Japan is truly one of the best destinations and countries that a Filipino can dream of traveling to. It is where the animes originated and one of our biggest dreams is to those places that we only see in the anime scenes or even the movies. Some of us are fans of the Japanese soap operas, and some would just like to experience how is Japan different from any other Asian countries. With all the news and good things that we hear about this one beautiful country, who would not dream of stepping into the land of the rising sun?
As a Filipino, we cannot just enter Japan without securing a visa as if it were a part of the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations). I know it’s a hassle but Japan is part of G7 countries, and when you have a visa to at least one of these countries, you have a higher chance of getting a visa to another.
How to Apply for a Japan Tourist Visa Without ITR and Get Approved for a Multiple Entry Visa
I have personally stepped into Japan a few years back and created a guide for it (you can check this link) but that was the normal process because I was still in the corporate setup, a.k.a., I still have a corporate job/employer.
But this guide is for those who are self-employed or freelancers (like me) who cannot present a tax document yet but is earning enough to travel places and go far. This also applies to those who cannot present a Certificate of Employment and or are students.
Let’s start with the basic and important requirements first for Japan visa application.
| With previously approved Japan visa | First time applying for a Japan visa |
| 1. Passport | 1. Passport |
| 2. Bank Certificate | 2. Bank Certificate |
| 3. Japan visa Photo | 3. Birth Certificate |
| 4. Japan Visa Application Form | 4. Japan visa Photo |
| 5. Daily Schedule Form | 5. Japan Visa Application form |
| 6. Marriage Contract (if married) | 6. Daily Schedule Form |
| 7. Explanation Letter (No ITR / CoE) | 7. Marriage Contract (if married) |
| 8. Multiple Entry Visa Request Letter | 8. Explanation Letter (No ITR / CoE) |
1. Valid Philippine Passport (with at least 2 blank pages and expiration is not less than 6 months)
Your passport is your number one requirement. If you do not have a passport yet, please apply for one. It only takes a few days for a rush passport or a few weeks for a regular passport. Go to the nearest DFA office in your area. Japan Tourist Visa Without ITR
If you do have a passport already, make sure you have at least 2 blank pages remaining and is not coming near expiration. You won’t be permitted to travel if your passport is less than 6 months before expiration, even if your travel will just be for a few days.
2. Bank Certificate (from a local or international bank)
The embassy will also need to look if you are financially capable to travel to Japan. They don’t want you to become a beggar in their country and be a hindrance to their economy. Hence, the larger the amount you have, the higher the chance you will get approved. No worries though, even those with only 20,000 to 30,000 Php are getting approved. The money that should be in your account depends on the length of your stay. The safe bet is that you have at least 5,000 Php to 10,000 Php to spend per day.
3. PSA Birth Certificate (issued within One year)
NOTE: If you previously have been approved for a single entry Japan visa, you won’t need to present this. This document is only for the first time applicants.
Your Birth Certificate should be issued within a year before your intended application for Japan visa. Go to the nearest Serbilis Center in your area. You’d be able to get your birth certificate in 30 mins to 2 hours depending on the volume of requesters. A friend of mine got hers in about 40 mins. She said she requested at Pureza branch. Japan Tourist Visa Without ITR
If you don’t have the time, you can also request for it online and pay for a little fee. It will be delivered straight to your home.
4. Photo sized for Japan visa
Just tell the studio/photographer that it needs to be on white background and is sized for Japan visa. They should know this. If your photo is not aligned with the photo border in the form, you will be required by them to send a new photo. The picture must also be within 3 months of capture.
5. Japan Visa Application form
The form is usually available on your agency’s website. We did that. However, they told us they are using a new one so we filled out details right there and then. So if you have time to visit your visa agency, ask for a copy of the form. There will be guidelines on how to fill it out and please be careful of your erasures.
6. Marriage Contract Japan Tourist Visa Without ITR
Only if you are already married. Otherwise, not applicable and is not required.
