Japan entry requirements, by passport
Japan visa requirements at a glance: 74 of the 198 passports VisaRadar tracks can enter Japan without arranging a visa beforehand: visa-free, with a visa on arrival, or with an electronic travel authorisation. The other 124 must obtain a visa before they travel.
Which passport do you hold?
We'll take you straight to the entry requirements for Japan for your nationality.
What we've verified for Japan
Beyond the yes/no matrix, we've checked these against an official primary source (last checked 10 August 2026). The specifics depend on your nationality: open your passport's row in the table for the detail that applies to you.
- Required documents (5)
- Required vaccinations
- Health-insurance rules
- Customs limits (cash, alcohol, tobacco)
- Overstay penalties
- Stay and transit rules
Sources: mofa.go.jp (JAPAN eVISA); moj.go.jp/isa (Immigration Services Agency, "令和８年入管法等改正法について": the amendment to the Immigration Control Act that creates JESTA was enacted on 29 May 2026 and promulgated on 5 June 2026 as Act No. 32 of 2026, and its JESTA provisions take effect on a date set by cabinet order, no later than 31 March 2029; checked 29 September 2026); customs.go.jp and Japanese consulates (Denver, Los Angeles) on customs limits; sanidad.gob.es ("Listado de países") and who.int (WHO): Japan requires no yellow fever certificate and does not recommend the vaccine (checked 29 September 2026); nl.emb-japan.go.jp (Embassy of Japan in the Netherlands, "Do I need a VISA?": documents to carry at passport control; checked 10 October 2026).
This table summarises the exact entry mechanism for every passport we track. The difference between entering visa-free, with an electronic authorisation, with an e-Visa, or with a traditional visa is explained in visa, e-Visa, and electronic authorisation: what's the difference. How we verify every row before publishing it is on methodology.
Base entry rules refreshed 2 November 2026. Published: 10 August 2026.
| Passport | Requirement | Max. stay |
|---|---|---|
| Visa-free | ||
| Andorra | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Argentina | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Australia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Austria | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Bahamas | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Barbados | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Belgium | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Brazil | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Brunei | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Bulgaria | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Canada | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Chile | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Costa Rica | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Croatia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Cyprus | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Czech Republic | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Denmark | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Dominican Republic | Visa-free | 90 days |
| El Salvador | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Estonia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Finland | Visa-free | 90 days |
| France | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Germany | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Greece | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Guatemala | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Honduras | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Hong Kong | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Hungary | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Iceland | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Indonesia | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Ireland | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Israel | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Italy | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Latvia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Lesotho | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Liechtenstein | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Lithuania | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Luxembourg | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Macao | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Malaysia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Malta | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Mauritius | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Mexico | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Monaco | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Montenegro | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Netherlands | Visa-free | 90 days |
| New Zealand | Visa-free | 90 days |
| North Macedonia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Norway | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Panama | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Paraguay | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Peru | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Poland | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Portugal | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Qatar | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Romania | Visa-free | 90 days |
| San Marino | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Serbia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Singapore | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Slovakia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Slovenia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| South Korea | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Spain | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Suriname | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Sweden | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Switzerland | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Taiwan | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Thailand | Visa-free | 15 days |
| Tunisia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Turkey | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United Arab Emirates | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United Kingdom | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United States | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Uruguay | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Visa required | ||
| Afghanistan | Visa required | — |
| Albania | Visa required | — |
| Algeria | Visa required | — |
| Angola | Visa required | — |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Visa required | — |
| Armenia | Visa required | — |
| Azerbaijan | Visa required | — |
| Bahrain | Visa required | — |
| Bangladesh | Visa required | — |
| Belarus | Visa required | — |
| Belize | Visa required | — |
| Benin | Visa required | — |
| Bhutan | Visa required | — |
| Bolivia | Visa required | — |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Visa required | — |
| Botswana | Visa required | — |
| Burkina Faso | Visa required | — |
| Burundi | Visa required | — |
| Cambodia | e-Visa | — |
| Cameroon | Visa required | — |
| Cape Verde | Visa required | — |
| Central African Republic | Visa required | — |
| Chad | Visa required | — |
| China | e-Visa | — |
| Colombia | Visa required | — |
| Comoros | Visa required | — |
| Cuba | Visa required | — |
| Djibouti | Visa required | — |
| Dominica | Visa required | — |
| DR Congo | Visa required | — |
