Japan Tourist Visa with a sponsor who lives in the Philippines
9. Guarantee letter from your sponsor
- Have your sponsor fill out a guarantee form that you can find on their site.
10. Sponsor’s passport
Japan Tourist Visa with a sponsor who lives in Japan
11. Sponsor’s residence certificate. This is also called Juminhyo.
- Must be issued within the past 3 months
- Must include all family members
12. Sponsor’s proof of income
- Income Certificate (Shotoku Shomeisho) from City Hall
- Tax Return Certificates with Gross Income (Nouzeishomeisho: form2) from tax office
- KAKUTEISHINKOKUSHO HIKAE or Bank Certificate (YOKIN ZANDAKA SHOMEISHO)
– Must be issued within 3 months. Submission of Withholding Slip (GENSENCHOSHUHYO) in lieu of the proof of income is unacceptable. Please note that tax certificates must indicate the gross income amount
– Guarantor’s Income credential etc. is important in measuring the guarantor’s capability, therefore, submission of more than one document is allowed.
STEP 3: CHOOSE A TRAVEL AGENCY
Unlike US Visa and Schengen Visa where you lodge your application in the Embassy itself, Japan Visa application needs to be submitted at an accredited travel agency. There will be no interviews. You just need to submit your requirements, pay the fee, and wait for the result. The fee ranges from P800-P1800 depending on the agency.
I chose the Discovery Tour, the cheapest travel agency that can process your Japan Visa Application. It only costs P800 and is near my place.
REMEMBER:Â No matter what agency you choose would not matter if you will be approved or not. They’re just a liaison between the applicant and the Japan Embassy. Meaning, they’re just organizing and submitting your requirements to the Embassy. So just choose the cheapest one or the one that is nearest your place.
STEP 4: HOPE FOR THE BEST AND WAIT FOR THE RESULT
Once you submitted the requirements, the agency will then submit it to Japan Embassy. They have no control when it will be released but normally, it should be released within 2-5 days. I applied on October 1, 2016 (Saturday) and got the visa by October 4, 2016 (Tuesday). I was very happy receiving my visa! True enough, applying for Japan visa is very easy just as long as you’ll have the requirements.
FAQs on applying for a Japan Visa
- When should I apply for a Japan visa?
Like most visa application, you should apply 3 months before your intended departure. Meaning, if you plan to go to Japan by November 18, the earliest you should apply is around August 18.
- Do I already need to book a flight and hotel before applying?
No. I did not book a flight before I applied but I already reserved a room via Booking.com and presented the reservation confirmation to the agency.
- How long can I stay in Japan with a tourist visa?
If granted a Single Entry Visa, you can stay in Japan for a maximum of 15 days. If fortunate enough to be granted a Multiple Entry Visa, you can stay for up to 30 days.
- How much money should I have in my bank account?
Unlike Schengen visa, Japan does not provide information on how much you should have in your bank account. For me, it’s all a matter of knowing if you can afford travelling with your money. P80,000 is good if you’re going to Japan for a week. A friend of mine stayed in Japan for 15 days and only showed P100,000, yet she was still accepted. I think that anything less than P40,000 will be risky. Rule of thumb for me is multiply the number of days you’ll be staying by P10,000.
Ex. 7 days of stay x P10,000 = P70,000 on your bank account
- I am an employee and I’d like to submit my Certificate of Employment. It’s not required but can I submit it?
Yes, you can submit as many documents as you like even if it’s not required by the Embassy. If you feel like it would prove that you won’t be a TNT in Japan, go submit it. I submitted my COE and Leave of Absence so that I can prove that I have a work here and my employers know about my vacation.
- I am a freelancer and I don’t have an ITR. Can I still apply?
Yes. A friend of mine was a freelancer and she didn’t have an ITR yet she was still approved. What she did was she included a letter addressed to the Japan Embassy the reason why she couldn’t provide an ITR. She got approved. So if you don’t have an ITR, just let the Embassy know why.
- What if my visa got denied? What can I do?
To tell you the truth, I don’t know anyone who has applied for a Japan visa and got denied. In the unfortunate case that you were denied, you can reapply again after 6 months. Make sure that this time, you have a complete document and proof of rootedness.
- I haven’t received my visa in a week. What can I do?
Call your agency if you haven’t received your visa in one week. However, if the agency said that your passport it’s still not yet returned to them, you just have to wait as the agency can only do so much.
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Message me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JacklynneLambino/ or on my website for a FREE visa assistance! And check out my detailed Japan itinerary: 5D4N Tokyo & Gunma and 5D4N Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe by clicking here.
Good luck in applying for your visa! Japan is a very beautiful country! Enjoy on your trip. 🙂
