kanou 目次
1. What is a short-term stay visa?
A short-term stay visa is a short-term stay visa (status of residence “short-term stay”), and if you are issued a visa, you will be permitted to stay in Japan for either 15, 30, or 90 days.
Applications for short-term stay visas are to be made at the Japanese embassy or consulate in your home country. Generally, applications are not made in Japan. Application procedures vary depending on the Japanese embassy in the foreign country, and in some cases applications are to be made through a local agency.
There are two main cases when inviting foreigners to Japan on a short-term stay visa:
| ① When inviting relatives or acquaintances to Japan ② When inviting someone to Japan for business purposes |
A short-term stay visa does not allow you to engage in activities that generate income or remuneration. It is also permitted to come to Japan on a business visa, but permitted activities are limited to conferences, etc., and activities that generate income or remuneration are not permitted. In addition, a short-term stay visa is based on the premise that you will return to your home country.
2. What are visa-exempt countries?
As stated above in point 1, in principle, you need to obtain a short-term stay visa to enter Japan. However, this does not mean that foreigners from all countries must obtain a short-term stay visa to enter Japan for the purpose of a short-term stay. When entering Japan for the purpose of a short-term stay, there are countries where a short-term stay visa is required and countries where it is not required, depending on the nationality of the foreigner.
If a foreigner is a national of a country that requires a short-term stay visa, he or she cannot enter Japan unless they obtain a short-term stay visa at a Japanese embassy or consulate overseas. On the other hand, if the nationality is of a country that does not require a short-term stay visa, they can freely enter Japan with their passport for purposes such as tourism, without obtaining a short-term stay visa. Countries that do not require such a short-term stay visa are called visa-exempt countries.
3. Is China a visa-exempt country?
China is not a visa-exempt country. Therefore, Chinese nationals must obtain a visa to enter Japan. In order for Chinese nationals to obtain a short-term stay visa, they must apply for a visa at the Japanese embassy or consulate in China.
In the case of China, applications must be made through a travel agency or other entity certified by the Japanese Embassy in China. Applications for short-term stay visas made directly to the embassy or consulate will not be accepted.
4. How can Chinese people apply for a short-term visa?
(1) Invitee and guarantor
A short-term stay visa is basically applied for by a person or company in Japan inviting the foreign national who will be the applicant to Japan. To apply for a short-term stay visa in this way, an inviter and a guarantor in Japan are required. There are the following differences between an inviter and a guarantor. Note that if the requirements for a guarantor are met, the same person can act as both an inviter and a guarantor. It is not necessary to have two people of each type.
| Inviter: The person who invites the applicant, a foreign national, to Japan. |
| Guarantor: A person who guarantees the applicant’s living expenses while in Japan and the return home expenses |
(2) Application process for short-term visa for Chinese nationals
Step 1: Collecting required documents
First, collect the documents required for a short-term stay visa application. Applications are made to the Embassy or Consulate General of Japan in China. Therefore, the documents prepared in Japan must be mailed to the applicant in China. The documents required for a short-term stay visa application are as follows:
Documents to prepare in Japan
| ・Letter of guarantee ・Letter of reasons for invitation ・Letter of invitation history (attached sheet) ・Applicant list ・Schedule of stay ・Company /organization overview (in the case of “short-term business, etc.”) ・Income tax certificate ・Resident registration card・Certificate of employment ・Family register ・Documents proving relationships (photos, letters, etc.) ・Copy of passport ・Copy of residence card ・Other supplementary documents according to the situation |
Documents to prepare in China
| ・Visa application form ・Photograph *taken within the last 6 months ・Applicant’s (Chinese) passport ・Family relationship notarization (in the case of “visiting relatives”) ・Copy of household register ・Copy of residence permit or temporary residence permit (if living in a province or autonomous region other than that listed in the household register)・Certificate of employment (in the case of “short-term business, etc.”) ・Copy of business license of affiliation (in the case of “short-term business, etc.”) ・Copy of ratification letter of affiliation (in the case of a joint venture) (in the case of “short-term business, etc.”) |
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Step 2: Prepare application documents
Once you have collected the necessary documents in step 1, you can begin preparing the documents. Prepare the documents according to the purpose of the invitation, such as visiting an acquaintance or for business purposes. The explanatory materials will differ depending on the purpose of the invitation.
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Step 3: Send documents to the applicant in China
Applications should be made at the Japanese Embassy or Consulate General in China. Please mail the documents you have collected in Japan to the applicant in China.
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Step 4: Apply for a short-term visa at the Japanese Embassy or Consulate General in China
Submit the set of documents reviewed in step 1 to the Japanese Embassy or Consulate General in China to apply for a short-term stay visa. The application should be made to the Japanese Embassy or Consulate General that has jurisdiction over the applicant’s place of residence (registered address).
In order to ease congestion, short-term visa applications in China must be submitted through a proxy application agency (local travel agency or visa application center). Applicants cannot bring application documents directly to the Japanese Embassy or Consulate.
“Application window”
| ・Embassy of Japan in China (Beijing and the following Consulates General. All areas outside the jurisdiction of the consulate office) |
| ・Consulate-General of Japan in Qingdao (Shandong Province) |
| ・Consulate General of Japan in Shanghai (Shanghai City, Jiangsu Province, Anhui Province, Zhejiang Province, Jiangxi Province) |
| ・Consulate-General of Japan in Guangzhou (Guangdong Province, Fujian Province, Hainan Province, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region) |
| – Consulate-General of Japan in Shenyang (Liaoning Province (excluding Dalian City), Heilongjiang Province, Jilin Province) |
| ・Consular Office in Dalian (Dalian City) |
| ・Consulate General of Japan in Chongqing (Chongqing City, Sichuan Province, Yunnan Province, Guizhou Province) |
| ・Consulate General of Japan in Hong Kong (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macau Special Administrative Region) |
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Step 5: Visa issuance
After your application is accepted, it usually takes about one week for the visa to be issued. However, depending on the congestion at the embassy, it may take up to one month.
If your application for a short-term stay visa is rejected, you will not be able to apply for a short-term stay visa for the same purpose for six months. Also, unlike applications for residence status, you will not be able to hear the reason for the rejection of a short-term stay visa.
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Step 6: Entering Japan
The validity period of a short-term stay visa is three months. You must land in Japan within the validity period. If the validity period expires, you will need to apply for a short-term stay visa again.
5. Can I renew my short-term stay visa?
As a general rule, short-term stay visas cannot be renewed. However, there are exceptions where the visa can be renewed in the following cases:
| ① When it is truly unavoidable for humanitarian reasons. ② When there are special circumstances equivalent to those mentioned above. |
Truly unavoidable humanitarian circumstances would include, for example, if a guest becomes ill during his/her stay and requires hospitalization, or if a relative of the guest suffers an accident and requires care.
 “Article supervision” Kano Administrative Scrivener Office Operation HP: Visa Application Support Navi https://visasupportnavi.net/ Representative Specific administrative scrivener ：Hiroyuki Kano “Educational background” Completed the first semester of the doctoral program majoring in public law, Graduate School of Law, Doshisha University (Master’s degree (Law)) Graduated from Meiji University School of Law “Qualification” Administrative scrivener (specific note), TOEIC 805 points “Specialization” Immigration, visa application, status of residence, permanent residence, naturalization, foreign affairs, international public law |
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