Entering Japan

Status: Conference participants will be able to enter Japan with a valid VISA!

However, please note that you should be presenting at the conference and/or your current affiliation / job should clearly relate to the conference topic.

WE DO NOT ISSUE ANY DOCUMENTS FOR YOUR VACATION!

Once you registered, you won't get back your registration fee completely - So, please do not register if you are not coming to Japan for the conference / you cannot provide us with a proof that your visiting purpose is conference participation!

!!!CAUTION!!!

1. We support your visa application only for the stay within 14 days of duration INCLUDING the conference period.

2. Please double and triple check the information you entered in the form.

   • The wrong information can affect YOUR visa procedure and its duration.

   • WE DO NOT ISSUE ANY DOCUMENT TWICE DUE TO CORRECTION.

   • If the information is obviously incorrect, your request might not be processed WITHOUT ANY NOTICE.

3. Please do not forget to send a copy of your passport!

   • IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE to just click on the check box without sending the copy of your passport! If this happens, your request might not be processed WITHOUT ANY NOTICE.

4. Please prepare for your visa application as soon as possible.

   • Because of the large number of requests, we will need 7-10 business days to provide you with the documents.

   • Please note that writing us to get the documents earlier does not have any effect on the speed of our work. It even slows us down as we have to write unnecessay e-mails.

5. In filling out the form, please double check if you entered your birth date correctly (i.e., in a correct order)!

Please note that this information is based on the announcement from the Japanese government as of April 28, 2022, and is subject to change in the near future. We will do our best to quickly update the information on this webpage.

Please inform yourself with the website of the Japanese Embassy or Consulate-General in your area of residence for any update. Please be aware that the requirement for VISA application varies depending on your nationality and/or your area of residence and your nationality.

Click here to find the Japanese Embassy or Consulate-General with jurisdiction over your area.

Please contact the Japanese Embassy or Consulate-General in your area of residence if you have any questions about the VISA application. They are able to advise you individually, case-by-case.

If you have any further questions about the procedure, please contact: jcole2022.visa.question@gmail.com

The subject of email should be VISA question - Last-name, First-name (e.g., “VISA question - Asano, Rie”).

NEWS

Depending on your country of residnece and your nationality, the VISA application procedure may be now simplified so that you may not need all documents that are listed on this homepage. Please check the website of the Japanese Embassy or Consulate-General in your area of residence for any update.

Japan is now gradually reducing the COVID 19 quarantine regulation. Please check the updates.

VISA

1. All foreign visitors require VISA

Currently, *ALL* foreign visitors, regardless of their nationalities, require a VISA to enter Japan.

You are responsible for your VISA on your own.

Number of days of stay to be supported are 14 days (including arrival and departure days (2 days) and the duration of JCoLE (4 days)).

Please ask the Japanese Embassy or Consulate-General in your area of residence for some advice regarding this issue. Depending on your nationality and/or your area of residence, you may have more flexibility.

Depending on your nationality and your area of residence, there are currently two types of the VISA application procedure:

• Simplified one: Only a certificate of ERFS is required.

• Regular one: A certificate of ERFS and other VISA-related documents are required.

Please check the homepge of the Japanese Embassy or Consulate-General in your area of residence to figure out which type of the procedure applies to you. We are not able to answer this question.

You will receive the(se) document(s) from the local organizing committee upon request.

Please refer to the section How to get an ERFS certificate and other VISA-related documents.

Source: https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html

Source: https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/short/novisa.html

Source: https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page22e_000921.html

2. VISA application procedure at a glance

This is a schematic description of the VISA application procedure. Please contact the Japanese Embassy or Consulate-General in your area of residence to inform yourself about the details of the VISA application procedure in more detail.

1. Request an ERFS certificate and other VISA-related documents to the local organizing committee. (Please refer to the section How to get an ERFS certificate and other VISA-related documents.)

2. Prepare for the VISA application on your side while waiting for the ERFS certificate and other documents that are issued by the local organizing committee.

3. After receiving the ERFS certificate and the VISA-related documents, apply for the VISA at the Japanese Embassy or Consulate-General in your area of residence.

4. With a valid VISA, conference participants are able to enter Japan. Please check the section What you need when entering Japan to inform yourself about the Japanese border measure due to Covid19 pandemics.

3. How to get an ERFS certificate and other VISA-related documents

Please fill out the questionnaire only if you finalized your schedule.

If you are planning to stay in Japan before and after the conference period, please contact the Japanese Embassy or Consulate-General in your area of residence and ask if your schedule is acceptable. Please make sure that your schedule is confirmed by the Japanese Embassy or Consulate-General in your area of residence. (We recommend you to make a phone call.) We will create the documents based on the submitted schedule and are not able to check your schedule for its validity. This is particularly important if the regular procedure applies to you and you are planning to include 'sightseeing' in your schedule as Japan still bans private tourist from entering Japan.