7. Daily Schedule in Japan
The form is also available on your agency’s website. Download the form and fill it out. Look below for a sample of itinerary or daily schedule in Japan and how to fill it out. Here’s what we actually submitted for our application.
NOTE: This is not our actual itinerary. We had itinerary changes when we were in Japan but this is what we submitted. Make sure you include your entry point and exit point (arrival and departure).
|
(Year) (Month) (Day) Schedule of Stay |
| Date |
Activity Plan |
Contact |
Accommodation |
| DATE | Arrival at Chubu Centrair International Airport, Japan | ||
| Head to Kyoto via Bus | Night bus | ||
| DATE | Explore Kyoto | ||
| Visit Kyoto Tower, Koshoji Temple, Shorin-ji Temple, Imakumano Kannonji Temple | |||
| Check-in at YOUR ACCOMMODATION | ACCOMMODATION’S PHONE NUMBER | ACCOMMODATION’S ADDRESS | |
| DATE | Visit Arashiyama Bamboo Forest | Same as above | Same as above |
| Visit Daikakuji Temple | Same as above | Same as above | |
| Visit Kinkakuji Temple | Same as above | Same as above | |
| Back to Hotel | Same as above | Same as above | |
| DATE | Visit Kyoto Imperial Palace | Same as above | Same as above |
| Visit Nijo Castle | Same as above | Same as above | |
| Visit Kifune Shrine | Same as above | Same as above | |
| Back to Hotel | Same as above | Same as above | |
| DATE | Visit Gion District | Same as above | Same as above |
| Visit Yasaka Shrine, Kodai-ji Temple | Same as above | Same as above | |
| Visit Heaian Shrine | Same as above | Same as above | |
| Back to Hotel | Same as above | Same as above | |
| DATE | Head to Osaka via Train | ||
| Check-in to Hotel | ACCOMMODATION’S PHONE NUMBER | ACCOMMODATION’S ADDRESS | |
| Explore Osaka / Umeda | Same as above | Same as above | |
| Visit Isshinji Temple, Nipponbashi | Same as above | Same as above | |
| DATE | Explore Osaka | Same as above | Same as above |
| Explore Osaka | Same as above | Same as above | |
| Back to Hotel | Same as above | Same as above | |
| DATE | Visit Universal Studios | Same as above | Same as above |
| Dotonbori / Nambayasaka Shrine / Back to Hotel | Same as above | Same as above | |
| DATE | Explore Osaka / shopping | Same as above | Same as above |
| Checkout from Hotel | Same as above | Same as above | |
| Bus to Nagoya from Osaka | |||
| Depart from Chubu Centrair International Airport, Japan to Manila |
8. Multiple Entry Visa Request Letter and Request Form
The request form can also be acquired at your agency’s website or ask them for it personally. You will be filling out a few details and the reason why you are requesting for a multiple entry visa.
The request letter is different. It is a more personalized letter that you are sending together with your other documents. Here’s my actual multiple entry visa request letter.
NOTE: If you will be using this template, please change those in red with your actual details and change the font color to black. (Letter of Explanation for Japan Multiple Entry Visa Application with no ITR or CoE)Japan Tourist Visa Without ITR
NOTE: Feel free to emit or add anything else on your own explanation letter. Please do not just copy and paste this template. Make sure you at least personalize your letter as it will reflect on your application.
