JAPAN: My Guide on How to Apply for a 5-Year Multiple Entry Japan Tourist Visa

JAPAN: My Guide on How to Apply
for a 5-Year Multiple Entry Japan Tourist Visa

Before you start applying for a visa, these are the things you should know first:

1. You can only apply for a visa through an accredited travel agency.

The Japanese Embassy site states that "Effective 30th July 2007, all visa applications except cases indicated in (2) below must be coursed through travel agencies accredited by the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines." (see the exceptions HERE)

This is the list of accredited travel agencies given by the Japanese embassy in Manila: You can access it HERE

I applied for a visa through Rajah Tours and Travel. They charge 1500 pesos as assistance fee and 84 pesos for pick-up and delivery fee (depending on location of pickup and delivery). The Japan visa is free.

The agency charges assistance fee for assessing the documents and evaluating if it's complete. They also make suggestions on what documents to add based on your situation to give you the best chance being granted a visa. That's why I personally think not all agencies are the same. You have to find an agency with a great deal of experience in this respect, with people who will actually assess your unique situation, keep your financial documents secure and private, take care not to lose or misplace your passports, especially the ones with visas attached.

The agency delivery fee covers picking up the passport and the required documents from your stated location and returning the passport to you after the Japanese embassy has returned it to the travel agency.

I highly recommend Rajah Tours. If you wish to make inquiries, you can contact Sandy at jpsese@rajahtravel.com

2. Apply only 3 months before the end of your travel.

If the last day of your visit to Japan is on June 1, make sure that the EARLIEST time that you will submit your application is March 1. I tend to apply for a visa very early but I was advised by the travel agency to submit it only 3 months before, since it's not certain that the Japanese embassy will issue a multiple entry 5-year visa.

Apparently, upon submission of the passport and documents, they immediately evaluate and issue the visa. In the experience of the travel agency, if they issue a single entry visa, the usual duration of the visa is only 3 months. So if the last day of your visit in Japan is June 1, and you submit your visa application on March 1, even if they immediately issue a single entry visa good for 3 months, that would be from March 1- June 1. This means the whole duration of travel will be covered by the duration of the visa issued.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE JAPAN VISA APPLICATION:

Click this for Japan Tourist Visa Requirements from the Japanese Embassy


BELOW IS THE SAMPLE VISA CHECKLIST FOR A FAMILY: THE EMPLOYED HUSBAND, THE NON-WORKING WIFE, AND THE CHILD

VISA CHECKLIST FOR THE EMPLOYED HUSBAND:

1. CURRENT VALID PASSPORT 

This means you need an unexpired passport that is valid 6 months from date of travel. For example, if you're leaving the country on December 1 and returning December 8, 2019. You need a passport that remains valid until June 8, 2020. Although Japan allows entry of tourists as long as their passports are unexpired, Philippine immigration and airline check in counters are very strict and does not allow passengers with passports less than 6 months valid to leave the country.

2. ALL OLD PASSPORTS

Although not required by the Japanese embassy site, Rajah tours requires it. The reason perhaps is to give additional information on previous travels that may help in requesting a visa.

If you have a valid US visa, include the passport with the US visa and all passports between the US visa and your current visa.

3. COMPLETED APPLICATION FORM

• You can print the pdf pplication form at https://www.ph.emb-japan.go.jp/files/000163096.pdf
• Print the application form in A4 size paper.
• Fill up the application form having in mind the following rule: 

• All items should be filled out. If an item is not applicable, put N/A. 

• It must be signed and dated. 

• View this sample application form to guide you how to fill up the application form: https://www.ph.emb-japan.go.jp/files/000163097.pdf
• If you're applying for a multiple entry visa, in the portion asking for intended length of stay, write in the blank "no. of days - Requesting for multiple entry". For example, 7 days - Requesting for multiple entry.

