Japan Visa for Filipino And Japan Visa Requirements for Filipinos [2020]

Last updated on August 7th, 2022 at 01:11 pm

Traveling to Japan is not only a Filipino bucket list but is actually one for many people around the world. Speaking of Japan visa for Filipino. Here’s the complete Japan visa processing time and Japan visa requirements for Filipinos to get a tourist visa for Filipinos to travel to Japan. Read here Japan tourist sim card, how to get from Narita airport to city center, Haneda airport to city center and Osaka airport to city center.

When you think about Japan, you think about traveling to see its old parts and experience authentic Japanese culture. Also, you would want to visit and see its cities to explore high tech and modernization.

And because Japan is a country we’ve never visited before (even Ruben), we are so excited to travel together to see as much as we can in 2 weeks. Only 2 weeks for now, because that’s the maximum time I (Rachel) can stay with a single entry visa. 

Read here how to apply Schengen Visa Philippines and how to apply Korean visa for Filipinos!

When to start applying Japan Visa for Filipino

If you want to start applying Japan visa for Filipino. Once your application for Japan visa has been lodged with the embassy. It’ll take 5-7 business days your Japan visa processing time to get the results. That’s a pretty short time for a visa approval wait, so there’s not a big worry. 

Good thing is that you will not have to book tickets or book hotels in advance before getting a visa which minimizes the risk, in case you don’t get approved. 

But of course, we’re here to help you get your visa approved right? There’s no reason you won’t be able to visit Japan if you have the complete requirements.

Book your accommodations in Japan through Agoda or Booking.

Click here if you want to get your discount booking activities in Japan with Klook!

Having insurance while you are traveling outside your home country is very important. Make sure that you have one too, to keep you safe in your trips around the world.

Let’s begin.

Japan visa requirements for Filipinos

Here are the complete list of Japan visa requirements for Filipinos on applying for a tourist visa, as of February 2020. The application may be lodged up to 3 months before the intended date of travel. All documents would have to be in A4 bond paper. 

1. Passport: must be valid for at least six months from the date of departure and have at least two blank pages.

For the new Philippine passports, make sure page 3 is signed. Without this, the passport will not be accepted. You’ll see a signature line there.

Since you’re submitting your original passport on the application, make sure to plan your other trips that need a passport accordingly.

2. If you have been approved for a previous Japanese visa, please also include old passport with stamped visa. 

3. Fill out the Japan Visa Application form.

This may be filled up by hand or computerized and must have NO erasures. No blanks should be left unanswered. Anything non-applicable to you should be filled out with an N/A. Here’s my filled out application form.

4. 2pcs 2×2 photos (colored, white background)

5. Write a Schedule of Stay.

Download the Japan schedule of stay that I submitted here. This is your supposed itinerary while staying in Japan. You will not have to follow this exactly when you’re in Japan, in case you are worried about an exact itinerary. However, it should be a feasible one, meaning it’s a real itinerary that a traveler can follow.

I haven’t purchased flights and booked hotels before the application so I made sure I created a sample stay of what I’m planning to do in Japan (dividing my time between Osaka and Tokyo, my intended places of visit).



The flights I mentioned are all real at the time of creating this document. So you’ll just need to check real flights and add them to the itinerary to apply your Japan visa for Filipino. Hotel names, hotel addresses and phone numbers are also all real. You can book your places of stay here, matching your intended cities of visit and schedule.

I booked real rooms and printed real accommodation bookings WITHOUT paying anything. Make sure to choose accommodations that provide free cancellations and no booking fees so you will not have to be charged anything. The 2 hotels I mentioned below are good examples. (Please make sure to check correctly. They have no booking and cancellation fees at the time of this post’s publication, however these can change anytime).

Apartments Hana – Osaka Hotel
Hotel Felice Akasaka – Tokyo Hotel

6. Letter of guarantee if applicable. (to be accomplished by sponsor/guarantor, if applicable; signature to be affixed beside “seal”) 

If you will not shoulder part of all of your expenses, you will have to submit information about your guarantor, as seen above. Here are other additional requirements.

• Proof of your relationship with your guarantor
• Your guarantor’s bank certificate
• Your guarantor’s latest Income Tax Return (Form 2316)

7. If employed: Certificate of Employment (on official letterhead; must indicate position, salary and length of employment) 

8. If business owner: must submit Certificate of Business Name Registration issued by the DTI or SEC – clear photocopy 

9. Recent personal bank certificate.

Bank certificates can be requested from your bank and released in a few minutes. I had mine from BPI.

