Japan Visa Application from the UK: Who Needs One and How to Apply

Other UK residents need to check their nationality, because Japan's visa rules follow your passport. If you do need a visa, you apply to the Embassy of Japan in London or the Consulate-General of Japan in Edinburgh. Tourist trips can also go through JAPAN eVISA online. The Embassy says most in-person applications take 5 working days once accepted, and eVISA applications take about 2 weeks on average.

Whichever passport you hold, a HelloRoam Japan eSIM set up before you fly gives you data from the moment you land. You can check train times from the airport and message whoever is meeting you.

Your passport, not your UK residence, decides whether you need a visa

The Embassy of Japan in the UK puts it plainly: the visa exemption applies based on your passport, not your UK residence status. A biometric residence permit, a UK eVisa or settled status does not change what Japan asks of you.

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This is how the official rules apply to the most common situations for people travelling from the UK.

British citizens get landing permission at the airport, not a visa

In its Japan entry requirements, the FCDO calls this a visa on arrival. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) describes it as visa exemption. Visas cannot be obtained on arrival; instead, an immigration officer grants landing permission at the port of entry. The practical result is the same: there is nothing to apply for before you fly.

The FCDO says your passport must be valid for the length of your stay, with no extra validity needed. You also need a blank page for the stamp.

Entry is still the immigration officer's decision. The Embassy advises carrying a return ticket, details of anyone hosting you and evidence of enough money for your stay.

British citizens get a maximum of 90 days on arrival. For a longer trip, you apply for an extension of another 90 days at the nearest immigration office in Japan, before your permitted stay runs out. Your passport must stay valid for the extra time. The FCDO also warns that working without the right visa is illegal, however informal or temporary the job.

UK residents who need a visa apply online, in London or in Edinburgh

The Embassy only accepts applications from people who live in the UK. Where you live decides which office handles yours. Residents of Scotland, Cumbria, Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear and the Tees Valley go through the Consulate-General of Japan in Edinburgh. Everyone else goes through the Embassy in London.

For an in-person tourist visa, the Embassy's checklist asks for these documents:

• Your original passport, with at least 2 blank pages
• A completed visa application form, signed in ink
• One photo, 35mm x 45mm, taken in the last 6 months and glued to the form
• Proof of your UK immigration status, such as a printout of your eVisa status page with a share code
• A letter from your UK employer or place of study, dated within the last 3 months
• A day-by-day schedule of your stay
• Bank statements for the last 3 months, as credit card statements are not accepted
• Flight and hotel details, if you have booked them

The Embassy may ask for more in some cases. It does not accept an application made more than 3 months before you arrive in Japan.

JAPAN eVISA covers tourist trips and takes about two weeks

MOFA lists the UK among the countries whose residents can use JAPAN eVISA. These steps follow MOFA's and the Embassy's guidance.

1. Check that your trip fits: tourism only, one entry and a stay of up to 90 days. You also need an ordinary passport and must arrive by air or on a scheduled ferry from Busan or Shanghai.
2. Apply on the official JAPAN eVISA website at evisa.mofa.go.jp. MOFA warns about fake sites that look like it.
3. Fill in the form and upload your documents with care. MOFA cancels incomplete applications without processing them, and you then have to apply again.
4. Pay the visa fee by credit or debit card in the system, and go to an interview at the Embassy or Consulate-General if you are asked to.
5. Wait for the decision. With an average of about 2 weeks, it pays to apply well before your flight.
6. At the airport in Japan, show your Visa issuance notice on a phone that is connected to the internet.

Japan's visa fees changed on 1 July 2026

MOFA set new visa fees for applications accepted from 1 July 2026: about ¥15,000 for a single-entry visa and about ¥30,000 for a multiple-entry visa. You pay in the local currency where you apply. The Embassy of Japan in the UK lists £77 for a single-entry visa and £154 for a multiple-entry visa.

Your nationality and the purpose of your trip can change the amount. The Embassy lists £4 for Indian nationals, and some nationalities pay nothing. A registered agent charges its own handling fee on top. British citizens on a short visit pay no visa fee at all, because they need no visa.

Private visa websites cannot issue a Japan visa

Some websites that come up when you search for a Japan visa are private companies. Some say on the page that they are not a government website. One London visa centre says it currently provides no travel visa service for Japan. None of them issues visas: MOFA says visas are issued at Japan's embassies, consulates-general and consular offices abroad.

MOFA has also warned about fraudulent websites, social media accounts and emails that pretend to be the Government or an Embassy of Japan. Their aim is to take payments from applicants. Its notice says applications go to an Embassy, Consulate-General or Consular Office of Japan, either directly or through an accredited agency. JAPAN eVISA is MOFA's own online route.

The official addresses are uk.emb-japan.go.jp for the Embassy in London, edinburgh.uk.emb-japan.go.jp for the Consulate-General and evisa.mofa.go.jp for JAPAN eVISA.

An eVISA has to be shown online when you land

MOFA requires eVISA holders to display their Visa issuance notice at the airport while connected to the internet. A PDF, a screenshot or a printed copy is not accepted, so your phone needs a working connection by the time you reach immigration.

Travellers who need no visa can still use the Visit Japan Web service, run by Japan's Digital Agency. You register immigration and customs details there before the flight, then show a QR code at the border. You can fill it in on a computer at home, but the code itself has to be shown on a smartphone or tablet. The same service makes a tax-free shopping code, and the Digital Agency says screenshots of that code cannot be used.

If you would rather not look for Wi-Fi at the border, set up mobile data for Japan before you leave the UK.

A HelloRoam eSIM installed in the UK can be online by the time you reach immigration, whether you need to show an eVISA or a Visit Japan Web code. Japan is one of its 185+ destinations, and support answers 24/7 if it does not connect at the airport.

UK residents with an eVisa must check it before they travel

If you live in the UK on a visa or with settled status, the return leg matters too. GOV.UK says eVisas have replaced physical immigration documents such as the BRP, and your eVisa is checked when you leave and re-enter the UK.

GOV.UK's guide to travelling with a UK eVisa lists checks to make before you fly. Your UKVI account must show your correct personal details and current passport, and your eVisa must show the right immigration status. Your details must also match the passenger information you give your airline. You travel on the passport linked to that account. A share code for travel lasts 90 days, so you can get one before the trip in case a carrier or border officer asks.

Work, long stays and working holidays need a visa before you go

Paid work or a long stay follows a different process. MOFA says you should, in principle, get a Certificate of Eligibility from the Immigration Services Agency of Japan first. You then apply for the visa at the Embassy or Consulate-General that covers your home address.

Japan's Working Holiday Programme with the UK began in 2001 and issues up to 6,000 visas a year. MOFA's main conditions include being aged 18 to 30 when you apply, living in your country of nationality and intending mainly to holiday in Japan. Since December 2024, UK nationals can take part twice. The Embassy does not accept Working Holiday applications through agents.

Rules change, so check the official pages before you book

Entry rules and fees can change at short notice. Before you book, read the FCDO's Japan advice and the Embassy of Japan in the UK's visa pages. If your case is unusual, the Japan Visa Information Hotline listed by the Embassy answers in English, 24 hours a day, on 0844 986 4968 or at japan-visa@bridge-ms.com.

With your entry sorted, our guide to things to do in Tokyo can help you plan the first few days.