4. PHOTO

• One (1) 2 inches x 2 inches or 4.5cm x 4.5cm recent colored photo, with white background.
• The applicant's dress code for the photo: decent, colored top with sleeves (If you're not dressed properly when having the photo taken, Great Image studio lets you choose from a list of outfits they can photoshop in the photo)
• Photo must be recent and taken within 6 months of submission of visa application.
• The photo must not have been previously submitted to the Japan embassy.
• Write applicant’s name and birthdate on back side of the photo.
• Photo must be pasted on the application form, NOT STAPLED.

5. NSO ISSUED BIRTH CERTIFICATE

• It must be issued within one year from date of application from PSA Main Office/Serbilis Outlet Center (Nationwide). You cannot cheat this requirement. The barcode on the lower left portion of the birth certificate reveals the date of issuance of the birth certificate.

• If the birth certificate from Philippine Statistics Office (PSA) is unreadable, or has incomplete information, please submit the birth certificate issued by PSA together with a birth certificate issued by the Local Civil Registrar.

• If the birth certificate is “late registration”, please submit in addition, a baptismal certificate and school record (Form 137) from high school or elementary and School Yearbook (if possible).

• If there is no record in PSA, please submit a “Certificate of Non-Record” from PSA together with a birth certificate from the Local Civil Registrar

• The NSO issued birth certificate is not required if the applicant can submit old or valid passports with USED Japan visa

You can apply for an NSO birth certificate online at PSASerbilis.com. It's best if you have a xerox copy of your old birth certificate when applying online so you can refer to it when typing all the information. Typographical errors can lead to failure to find records at the NSO. 

6. NSO ISSUED MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE (if married)

• IT must be issued within one year from date of applicationfrom PSA Main Office/Serbilis Outlet Center (Nationwide). You cannot cheat this requirement. The barcode on the lower left portion of the birth certificate reveals the date of applicaton for birth certificate.

• In case there is no record in PSA, please submit a “Certificate of Non-Record” from PSA together with the Marriage Certificate from the Local Civil Registrar. 
• The NSO issued birth certificate is not required if the applicant can submit old or valid passports with USED Japan visa

7. DAILY SCHEDULE/ITINERARY OF ACTIVITIES IN JAPAN

• You can find in word format the sample schedule of stay form that you can fill up at: https://www.ph.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/00_000035.html

• For sample itinerary, CHECK OUT MY POST:

• 7 days in Osaka: My Travel Guide and Itinerary
• 7 days in Tokyo: My Travel Guide and Itinerary

8. FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS

IF APPLICANT WILL SHOULDER ALL OR PART OF HIS TRAVEL EXPENSES:

a. Original bank certificate

• Validity of Bank Certificate is three (3) month from the date of issue.
• According to Rajah Tours, savings account is the preference of the Embassy of Japan.
• If you are applying for a multiple entry visa under the category of abundant financial capacity, Rajah tours recommends that the savings account must exhibit at least 7 digit figures.

b. Clear photocopy of the applicant’s latest Income Tax Return (Form 2316)

IF GUARANTOR WHO LIVES IN THE PHILIPPINES WILL SHOULDER PART OR ALL OF THE APPLICANT'S TRAVEL EXPENSES:

a. Guarantee Letter signed by the guarantor

• You can find in word format the sample guarantee letter form that you can fill up at: https://www.ph.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/00_000035.html

b. Proof of relationship between guarantor and applicant like birth certificate, marriage certificate, employment certificate, etc.

c. Original bank certificate of the guarantor with the same requirements as the bank certificate mentioned above

d. Clear photocopy of the guarantor’s latest Income Tax Return (Form 2316).

9. LETTER REQUEST FOR MULTIPLE ENTRY VISA

• Fill up the following letter request form: https://www.ph.emb-japan.go.jp/files/000386521.pdf

10. OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT YOU THINK WILL SUPPORT YOUR APPLICATION

THE JAPAN EMBASSY STRESSES: It is applicant’s responsibility to ensure that he/she meet the requirements for the grant of a visa. Submission of any supporting documents not listed above is encouraged (e.g. applicant’s economic or social ties with the Philippines, urgent reasons for visit: medical certificate, wedding invitation).

