Car rentals in Japan - Entry

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Entry

ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: A valid passport and an onward/return ticket are required. Passports must be valid for the intended period of stay in Japan. A visa is not required for tourist/business stays up to 90 days. Americans cannot work on a 90-day "visa free" entry. As a general rule, “visa free” entry status may not be changed to other visa status without departing and then re-entering Japan with the appropriate visa such as a spouse, work or study visa.

Japanese Visas: For information about the Japanese visa waiver for tourists, Japan's strict rules on work visas, special visas to take depositions, and other visa issues, travelers should consult the Consular Section of the Embassy of Japan at 2520 Massachusetts Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008, tel. (202) 238-6800, or the nearest Japanese consulate. In the United States, there are Japanese consulates in the following cities:

Agana (Guam) (671) 646-1290
Anchorage (907) 562-8424
Atlanta (404) 240-4300
Boston (617) 973-9772
Chicago (312) 280-0400
Denver (303) 534-1151
Detroit (313) 567-0120
Honolulu (808) 543-3111
Houston (713) 652-2977
Kansas City (816) 471-0111
Los Angeles (213) 617-6700
Miami (305) 530-9090
New Orleans (504) 529-2101
New York (212) 371-8222
Portland (Oregon) (503) 221-1811
Saipan (Northern Marianas) (670) 234-7201
San Francisco (415) 777-3533
Seattle (206) 682-9107.

Additional information is available via the Internet on the Embassy of Japan home page at http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/. Our posts in Japan cannot assist in obtaining visas for Japan.

Military/SOFA Travelers: While active-duty U.S. military personnel may enter Japan under the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with proper Department of Defense (DOD) identification and travel orders, all SOFA family members, civilian employees and contractors must have a valid passport and, in some cases, a SOFA visa to enter Japan. Active-duty military personnel should obtain a tourist passport prior to leaving the United States to accommodate off-duty travel elsewhere in Asia. Personnel whose duties will include official travel should also obtain a passport before coming to Japan to avoid delays. Tourist passport processing in Japan can take two to three weeks, more for official passports. DOD travelers should consult the DOD Foreign Clearance Guide, DOD 4500.54, http://www.fcg.pentagon.mil/, before leaving the United States.

Passport Validity: U.S. citizens entering or transiting Japan should ensure that their passports and visas are up to date before leaving the United States. Many Asian countries deny entry to travelers whose passports are valid for less than six months. It is not usually possible to obtain a new U.S. passport and foreign visa during a brief stopover while transiting Japan, as tourist passport processing in Japan can take two to three weeks. Airlines in Japan will deny boarding to Americans who seek to transit Japan without the required travel documents for their final destinations in Asia.

Expired Passports: Airlines have mistakenly boarded American citizens coming to Japan, even though that person's passport has already expired. The U.S. Embassy or our Consulates cannot "vouch for" an American citizen without a valid passport, and passport services are not available at the airport. In some instances, travelers have been returned immediately to the U.S., while in other cases, they have been issued 24-hour "shore passes" and were required to return the next day to Japanese Immigration for lengthy processing.