Modern living, exquisite food, well-preserved culture & traditions, and amazingly beautiful nature are the reasons why I dream of traveling to Japan.
Sadly, Philippine passport holders like us, despite being Asian, need a visa to travel to Japan unlike most countries in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and North America where they can freely travel to Japan without applying for a visa to stay up to 90 days.
68 Countries that do not require a visa to enter Japan
Step by step guide on how to apply for a Japan Tourist Visa
- Know and gather all the required documents for tourist visa application. You can download from the internet the checklist of required documents
- Look for an accredited travel agency near your place and ask for the processing fee.
- Submit all the required documents and pay the processing fee to your chosen travel agency
- Wait for the result
- Claim your passport
Japan Visa Requirements for Filipinos
- Passport – expiration is not less than 6 months prior to travel date, and with at least 2 blank pages. Must be signed, and must have contact information in case of emergency.
- Fully accomplished application form- must be completely filled out correctly. Do not leave it blank. If the question does not apply to you, write NA. The signature and date signed are essential.
- PSA Birth Certificate and Marriage Contract (if married) – must be issued within one year, if your Birth Certificate is late registered, you must submit Baptismal Certificate and Form 137.
- Photo-sized for Japan visa, white background, and must be within 3 months of capture. The photo must be pasted on the application form.
- Daily Itinerary – the travel agency will provide the form. Does not necessarily detailed but if you can provide one, that is much better.
- Bank Certificate – must be three months before the date of issue. This will be your show money to the embassy.
- Applicant’s ITR (BIR form 2316) – must be a clear photocopy (latest)
Here’s how our visa application went:
After thinking our documents were complete, I went to Reli Tours at SM Southmall. They assessed all my documents and then told me that I should get a new copy of our birth certificates and marriage contract because those were issued more than six months already. (date of issue can be seen at the lowest part of the document). They also told me that I need to get the form 137 of my daughter since her birth certificate was registered late. On the next day, I went to PSA Serbilis on Macapagal Blvd. Pasay to get a copy of birth and marriage certificates. Next, I went to my daughter’s school to request her Form 137 but the registrar told me that I should have requested it 3 weeks before. I did not request Form 137 anymore since I already purchased 3 tickets and we are scheduled to fly in three weeks’ time. I just requested a Certificate of Enrolment. I headed directly to the Reli Tours MOA branch. They checked all the documents again and asked me to write a letter explaining why I cannot submit the F137.
Here is my letter to the embassy
June 3, 2019
Japan Embassy in the Philippines Roxas Blvd. Pasay City
Dear Honorable Consul,
I am writing to explain why I cannot provide the form 137 as a supplementary requirement for my daughter’s visa application.
This morning, I requested the form 137 of my daughter from her school but I was told that it will be available after two to three weeks from the date it was requested which is too close to our travel date. I understand that it is one of the requirements for applicants whose Birth Certificate was registered late but we are scheduled to leave for Japan this coming June 18, 2019.
In this regard, I am submitting herewith my daughter’s Certificate of Enrolment in lieu of her form 137 for your reference.
Hoping for your kind consideration on this matter.
Sincerely yours,
After payment of the visa and processing fee, the staff at the counter gave me the receipt and a small slip explaining how the procedure will go. They also told me that it takes two weeks to know the result.
After 5 days, I received a text message from Reli Tours that we can pick up our passports. I have no idea whether it was approved or not. When I claimed my passport, I was so nervous looking for the Japan Visa pasted on it, and luckily, we were given a single entry visa valid for 15 days.
Visa assistance fee: 950 each pax
Travel history: with 2 Schengen Visa, Korean Visa, recently traveled to Taiwan.
Additional documents submitted (not required but to boost our application):
- Certificate of Employment
- Travel Authority approval (for government employees)
- Roundtrip ticket via Cebu Pacific
- Hotel accommodation booking confirmation from Booking.com
Tips:
- Make sure that you have more than enough in your bank account to cover your expenses while on a trip to their country.
- Talk to the travel agency that you want to include additional documents to boost your chances of getting an approved visa.
- Ask the travel agency if they already submitted your documents to the embassy.
- Hope and pray that you’ll get a favorable decision from the embassy.
Best of luck with your visa application!
God bless always!
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