Simplified procedure:

1. Complete registration for the conference here.

2. Fill out the JCoLE VISA questionnaire for the ERFS only applicants.*

3. Submit all necessary documents to this email address: jcole2022.visa.submission@gmail.com **

• A copy of your passport (File name: Family-name_First-name_passport) (e.g., “Asano_Rie_passport”) (Required for everybody)

• Proof of your employment or student status in English (File name: Family-name_First-name_status) (e.g., "Asano_Rie_status") (Necessary only if you are an audience without any papers presented)

  • This document should clearly show the relationship between your current affiliation and the conference topic. If you are not able to provide a clear proof that your purpose for visiting Japan is conference participation, we are not able to issue any documents.

Regular procedure:

1. Complete registration for the conference here.

2. Fill out the JCoLE VISA questionnaire.*

3. Submit all necessary documents to this email address: jcole2022.visa.submission@gmail.com **

   1. A copy of your passport (File name: Family-name_First-name_passport) (e.g., “Asano_Rie_passport”) (Required for everybody)

   2. Schedule of the stay (File name: Family-name_First-name_schedule) (e.g., "Asano_Rie_schedule") (Necessary only if you have more accommodations during your stay in Japan than the number of accommodations you can enter into the form)

   3. Proof of your employment or student status in English (File name: Family-name_First-name_status) (e.g., "Asano_Rie_status") (Necessary only if you are an audience without any papers presented)

      • This document should clearly show the relationship between your current affiliation and the conference topic. If you are not able to provide a clear proof that your purpose for visiting Japan is conference participation, we are not able to issue any documents.

4. You will receive an ERFS certificate (PDF)*** and other VISA-related documents (PDF)*** within 7 business days.****

5. This document is NOT A VISA! Please apply for a VISA on your own at the Japanese Embassy or Consulate-General in your area of residence.

*Please note that the information that you filled in this form cannot be changed after submitting. If you do not want to enter your personal information into the online questionnaire, please download this file, fill ALL FIELDS of this file, and send it to us together with the documents listed under the above-mentioned point 3. (File name: Family-name_First-name_form) (e.g., “Asano_Rie_form”)

**This email address is for submission only. We do not answer your inquiry that was sent to this email address.

***Depending on your area of residence, hard copy documents are needed. In this case, we will send you the hard copy documents. We will send you a bill for the mailing expenses. Please pay for it on-site in cash.

****Depending on how many requests we have received, this could take more time. So please send your request as soon as possible.

What you need when entering Japan

1. Current COVID-19 measures at a glance

1. Inspection for Covid-19 (within 72 hours before departure)

2. Fast track (to save time at the border control) - To complete until 6h before your arrival in Japan

3. Quarantine (depending on your vaccination status and the countries / regions where you are from)

Please visit this webpage to get familiarized with this procedure.

We highly recommend you to get 3x vaccinated with the designated vaccines as this may ease the entrance procedure.

All necessary documents are listed here.

2. Inspection for Covid-19 (within 72 hours before leaving the country)

All entrants into Japan, regardless of being Japanese or non-Japanese, must submit an inspection certificate at the immigration gate on your arrival.

The inspection must be done within 72 hours of your departure flight to Japan and should be documented in this form to ensure smooth border control.

For further information about inspections, please see this PDF file.

You can find Q&A here.

Fast track

If you are entering Japan from any of the following airports, You can pre-register for airport quarantine procedures to reduce the time spent at the border control!

• Narita International Airport

• Haneda Airport

• Chubu Centrair International Airport

• Kansai International Airport

• Fukuoka Airport

You need to install the “MySOS” app onto your mobile device before you leave for Japan, and enter some info into the app beforehand.

For further details, please see this webpage.

3. Quarantine

Depending on whether you have been vaccinated against Covid-19 three times, or which country/region you are from, you will be required to quarantine yourself in a hotel for three days.

From June 1st, the following regulation applies:

Please check the section "(2) From June 1, 2022: Measures in response to Omicron variant / New Border Measures (28)" of this webpage to figure out the category of your country of residence.

FAQ

• Can I submit a tentative schedule of my stay and change it later?

  • Regarding the ERFS, you are required to provide the information of the first accomodation that you will use right after your arrival. This information cannot be changed.

  • Regarding the VISA, it depends on your nationality and country of residence whether the schedule change is possible, or not. Please ask the Japanese embassy or consulate-general in your area of residence directly. They should be able to advice you personally.

  • We are sorry that we cannot provide you with concrete information, but it is not possible for us to advice every participant personally because the VISA procedure slightly differs from one person to another. So, it is really the safest to ask the Japanese embassy or consulate-general in your area of residence for some advice.

• How much is the mailing fee?

  • We will use EMS or FedEx and the mail will be below 500 g (approx. 150 g).

  • EMS: https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/2022fee_change/index_en.html AND https://www.post.japanpost.jp/cgi-charge/index.php?lang=_en

  • FedEx: https://www.fedex.com/en-jp/online/rating.html#

• How long does the VISA application procedure take?

  • It depends on the capacity of our office and the Japanese Embassy or Consulate-General in your area of residence as well as your nationality and your area of residence. We recommend you to start preparing for your VISA application approximately 2 months before the conference.

(Last updated: August 16, 2022)

Please note that we cannot take any responsibility for the information on this webpage.