| Ecuador | Visa required | — |
| Egypt | Visa required | — |
| Equatorial Guinea | Visa required | — |
| Eritrea | Visa required | — |
| Eswatini | Visa required | — |
| Ethiopia | Visa required | — |
| Fiji | Visa required | — |
| Gabon | Visa required | — |
| Gambia | Visa required | — |
| Georgia | Visa required | — |
| Ghana | Visa required | — |
| Grenada | Visa required | — |
| Guinea | Visa required | — |
| Guinea-Bissau | Visa required | — |
| Guyana | Visa required | — |
| Haiti | Visa required | — |
| India | e-Visa | — |
| Iran | Visa required | — |
| Iraq | Visa required | — |
| Ivory Coast | Visa required | — |
| Jamaica | Visa required | — |
| Jordan | Visa required | — |
| Kazakhstan | Visa required | — |
| Kenya | Visa required | — |
| Kiribati | Visa required | — |
| Kosovo | Visa required | — |
| Kuwait | Visa required | — |
| Kyrgyzstan | Visa required | — |
| Laos | Visa required | — |
| Lebanon | Visa required | — |
| Liberia | Visa required | — |
| Libya | Visa required | — |
| Madagascar | Visa required | — |
| Malawi | Visa required | — |
| Maldives | Visa required | — |
| Mali | Visa required | — |
| Marshall Islands | Visa required | — |
| Mauritania | Visa required | — |
| Micronesia | Visa required | — |
| Moldova | Visa required | — |
| Mongolia | e-Visa | — |
| Morocco | Visa required | — |
| Mozambique | Visa required | — |
| Myanmar | Visa required | — |
| Namibia | Visa required | — |
| Nauru | Visa required | — |
| Nepal | Visa required | — |
| Nicaragua | Visa required | — |
| Niger | Visa required | — |
| Nigeria | Visa required | — |
| North Korea | Entry not permitted | — |
| Oman | Visa required | — |
| Pakistan | Visa required | — |
| Palau | Visa required | — |
| Palestine | Visa required | — |
| Papua New Guinea | Visa required | — |
| Philippines | Visa required | — |
| Republic of the Congo | Visa required | — |
| Russia | Visa required | — |
| Rwanda | Visa required | — |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Visa required | — |
| Saint Lucia | Visa required | — |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Visa required | — |
| Samoa | Visa required | — |
| Sao Tome and Principe | Visa required | — |
| Saudi Arabia | e-Visa | — |
| Senegal | Visa required | — |
| Seychelles | Visa required | — |
| Sierra Leone | Visa required | — |
| Solomon Islands | Visa required | — |
| Somalia | Visa required | — |
| South Africa | e-Visa | — |
| South Sudan | Visa required | — |
| Sri Lanka | Visa required | — |
| Sudan | Visa required | — |
| Syria | Visa required | — |
| Tajikistan | Visa required | — |
| Tanzania | Visa required | — |
| Timor-Leste | Visa required | — |
| Togo | Visa required | — |
| Tonga | Visa required | — |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Visa required | — |
| Turkmenistan | Visa required | — |
| Tuvalu | Visa required | — |
| Uganda | Visa required | — |
| Ukraine | Visa required | — |
| Uzbekistan | Visa required | — |
| Vanuatu | Visa required | — |
| Vatican | Visa required | — |
| Venezuela | Visa required | — |
| Vietnam | e-Visa | — |
| Yemen | Visa required | — |
| Zambia | Visa required | — |
| Zimbabwe | Visa required | — |
Japan rules for every passport
Vaccinations, customs limits and penalties are the same for every traveller.
Vaccinations
- No mandatory vaccines for entry. The international vaccination certificate is asked of nobody: not the yellow fever one, and not even of travellers arriving from a country with risk of transmission. That is what the country has declared in the International Health Regulations list.
Customs limits
- Cash
- Declare if cash or other means of payment exceed 1,000,000 JPY.
- Alcohol
- Up to 3 bottles (~760cc each) duty-free for those over 20; under-20s have no exemption.
- Tobacco
- 500g combined (400 foreign cigarettes, 100 cigars, or 500g of other tobacco forms) plus 200 Japanese cigarettes separately, only for those over 20.
Overstay penalties
Staying beyond your authorised period of stay is a ground for deportation. And deportation does not end when you leave: as a rule it carries a bar on entering Japan for 5 or 10 years. Where the deportation follows certain criminal punishments or other particular grounds, the bar is indefinite. There is also a departure order system: anyone ordered to leave Japan who does not depart without delay has deportation procedures enforced against them.
Grounds for refusal
- Falling under one of the grounds for denial of landing in Article 5 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act.
- Having a past record of criminal punishment relating to narcotics, marijuana, opium, stimulants or psychotropic substances: the agency itself gives this as an example of an Article 5 ground, and it applies even where the conviction is old and already served.
- Carrying a 5- or 10-year entry bar from an earlier deportation, or an indefinite one where that deportation followed certain criminal punishments.
Travel insurance
Each destination decides whether to require insurance, and some check it at the border. If yours does, make sure the policy covers the whole trip.
See IATI's international site →IATI sells its policies according to the country you live in. Where do you live?
If your country isn't listed, try IATI's international site.
This is an affiliate link: if you buy through it, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Do you need a different visa for Tokyo, Osaka, or Kyoto?
No. Japan sets the requirements, so entering through Tokyo asks for the same as entering through Osaka or Kyoto. If you're arriving overland or through a small border post, check that separately: some countries apply their own rules to specific crossings.
What does change is where you file the application when a visa is needed, and that depends on the country you live in rather than the city you're travelling to.
What draws travellers to Japan
For travellers, Japan is organised around the so-called "golden route" between Tokyo and Kyoto, linked in just over two hours by bullet train. Tokyo is the contemporary metropolis, with day trips to Hakone (views of Mount Fuji) and Nikkō. The Kansai region (Kyoto, Nara, Osaka) is the historic heart: Kyoto alone has 17 temples, shrines and castles inscribed as a single UNESCO World Heritage site, and its autumn foliage is famous. Further afield, Hiroshima and its Atomic Bomb Dome, the Japanese Alps (Takayama, Kanazawa and the steep-roofed farmhouses of Shirakawa-gō), Hokkaidō in the north for nature and snow, and subtropical Okinawa in the south work as add-ons depending on how much time you have. Two weeks allow Tokyo, Kansai and one more area. The two most sought-after seasons: the cherry blossom in late March and early April, and the autumn colours in November: are also the most expensive and crowded; the June rains and winter are far quieter.
Sources for this section: japan.travel (Japan National Tourism Organization, JNTO); UNESCO World Heritage List (whc.unesco.org, "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto"); UK FCDO travel advice for Japan. Accessed 31 August 2026.
Things to see and do in Japan
Tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips, most with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Seeing the featured activities here needs advertising cookies. In the meantime, you can open them directly:
Browse activities on GetYourGuide →This is an affiliate link: if you buy through it, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Where can Japan passport holders travel visa-free? →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.