| DATE THE HONORABLE CONSUL EMBASSY OF JAPAN IN THE PHILIPPINES 2627 Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City 1300 Metro Manila, Philippines RE : Application for Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa Dear Sir/Ma’am, I am YOUR NAME, bearer of Philippine passport no. YOUR PASSPORT NUMBER, and a resident of YOUR ADDRESS. I am writing because I would like to apply for a multiple-entry Japan Tourist Visa to cover my intention of exploring more of your country (for purposes of tourism only). I have already been to Japan last DATES OF YOUR LAST VISIT TO JAPAN, and I assure you that I did not have any issues with immigration and law enforcement during my stay. I have visited during the late autumn and early winter season to Kyoto and Osaka with 3 of my friends. That being said, I now intend to travel this YOUR INTENDED DATE OF VISIT with my partner, YOUR PARTNER’S NAME. We’re also planning to visit next year around the first quarter of 2019 to Sapporo via Philippine Airlines. (mention your plans if you have) I assure you that I can support myself during the duration of my stay. I am currently doing freelance work as a Web Developer and a Travel Blogger. I earn my living doing online tasks and documenting our travels through our travel blog https://twobudgettravelers.com. (mention what you do) I and my girlfriend had already visited Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia in 2017 for 9 days, and Taiwan for 9 days last June 2018. (mention where you’ve been and the dates you went) I am submitting along with this application my bank certificate and PayPal withdrawals for the last 3 months. (mention documents you have to support your claim) Overall, I trust that you will find that everything is in order and I hope that my previous travel experiences and my personal details would be helpful in your consideration to grant me a multiple-entry tourist visa. Thanking you in advance for a favorable reply to my application. Sincerely, YOUR NAME ADDRESS PHONE NUMBERS |
9. Explanation Letter
If you are like me who cannot present an ITR or CoE, then you probably need to read this and not skip a sentence.
So our scenario is: Japan Tourist Visa Without ITR
1. I am a freelancer/travel blogger and I have enough funds to sustain an 8-day trip to Nagoya, Kyoto, and Osaka. However, I cannot present a CoE or ITR because simply I work for myself. We will also be celebrating my girlfriend’s birthday within the dates we are in Japan plus I have a plan to propose marriage to her.
2. My partner, Jane, is a student, thus, not having any ITRs or CoE (except for Certificate of Enrollment) but has enough travel funds to sustain an 8 days trip to Japan. She will be the one celebrating her birthday in the country.
Here’s the letter I presented to the agency together with my other requirements.
NOTE: When you are traveling with another person, make your letters consistent in thought.
NOTE: If you will be using this template, please change those in red with your actual details and change the font color to black. (Letter of Explanation for Japan Visa Application with no ITR or CoE)
NOTE: Feel free to emit or add anything else on your own explanation letter. Please do not just copy and paste this template. Make sure you at least personalize your letter as it will reflect on your application.
| DATE The Office of the Consul General The Embassy of Japan in the Philippines 2627 Roxas Boulevard Pasay City, Metro Manila 1300 Dear Sir / Madam, Greetings! My name is YOUR NAME, a resident of the Philippines, with Passport number YOUR PASSPORT NUMBER. I am writing to request for approval of our tourist visa for Japan. My girlfriend, Mary Jane Famaranco, and I are planning to travel to Nagoya, Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka for 8 days this INTENDED DATES OF VISIT. We are both excited to see what Japan has in store for us. I had visited Japan myself last PREVIOUS VISIT DATE and I want to show her that Japan has a unique beauty not known to many. I know that part of the application is to present an ITR to prove financial capacity to travel which, unfortunately, I don’t have. I am currently doing online freelancing work as a Web Developer and a Travel Blogger. We have a website (https://twobudgettravelers.com) where we document our travels and I earn money from our website and other online tasks. (mention what you do) We have already traveled to a few South East Asian countries including Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia together last January to February 2017 for 9 days, and most recently to Taiwan last June 2018 for 9 days as well. (mention where you have traveled to) Rest assured that we are both financially capable to support our travel to Japan. Attached herewith is my Bank Certificate for your reference. (mention your references) Japan was the first country I have traveled to and I want to make this memorable for both of us. I am planning to propose marriage to her when we get to Japan. It will also be her birthday on the HER BIRTHDATE. (mention why you want to have your visa granted) We are both looking forward to having our tourist visa granted. Hoping for your kind consideration. Thank you. Sincerely, Jerny Destacamento (change to your name) |
Here is Jane’s ITR letter submitted together with the other documents (first-time application). Remember, she’s a student. Japan Tourist Visa Without ITR
NOTE: If you will be using this template, please change those in red with your actual details and change the font color to black.
