How to fill in the Japan visa application form

The “Visa Application Form to Enter Japan” (査証申請書) is two pages long and every traveler needs their own, including children. Here is what goes in each box, in the order the form asks for it.

Get the blank form from our official Japan visa forms page, or let us fill it in from your passport.

Page 1: you, your passport and your trip

Your name and personal details

Surname / Given and middle names: Exactly as printed in your passport, in the same spelling and order. Don’t add names that aren’t in the passport.
Other names: Any other name you use or have used, such as a maiden name. Write “None” if there are none.
Date of birth: The form asks for (Day)/(Month)/(Year), for example 14/05/1992.
Place of birth: City, state or province, and country, as in your passport.
Sex and marital status: Tick one box each: Male/Female, and Single/Married/Divorced/Widowed.
Nationality or citizenship: Your current nationality. Former or other nationalities go in the next box; write “None” if you have none.
ID No. issued to you by your government: Your national ID number, if your country issues one.

Passport

Passport type: Almost always “Ordinary”.
Passport No.: Copy it from the passport photo page, letters and digits exactly.
Place of issue and issuing authority: As printed on the passport page, for example the issuing office or city.
Date of issue and date of expiry: Day/Month/Year. Your passport should stay valid for the whole trip; many embassies expect more than the length of your stay.
Certificate of Eligibility No.: Leave blank for a short-term visit. It only applies to long-term visas.

Your trip

Purpose of visit: For example “Tourism”, “Visiting relatives”, “Visiting friends” or “Business”. It must match your other documents.
Intended length of stay: The number of days, matching your flights and Schedule of Stay.
Date of arrival, port of entry, ship or airline: From your flight booking, for example Narita International Airport and the airline and flight number.
Hotels or persons you will stay with: Name, address and phone of your hotel or host. If you stay in several places, list them or attach your Schedule of Stay.
Dates and duration of previous stays in Japan: Each past visit with dates. Write “None” if this is your first time.

Home and work

Current residential address, phone, mobile, email: Where you live now. List every address if you have more than one.
Current profession or occupation and position: Your job and title, or Student, Homemaker, Retired, and so on.
Name and address of employer: Your employer or school. Leave blank or write “None” if not applicable.
Partner’s profession (or parents’, if a minor): The form notes this item is not mandatory, but it helps if you are not employed.

The photo box on the form is 45 mm × 35 mm (2 in × 1.4 in). Use a recent photo against a plain background, and check any extra photo rules of the embassy where you apply.

Page 2: guarantor, inviter and declarations

Guarantor or reference in Japan

The person who guarantees your stay, or the person you will visit: name, phone, address, date of birth, sex, relationship to you, profession, and nationality and immigration status. If nobody in Japan is guaranteeing or hosting you (a typical tourist trip), follow the instructions of the embassy or agency where you apply for what to write here.

Inviter in Japan

The same details for the person or company inviting you. If the inviter and the guarantor are the same person, the form asks you to write “same as above”.

The six “Have you ever…” questions

Answer Yes or No to each. Have you ever:

been convicted of a crime or offence in any country?
been sentenced to imprisonment for 1 year or more in any country?
been deported or removed from Japan or any country for overstaying your visa or violating any law or regulation?
been convicted and sentenced for a drug offence in any country?
engaged in prostitution or activities directly connected to it?
committed trafficking in persons or incited or aided another to commit such an offence?

The form notes that you should tick “Yes” if you received any sentence, even a suspended one, and give details if you answer “Yes” to any question. Answer truthfully: a false declaration is a serious problem in itself.

Date and signature

Write the date of application and sign. Your signature confirms the declaration printed above it, including that a visa doesn’t guarantee entry. When you apply through an accredited travel agent, the form also contains your consent for the agent to submit your details.

Common mistakes

Names that differ from the passport (an extra middle name, a missing letter, a swapped order).
Dates in the wrong order: the form uses Day/Month/Year.
A length of stay or arrival date that doesn’t match the flight booking and Schedule of Stay.
Blank boxes: write “None” instead of leaving a required box empty.
Forgetting to sign and date the form, or signing in a different style from the passport.
A photo of the wrong size or an old photo.

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