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JAPAN: Easing of Border Restrictions
September 29, 2022
The Japanese government has announced the easing of the country’s border restrictions from 11 October 2022. The following changes will be implemented:
Visa exemption program for short-term visitors
The Japanese authorities plan to resume the visa exemption program for foreign nationals of 68 countries, matching the pre-COVID program. The list of countries qualifying for the visa exemption program may be revised by the authorities at any time.
Entrants, Returnees Follow-up System (ERFS) certificate requirement will be removed
- Short-term visitors eligible to travel to Japan on the visa exemption program will no longer require to obtain the ERFS certificate after 11 October 0:00 Japan time.
- Short-term visitor and long-term visitors applying for a visa at the Japanese embassy or consulate after 11 October 0:00 Japan time.
The ERFS certificate will still be required for the short-term and long-term visitors intending to apply for a visa at a Japanese embassy or consulate before 11 October 0:00 Japan time, regardless of whether the travel will take place after 11 October 0:00 Japan time.
Some Japanese embassies or consulates may still require an ERFS certificate for short-term and long-term visitors intending to apply for a visa at a Japanese embassy or consulate before 11 October 0:00 Japan time, regardless of whether the travel will take place after 11 October 0:00 Japan time. We recommend contacting your local embassy or consulate to find more, if your visit falls in this scenario.
Quarantine
On-arrival quarantine test, self-quarantine, and refraining from use of public transportation are no longer required in principle.
Instead, all visitors will now be required to provide either a valid COVID-19 vaccination certificate (3 doses) of vaccines on the Emergency Use List of World Health Organization (WHO) or a certificate of negative result of pre-departure COVID-19 test within 72 hours prior to departing from the original country/region.
Find more details here.
Newland Chase Insights
The opening of Japan’s borders is welcome news to all travelers as this will remove any additional requirements for travelling into the country. It is advisable for travelers to delay any applications or travel to the country until after the restrictions have been lifted.
As always, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Newland Chase dedicated contact or submit an inquiry here should you have any specific questions regarding this announcement.
This immigration update is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal or scenario-specific advice. Furthermore, it is important to note that immigration announcements are subject to sudden and unexpected changes. Readers are encouraged to reach out to Newland Chase for any case- or company-specific assessments.