NOTE: Feel free to emit or add anything else on your own explanation letter. Please do not just copy and paste this template. Make sure you at least personalize your letter as it will reflect on your application.
| DATE The Office of the Consul General The Embassy of Japan in the Philippines 2627 Roxas Boulevard Pasay City, Metro Manila 1300 Dear Sir / Madam, Greetings! My name is YOUR NAME, a resident of the Philippines, with Passport number PASSPORT NUMBER, and currently a student of YOUR SCHOOL/UNIVERSITY. I am writing to request for approval of our tourist visa for Japan. I and my boyfriend, Jerny Destacamento, are planning to travel to Nagoya, Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka for 8 days this INTENDED DATES OF VISIT. This will be my first time to visit such an amazing country and I would like to celebrate my upcoming birthday (DOB) in Universal Studios Japan. My boyfriend had visited the country with his friends and I would like to experience Japan as well. I know that part of the application is to present an ITR to prove financial capacity to travel which unfortunately I don’t have. I am currently a student taking up YOUR COURSE but I have saved up some cash for this trip from my allowances and earnings from our travel blog as we’re also a travel blogging couple. We document our experiences and whereabouts in our website, https://twobudgettravelers.com. My boyfriend and I have already traveled to a few South East Asian countries including Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia last January to February 2017 together for 9 days, and most recently to Taiwan last June 2018 for 9 days. (mention where you have traveled to) Rest assured that we are both financially capable to support our travel to Japan. Attached herewith is my Bank Certificate for your reference and my Certificated of Enrollment at the school. (mention your references) We are both looking forward to having our tourist visa granted. Hoping for your kind consideration. Thank you. Sincerely, Mary Jane Famaranco (change to your name) |
Optional documents you can present to support your visa application
These documents are not required by the agency or the embassy. This may or may not help with your visa application but you are free to submit such documents to back your application for a Japan visa.
a. Valid IDs Japan Tourist Visa Without ITR
Print or submit a photocopy of your IDs if possible (Company, School, UMID, PhilHealth, etc).
b. Airline Tickets
If you are one like us (who book tickets even without the assurance of getting a granted visa), then congrats on spending your money on that ticket! LOL! It will help you with your application a little but it’s not a guaranteed success.
c. Hotel / Hostel Bookings
The embassy wants to make sure that you have a place to stay in their country. So if you have booked accommodations in advance, print the confirmation form and submit it. Some hotels offer a pay at hotel option or free cancellation within an allotted time so this is completely safe. Japan Tourist Visa Without ITR
Check out and book your hotels here via AGODA | BOOKING and pay directly or use the Pay at Hotel option.
After submission of documents
Once you have submitted all the required documents, pay the visa processing fee. We have applied at ReliTours MOA branch and paid 950 Php each. There are cheaper options but this agency is where I submitted my application before.
They will tell you to wait until you get a text from them, so make sure that your phone number is the most recent one and is active.
We submitted our application on a Thursday evening. The waiting game was totally killing me because our flight is Saturday that same week. LOL! Come Wednesday and we still did not receive any text messages so I decided to call them on Thursday morning. They told me they still don’t have our passports and call again in the evening at 6:00 pm.
After a few hours, around 11:00 am, we received a text message that our passports are ready for claiming and we will only know the result when we got there in the agency.
We picked up our passports at around 4:00 pm and we both got approved! To know if you are approved or not, a “red sticker (or red mark)” in the back of your passport indicates “denied”, and a “white sticker” indicates an approved visa. Japan Tourist Visa Without ITR
We got our visa and passort in 5 working days.
Luckily, my multiple entry visa request was GRANTED! I was granted a 5-year multiple entry visa for 30 days each. Whilst Jane got a 15 days single entry visa primarily because it was her first time applying for one.
Now, if you have questions, feel free to send us a private message or leave a comment below.
If you also would like to know how the proposal goes, she said YES! We’re engaged!
Here’s the video (watch in HD):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTXMn7bZH8E
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Do we need an agency or we should apply personally?