A good rule of thumb is to include bank statements, at least for the last 3 months. Since I’m self employed, I always add bank statements as part of my financial documents for visa applications.

You can request the latter from your bank too, however, since I can print them on my own from home, I printed my own bank statements.

10. Income tax return covering one year (Form 2316) – clear photocopy 

11. If requesting for a multiple-entry visa, this is the form you need to fill out.

I opted for single entry for my first entry as it was suggested to get approved easily for first timers. However, for multiple entry application, this is the form you need.

12. Authorization letter to file and release (see templates here).

Since I’m from Pampanga, I opted to send my documents to Constellation Travels, Inc. The authorization letter is a document they need so they can lodge the application to the embassy for you, and so they can receive the approved visa too.

Make sure the authorization letter is signed.

13. *Original PSA-issued Birth certificate (must be issued within 1 year); if registered late, please submit ALL of the following:  

– Original baptismal certificate (with contact details of the church) 
– School Record (Form 137 or report card); with contact details of the school 

The date of issuance from PSA is VERY IMPORTANT. I made the mistake of submitting a PSA Certificate released a year before, and that delayed my application because I had to get a new one.

Go here to request your recent copy of PSA certificate. Each copy costs Php 330 for delivery within the Philippines, and Php 430 for delivery outside the Philippines. You’ll have options to check out online or pay in payment centers. Copies can get delivered in a few days (I had to wait for 3 business days), and you’ll get an email of your certificate status so you’ll know when it will be delivered to you.

14. *Original PSA-issued Marriage contract, if applicable (must be issued within 1 year)

*waived for those with previous Japanese visa; documents may still be required for sponsored trips and/or for family members travelling together 

Japan Visa Processing Time

The standard Japan visa processing time once lodged, is 5 – 7 working days. Good thing, applicants are no longer required to appear personally, so the agency Liaison Officer may just submit the requirements on your behalf. 

Rules may vary per travel agency, so make sure you ask everything if you choose to submit with another agency.

Picking a Travel Agency for your Japan visa for Filipino

If you want to apply your Japan visa for Filipino. The Japan Embassy only accepts applications lodged thru the accepted agencies. This is to control the application process more efficiently, especially with the number of Filipino applicants who would like to enter Japan.

For Japan, I decided to get the help of a Philippine travel agency that can also take care of my South Korea Tourist visa application at the same time.

Constellation Travels, Inc. was happy to process both my Japan and Korean visa applications at the same time. Technically, they can’t be lodged at the same time, but by sending my requirements for both visa applications, Constell can lodge Japan, and then immediately apply for Korea the next day I get my Japan visa approved.

Since I don’t want to travel to Manila to submit all my requirements and to do 2 separate visa applications, I went with this process. I sent Constell all my documents via courier (LBC).

Still need to see the full list of accredited agencies for Japan visa application? You can see the updated list here.

Here are the Japan visa fees: 

Japan Visa Fee: Php 500 / person
Constellation Travels Service Fee: Php 500 / person
Courier Fee: Php 300

My experience with them was very smooth, and that all questions along the way were handled properly and timely. This was very important because these visa applications can get nerve wracking!

During times that there are missing documents, or some files needed to be changed, I got a call from them, so I can complete my requirements. 

Courier service time will vary from location. From Angeles City to Manila, it takes 2-3 days to get my documents to them (usually 2 business days). 

Once I got my Japan Visa, I received a confirmation from them. From there, they can apply my Korean visa. This saved us a lot of them for the application. 

The only caveat to this process is that you’ll have no passport for a long period of time. South Korean application takes about 15-30 business days. However, this is something we’re prepared for, so we didn’t plan to do any international trips while waiting for the visas.  

There you have it. All the latest Japan visa requirements for Filipinos to get your Japan Visa Application approved. Upon publishing this post, I was approved for a 15-day tourist visa to Japan.

Next up, Japan things to see and do! We’ll link up to that article here when it’s published.

Book your accommodations in Japan through Agoda or Booking.

Click here if you want to get your discount booking activities in Japan with Klook!

Having insurance while you are traveling outside your home country is very important. Make sure that you have one too, to keep you safe in your trips around the world.

Email us or comment below if you have any questions how to apply Japan visa for Filipino and we’d love to help! Japan visa requirements for Filipinos and Japan visa processing time everything that would you love to know.