts: 1,968
I've never really spent much time in Naha. I'm mostly looking for izakaya/karaoke type areas, but away from Gate 2 street where military people don't really frequent, if places like that still exist these days.
Sep 21, 2022, 4:29 pm
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,154
I have been to a couple of very good very local fish izakayas in Naha not too long ago, and they were certainly packed. That was away from Kokusaidori, but there is also a new open air, bit hawker centre style area close to Kokusaidori that does seem to get a lot of traffic.
I usually stay far away from Karaoke, so don't know about that....
Sep 21, 2022, 5:56 pm
#19
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite
Posts: 1,968
I never even heard of Gate 2 Street....
I have been to a couple of very good very local fish izakayas in Naha not too long ago, and they were certainly packed. That was away from Kokusaidori, but there is also a new open air, bit hawker centre style area close to Kokusaidori that does seem to get a lot of traffic.
I usually stay far away from Karaoke, so don't know about that....
I have been to a couple of very good very local fish izakayas in Naha not too long ago, and they were certainly packed. That was away from Kokusaidori, but there is also a new open air, bit hawker centre style area close to Kokusaidori that does seem to get a lot of traffic.
I usually stay far away from Karaoke, so don't know about that....
While I'll definitely hit up Kokusai for some free habu sake shots (for nostalgia purposes of course) I'm hoping nightlife away from the tourist/military haunts has picked back up, always had fun at the less international izakayas that didn't cater to the American palate, and nothing beats some karaoke after a night of Orion Beer and Awamori, some goya champuru and a few sides of nankotsu karaage.
Sep 22, 2022, 2:12 pm
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,154
This has not been announced yet, but since they are also removing the arrival cap completely I would assume most such restrictions also disappear. Certainly they can't do any test on arrival. But maybe the current boosted vaccinated requirement remains?
Sep 22, 2022, 8:01 pm
#25
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Colorado (anywhere between DEN DMM BAH)
Programs: United MileagePlus, SkyMiles, AAdvantage, NEXUS
Posts: 3,030
Tourists will need to be vaccinated three times or submit a negative COVID-19 test result ahead of their trip, Kyodo News reported, citing government sources.
Sep 22, 2022, 8:11 pm
#26
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,154
One Japan times article said visitors have to either have been vaccinated with a booster or do a test. So I think those boosted probably won't need a test.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/20...order-opening/
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/20...order-opening/
Sep 24, 2022, 4:11 pm
#27
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: HHD
Posts: 215
Booked a ticket for early December and understood we need a PCR test. The question is which one?
Local German pharmacires offer a swab anti-gen test and have a form that shows your passport number and full name. Would that be sufficient or is a full PCR test needed to enter. Double vaccinated but no booster? Thanks for your advice.
Local German pharmacires offer a swab anti-gen test and have a form that shows your passport number and full name. Would that be sufficient or is a full PCR test needed to enter. Double vaccinated but no booster? Thanks for your advice.
Sep 24, 2022, 4:17 pm
#28
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite
Posts: 1,968
Booked a ticket for early December and understood we need a PCR test. The question is which one?
Local German pharmacires offer a swab anti-gen test and have a form that shows your passport number and full name. Would that be sufficient or is a full PCR test needed to enter. Double vaccinated but no booster? Thanks for your advice.
Local German pharmacires offer a swab anti-gen test and have a form that shows your passport number and full name. Would that be sufficient or is a full PCR test needed to enter. Double vaccinated but no booster? Thanks for your advice.
Only antigen tests allowed need to be quantative (CLEIA/ECLIA), which I've read might not be prominent outside of asia, rapid antigens aren't allowed. The common RT-PCR/LAMP tests are the way to go.
Sep 24, 2022, 4:31 pm
#29
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: TXL
Programs: US, LH, HH
Posts: 724
Booked a ticket for early December and understood we need a PCR test. The question is which one?
Local German pharmacires offer a swab anti-gen test and have a form that shows your passport number and full name. Would that be sufficient or is a full PCR test needed to enter. Double vaccinated but no booster? Thanks for your advice.
Local German pharmacires offer a swab anti-gen test and have a form that shows your passport number and full name. Would that be sufficient or is a full PCR test needed to enter. Double vaccinated but no booster? Thanks for your advice.
Sep 26, 2022, 9:29 am
#30
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: HHD
Posts: 215
As seigex correctly stated, a standard anti-gen test in Germany (aka Antigen-Schnelltest) does not fullfill the Japanese requirements. I suggest to use coronatest.de for PCR test. If you select "Japanese" as language for the certificate, they'll produce a document in the recommended Japanese format.
Would this test be valid?
I read that the test may not be older than 72 hours, is that still correct. (Yes, looked that up).
Added: printed the form from the Japanese website and will ask the Pharmacy to use that to report the test result.
Thanks.
Last edited by Stephan54; Sep 26, 2022 at 11:20 am