Although optional, I also submitted a certificate of employment stating position, tenure of service with gross annual income.

VISA CHECKLIST FOR THE NON-WORKING SPOUSE:

1. Current valid passport
2. All old passports
3. Completed application form
4. Photo
5. NSO issued birth certificate
6. NSO issued marriage certificate
7. Daily schedule/itinerary of activities
8. Guarantee Letter of the Husband who is covering the travel expenses
9. Original bank certificate of the husband/guarantor
10. Clear photocopy of the husband/guarantor’s latest Income Tax Return (Form 2316).
11. Letter request for multiple entry visa

VISA CHECKLIST FOR THE DEPENDENT CHILD:

1. Current valid passport

2. All old passports

3. Completed application form

4. Photo

5. NSO issued birth certificate

6. NSO issued marriage certificate of parents

7. Daily schedule/itinerary of activities

8. Guarantee Letter of the parent who is covering the travel expenses

9. Original bank certificate of the parent/guarantor

10. Clear photocopy of the parent/guarantor’s latest Income Tax Return (Form 2316).

11. Letter request for multiple entry visa

WHAT DOCUMENTS OR REQUIREMENTS YOU CAN PREPARE: 

6 MONTHS BEFORE SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION:

Note: Do not fill up the date of the document until it's near the day of the application.

1. Current valid passport

2. All old passports

3. Completed application form

4. Photo

5. NSO issued birth certificate

6. NSO issued marriage certificate

7. Daily schedule/itinerary of activities

8. Guarantee Letter

9. Clear photocopy of the latest Income Tax Return (Form 2316).

10. Letter request for multiple entry visa

2 MONTHS BEFORE SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION:

Note: Do not fill up the date of the document until it's near the day of the application.

1. Original bank certificate of the applicant or guarantor.

• The bank certificate is considered only valid for 3 months.

My-Step-by-Step Guide on How to Apply for an Australia Tourist Visa Online

My-Step-by-Step Guide

on How to Apply for an Australia Tourist Visa Online

Without Appearance

What I realized while applying for an Australia Tourist Visa online:

1. You can apply for a tourist visa purely online.

This means you can execute everything online: from the application, to the payment, until receipt of visa grant. You don't need to personally submit your application and documents, appear for biometrics scan or submit your passport for stamping of the visa. The visa grant is emailed to you.

2. If your documents are complete, your visa may be issued as early as 3 days from submitting your application.

I submitted the visa application on a Monday, we received the grant letter by email 3 days after, which is on a Thursday.

3. If you answered yes to any medical question, you will be required to undergo a health assessment in any of the panel of physicians accredited by the embassy of Australia.

If you are located in the Philippines, you can check out the accredited panel of physicians here:

https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about/contact/offices-locations/philippines

I underwent my health assessment at St. Lukes Global City. The results was uploaded to my account a week after completing my health assessment. The visa officer issued my visa grant next day.

4. Depending on your circumstances, the Australia embassy can give a multiple entry tourist visa valid for one year from date of issuance.

From other blogs, I read that the Australia embassy usually issue a 6 month multiple entry tourist visa. So they usually advise you not to apply for a tourist visa earlier than 6 months from the date your tour ends. But if you have sufficient documents to justify giving you a one year tourist visa, they do give out a one year tourist visa.

My advice, therefore, is to furnish them as much evidence as you can to show that you are a legitimate tourist, that you have sufficient ties to your country that will make you return, and that you have enough funds to visit Australia multiple times. After completing the application form, they only tell you to that the required documents to be uploaded are: (1) passport data page (where you have your name and other information displayed), (2) passport photo, (3) proof of travels to other countries such as visa and stamped pages of expired and valid passports. But i furnished them with other documents too, especially financial documents.