A. I have not encountered anyone yet who applied personally at the embassy. It’s more preferred to have your agency do all the work after you have surrendered your requirements to them. In our case, we inquired at Reli Tours and had them process it.
Q: Where is the agency located?
A: We inquired at their SM Mall of Asia branch. They also have other branches located at Dusit Thani in Makati, SM Southmall in Las Piñas and SM Megamall at Shaw Blvd. More information can be found on their website.
Q: Is there a fee? How much?
A: Yes, there is. By the time we inquired, handling fee was PHP 950 for a Japan visa. I don’t think it will change anytime soon. The price is only for a Tourist Visa with No Guarantor.
Q: Is there a tour provided by them? Did you avail it or you did a DIY Itinerary?
A: Yes, they provide tours and tickets at a certain price but we did not avail of the tours. We made ourselves our own itinerary. Japan Tourist Visa Without ITR
Q: Can we also submit tickets and hotel bookings?
A: Yes, you may submit those documents. As I have mentioned on the checklist, they will help but does not guarantee approval. Japan Tourist Visa Without ITR
Q: If I couldn’t have that amount before the application, any other options we can have?
A: If one or two of you have no enough money to support himself, borrow from a friend and secure a Bank Certificate after a day.
Q: When should we apply for a visa?
A: Please apply for a visa at least 3 months before your departure date. Don’t rush yourself, apply as early as possible to avoid hassles and unexpected constraints.
Q: Will there be a personal interview Japan Tourist Visa Without ITR?
A: No, there is no interview for JP Visa application.
Q: Do we need to secure ourselves check-in baggage allowance?
A: It depends on how long you are staying. You can bring a backpack if you’re only gonna stay for a few days. Make sure all your clothes and other belongings fit in on your bag and must not exceed 7kgs (depending on your airline), else, please buy baggage allowance especially if you are going to Japan during winter. Jackets are bulky and will surely cost a significant amount of weight.
Q: Do you have a sample itinerary?
A. Yes, you may check this link for our itinerary.
Do you have any questions? Feel free to contact us!
ACTIVITIES THAT ARE A MUST-EXPERIENCE IN JAPAN
We are fond of DIY traveling but sometimes we do book tours as well for convenience and experience, plus it’s hassle-free.
Kyoto Bus Tour from Osaka: Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine & Kinkaku-ji
Venture out from Osaka on a bus tour and explore Kyoto’s three major temples – Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, Kinkaku-ji, and Kiyomizu Temple. Explore Arashiyama and walk through the Bamboo Grove.
Kyoto Kimono Rental – Maiko-Henshin Studio Shiki
Complete your Kyoto cultural experience with a day-long Kimono rental. Choose from hundreds of beautiful designs and take stunning photos by the Gion district and Kyoto’s temples.
Kyoto Bus Tour: Kiyomizudera Temple & Kinkaku-ji
Journey around Kyoto’s classic attractions on a half-day tour. Hop aboard a sightseeing bus and visit Kinkaku-ji, Ginkaku-ji, and Kiyomizudera Temple. Japan Tourist Visa Without ITR
Kansai Day Tour from Osaka: Arashiyama, Kinkaku-ji, Nara Park
Discover ancient Japan on this Kansai region day tour. Visit the famous Kinkaku-ji Temple and Todai-ji Temple in Kyoto. Revel in the autumn scenery and feed sika deer at Nara Park.
Grab this convenient two-in-one pass. Explore the Kansai region with your JR Pass and discover the magical world of Universal Studios Japan with a one-day pass. Japan Tourist Visa Without ITR
BE ONLINE EVERYTIME
Make sure to buy your SIM Card with Pinoy Traveler’s Unlimited Data SIM Card. Get 8 days of data all over Japan for a hassle-free Japan experience!
Thanks to this SIM card we availed here in the Philippines, we rarely got lost because we use this for some searches and mostly Google Maps. Mobile Data is highly recommended when you travel to Japan or even to other countries because there is a huge language barrier you need to overcome. This product is highly recommended!
Japan Tourist Visa Without ITR
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