Short stays and visa-free entry

Japan lets citizens of around 70 countries and regions, including the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and most of Europe, enter without a visa for short stays. The period is usually 90 days, but it is 15 or 30 days for some nationalities, and it can change. Everyone else needs a visa from a Japanese embassy or consulate, and some nationalities can use an online eVISA system through an approved agent.

Your passport should be valid for the whole stay, and you will be asked at the airport for your onward ticket and where you are staying. Immigration officers decide the length of stay when you arrive, and you receive a stamp or a sticker that shows it.

A temporary visitor may sightsee, visit family or friends, attend meetings and take part in short courses, but may not work for pay. Working while on this status is a breach of the immigration law that can lead to deportation and a ban on returning. Remote work for a foreign employer is a grey area that officials have not clearly resolved, so ask before you rely on it.

Staying longer than your permitted period is an overstay. People who overstay can be detained and deported, and are normally banned from returning for several years. If something stops you leaving on time, go to an immigration bureau before the period ends.

Japan passed a law in 2026 to introduce an electronic travel authorization, called JESTA, for visitors who do not need a visa. It is expected to start by 2029, and the date, the fee and the details have not been announced. It does not apply to visitors today. Check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before you travel, since entry rules and taxes for visitors have been changing.

You must carry your passport at all times in Japan, and the police can ask to see it. A photocopy is not always enough, so carry the original.