My-Step-by-Step Guide on How to Apply for an Australia Tourist Visa Online

STEP 1. Identify the visa class you are applying for.

If you are going to Australia as a tourist, you should be applying for Visitor Visa (subclass 600).

STEP 2. Get an email address.

You need have an email address. This is where the visa officer will send all communications and the visa grant letter if and when they issue you a visa.

STEP 3. Open an ImmiAccount.

An Immiaccount is your online account with the Department of Home Affairs where you can apply for a visa online. It allows you to fill up the application form online, upload the documents to support your application, pay the visa fee and track the progress of your application.

You can open an Immiaccount at https://online.immi.gov.au/lusc/login.

If you will travel together in a group, such as a family or friends, you can process your application together by indicating that you wish to have group processing. This means you can log in at one account and submit your application through that one account.

STEP 4. Fill up the application form.

The application form is around 14 pages long so you can do it in a span of several days. Just remember to save what has been filled. You can edit any information that you placed in the online application form as long as you don't click SUBMIT.

Since I plan to travel to Australia multiple times, I placed 2 travel dates: one 2-week visit in Melbourne and on a different date, another 2-week visit to Sydney.

STEP 5. Gather your documents.

What I submitted from the REQUIRED documents are:

a. Passport photo

I requested a soft copy from Great Image so I can upload it to my Immi account.

b. Travel Document

Scanned copy of the passport data page (the page where your photo is and where your personal information is written)

c. Evidence of previous compliant travel

• Visas issued (I submitted a scanned copy of ALL visas issued to me, valid and expired.) 

• Arrival and departure stamps in valid passport (I submitted a scanned copy of departure and arrival stamps of the past 5 years. But it's recommended that you submit departure and arrival stamps in relation to the visas issued to you.)

• Arrival and departure stamps in expired passports (It's recommended that you submit departure and arrival stamps in relation to the visas issued to you) 

• Travel history (I made a list showing arrival and departure dates of all countries I visited just to make it easier for the visa officer to understand my travel history; the list is in table form: in the first column is the country, and the second column are the arrival and departure dates. Then I uploaded it as a word file)

Although just RECOMMENDED I still submitted the ff. documents:

a. Evidence of planned tourism activities

Travel itinerary (Since I plan to travel in 2 different dates, I submitted 2 itineraries: one for Melbourne and another for Sydney.)

b. Evidence of personal financial capacity

As you can see from the photo above, there is no list as to what evidence should be given. It is up to you to decide what evidence to give to show personal financial capacity. These are my suggestions:

• Certificate of employment, or your husband or wife's certificate of employment if you are unemployed. If you're submitting your husband or wife's certificate of employment, you need to submit a copy of your marriage contract. 

• Other evidence to show where your income is coming from.  

• Income Tax Return 

• Bank certificates from the bank containing the ff. information: account type, current balance, account opening date, 6 months average daily balance

• Time deposit certificates 

• Credit card statements 

• Land title

• Car registration

STEP 6. Scan your documents and give it a title.

You need to give your documents a name like bankstatement.jpg instead of sticking with the number it is automatically assigned after scanning like 2024.jpg. It will be easier for the visa officer to make sense of your documents if it's already described in the title of the file.

STEP 5. Upload your documents under the appropriate heading or category, as shown in the photo above.

You are limited to uploading only 60 documents.

STEP 5. Read your application again before submitting.

Remember that when you click SUBMIT, you cannot edit your application form anymore.

STEP 6. Submit and pay the fee online.

The fee is 140 AUD + 1.37 credit card surcharge.

STEP 6. Wait for the results by email.

If the visa officer does not request further information, he will email the result 3 days after submission of the application. In our case, my husband received a visa grant 3 days after submission of the application form. He was given a 1 year multiple entry visa.

In my case, I was required to get a health assessment, which I immediately did, so that a week after my husband received his visa, I received mine too.