Japan is Open for Visa-Free Tourism! Here’s What You Need to Know Before Going

I just got back from a 5-day trip to Japan and I wanted to share my experience with you regarding the Covid travel restrictions. For the most part, it was a smooth process verifying my documents prior to departure and passing through health declarations and immigration upon arrival but there were some nuisances that you need to be aware of. As a disclaimer, this information is current as of October 17, 2022.

That being said, we have seen countries open up, report a surge in cases and then tighten restrictions again so you should always check with Japan’s Ministry of Health/Foreign Affairs for the most updated information. Additionally, I’m an American so this information will be specific to other Americans traveling to Japan. I’m not familiar with other countries’ requirements so please check with your local embassies for more information.

As of October 11, 2022, Japan lifted its cap on foreign visitors and reopened its borders to visa-free visitors. Americans no longer need to apply for a travel visa ahead of time and you can stay in Japan for up to 90 days upon your date of arrival. You also don’t need to book an organized group tour; purchase travel insurance; quarantine upon arrival, or even submit to a mandatory arrival PCR test if you meet one of the two following criteria:

• For unvaccinated travelers, submit a Covid-19 negative test result certificate before departure
  • Covid-19 negative test result certificates must contain the following information in English or Japanese.
    • Name, date of birth, testing method, sample, specimen collection date and time, result, name of medical institution, and the date of certificate issue
  • Must be taken within 72 hours of departure
  • Must be a NAAT (Nucleic Acid Amplification Test) such as PCR, RT-PCR, Lamp, etc.
  • More information on acceptable negative tests results can be found here
• For vaccinated travelers, submit a Covid-19 vaccination certificate before departure
  • Covid-19 vaccination certificates issued outside of Japan need to fulfill all the following requirements.
    • Name, date of birth, vaccine manufacturer, vaccination date, and the number of vaccine doses must be listed on your vaccine certificate.
    • Have at least three (3) doses of the following vaccines:
      • AstraZeneca, Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), Moderna, Novavax, or Pfizer. *Note* one dose of Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) is considered two.
      • Mix-and-match of vaccines is okay.
  • More information on acceptable vaccine certificates can be found here.

Additionally, you need to complete an online health questionnaire prior to your arrival in Japan. 

You can complete your online health questionnaire and submit your documents for verification through the MySOS app. This is an official phone app used by the Japanese Ministry of Health for entry into Japan. I highly recommend you download it and submit all your required documents ahead of time. Just trust me on this. It will allow you to use the “FastTrack” system and ensure a very smooth check-in process with the airline and arrival into Japan. If you don’t download the app, you can still present your negative Covid test/vaccine certificate at boarding and show the online health questionnaire upon arrival to Japan but this will not be ideal for you.

Instructions on how to use the MySOS app

After you download the app, open it and you will see a screen like this. It will be red in color.

Click on the “Pre-registration for Quarantine Procedures” (bottom left-hand corner) and follow the prompts to enter your personal details including name, passport number, date of birth, etc. You need to then do everything in order. For example, you can’t just skip to submitting your documents until you upload a picture of your passport. The app will also let you register a minor child if he/she is traveling with you.

• Upload a picture of your passport. You don’t need a picture of it already. You can take a picture of it in the app. It will send you an app notification to say if your picture was verified or not. It took me two tries to upload the picture correctly. Make sure the numbers at the bottom of your passport are clearly legible. This process took about 30 minutes before I could move on.
• Complete the health questionnaire.
• Upload your vaccine certificate if you have one. If you don’t, you still need to click on this and say that you will not be uploading one so you can skip to the next step.
• Upload your negative test certificate if you are not vaccinated.

Once you submit all your required documents, the app background color will change from red to yellow. This shows that your documents are being verified. And once your documents are verified, your app will turn blue and show a QR code. This is a good thing.

When you get to the airport, the check-in agents will ask for your passport and ask to see your MySOS app before checking you in for your flight. And when you land in Japan and get off the plane, they will ask to see your MySOS app again as soon as you get off the plane. There will be airport employees asking to see the app. If your app is blue, they will hand you this blue card and direct you to the FastTrack queue. If you don’t have the app, or your app does not show blue, then you will be directed to another way. The app does require an internet connection so if you’re worried about that, just screenshot the blue screen with the QR code and you should be good to go.

Take this blue card to the health station and show them the card and your QR code. They will screen your temperature, verify your documents and then give you this green piece of paper. Take this green piece of paper to the immigration officer to receive your visa-free landing pass.

And that’s it! I know the process can be intimidating but I hope you found this information useful. Japan is a wonderful country and now, without all the tourists, is a great time to visit. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

The other posts in this series include:

1. Japan is open for visa-free tourism! Here’s what you need to know before going.
2. American Express Centurion Lounge at LAX
3. Review: ANA Economy Class, Los Angeles to Tokyo Haneda
4. Review: Hilton Tokyo Bay, an official Tokyo Disney Resort hotel
5. Review: Disney Ambassador Hotel, an official Tokyo Disney Hotel
6. Beginner’s guide to visiting Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea
7. Review: ANA Lounge Tokyo Haneda
8. Review: ANA Economy Class, Tokyo Haneda to Los Angeles