What you need to enter Japan with a Latvian passport
Latvian citizens do not need a visa to travel to Japan: a passport is enough, for stays of up to 90 days.
- Maximum stay
- 90 days
- Processing time
- Not applicable: direct entry with your passport.
- Entry cost
- Free
- Minimum passport validity
- No minimum: it just has to be valid
Last verified: 10 August 2026
Verified practical details
You don't need a visa to enter Japan, but here are some practical details worth knowing before you travel:
Authorisation system
None operational yet (JESTA approved, not launched)
Japan's parliament approved the legal basis for JESTA (Japan Electronic System for Travel Authorization) on 29 May 2026, a future mandatory electronic authorisation for nationalities currently exempt from a visa. As of the verification date there is no application portal yet; the rollout must begin by 31 March 2029 at the latest. Don't confuse this with "JAPAN eVISA" (mofa.go.jp), which is an electronic visa already operating through an online application for specific nationalities (including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the US since 15 May 2026), not a universal authorisation system.
Required documents
- A passport valid, at the least, for the whole of your stay in Japan.
- A valid visa if your nationality requires one. Nationals of visa-exempt countries do not need one for a temporary stay.
- A return ticket with a confirmed date (e-tickets are accepted) or an onward ticket to another country.
- Travel documentation, such as hotel bookings or conference details, and proof of sufficient funds.
- Permission to enter is decided by the Japanese immigration authority, even if you have a visa.
Health insurance
Not mandatory for this destination.
When travel insurance is mandatory → Travel insurance policies ↓Transit rules
Japan has its own mechanism for transit: the transit landing permission. If you are travelling onward to a destination outside Japan, it lets you land temporarily for up to 72 hours to rest or shop in the vicinity of the port or airport of call. There is a useful variant where your itinerary is not a round trip through the same place: you may make a stop and leave Japan from another port of entry and departure near the one you arrived at, within three days.
More Japan rules
They don't depend on your passport, so they are on the Japan page:
Official portal: https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/visaonline.html. Destination data verified on 10 August 2026. 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).
Travel insurance for Japan
It isn't listed as mandatory for this entry, but without insurance, medical care during the trip can get expensive.
See IATI's international site →IATI sells its policies according to the country you live in. Where do you live?
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Things to see and do in Japan
Tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips, most with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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This pair in context
In the other direction, citizens of Japan can enter Latvia visa-free. See the Japan → Latvia page.
All 10 passports from Northern Europe that VisaRadar tracks can enter Japan visa-free. Same result as Latvia: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland and Lithuania.
With a passport from Latvia, in the rest of Eastern Asia you can enter China, Hong Kong, Macao, Mongolia, South Korea and Taiwan visa-free; you need a visa for North Korea.
A passport from Latvia ranks 24 of 199 in the VisaRadar passport ranking and reaches 158 of 198 destinations without applying for a visa in advance.
Counts from the same requirements matrix behind this page's verdict, using the UN M49 subregions.
Frequently asked questions
Do Latvian citizens need a visa for Japan?
No. You can enter Japan with just your passport, for up to 90 days.
How long can I stay in Japan?
Up to 90 days with no additional paperwork.
What minimum passport validity is required?
There is no minimum number of months: the passport just has to be valid.
What currency is used in Japan?
Japanese Yen (JPY).
What do Latvian passport holders need for the countries near Japan?
With a passport from Latvia, in the rest of Eastern Asia you can enter China, Hong Kong, Macao, Mongolia, South Korea and Taiwan visa-free; you need a visa for North Korea.
Related pages
See Japan requirements for other passports →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.