How to

As a passport holder from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, UK, Ireland and Mexico, you can benefit from bilateral visa agreements that Japan has concluded with the respective countries. In addition to visa-free entry, you can also apply to extend your short-term stay. This allows you to travel through Japan for a full 180 days, learn Japanese at a language school or visit friends and acquaintances.

When you enter the country, you will usually receive a stamp in your passport that tells you how long you are allowed to stay in the country. This is usually 90 days. Within these 90 days, you can now apply to extend your residence status, which is usually referred to as a “tourist visa”. You are free to choose when you apply. Of course, you should not wait until the last minute and keep some time free for the appointment at the Immigration Bureau.

First find the bureau responsible for your place of residence. You can find the Immigration Bureau responsible for your place of residence on the website of the Japanese Ministry of Justice. There is usually a branch office very close to your place of residence. If in doubt, it is better to double-check the areas of responsibility and opening hours before you set off in vain. You should also check by phone whether you need any other documents or papers. However, the minimum you need is your passport, proof of your financial means (account overview as up-to-date as possible or a return flight ticket that has already been booked and paid for) and, of course, some money for the processing fees incurred in the form of the revenue stamp.

The application can usually be submitted without an appointment and is normally processed immediately. However, allow some time for the visit.

You can then explain your request on site, hand in your documents and fill out the relevant form: Page 1 and 3

With a bit of luck, a friendly member of staff at the authority will help you fill out the form. If you are unsure about something, it is better to ask once. Basically, the application looks worse than it actually is.

Once you have completed everything, you will probably be allowed to take a seat in the waiting area while your application is decided. This is always a case-by-case decision: there is no right or guarantee to an extension! However, if you have done nothing wrong and meet all other requirements, you will soon be called back to the counter and asked to buy a so-called “revenue stamp”.

This corresponds to the processing fees that you should also be familiar with from local authorities. However, in this case, it is actually a stamp that is affixed to the application. The price for this stamp (Visa Extension Japan) is currently 4000 yen. The staff at the Immigration Bureau will be happy to explain where the revenue stamp can be obtained. The stamp is usually sold in the same building.

Armed with the expensive stamp, you can go back to the Immigration Bureau counter, where you can hand in the stamp, sign a few things and receive your passport with the extension in the form of a new stamp.

As you can see, the extension of your tourist visa is not that difficult.

You can also find the list of countries eligible for the 90-day visa extension Japan here (travelers from countries with note 8 can apply for an extension).

You can do a lot with 180 days in Japan! 

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