Japanese Visas for South Africans
This service covers guidance around applying for a Japanese short-term stay visa, including the tourism visa and other categories where applicable. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes that the JAPAN eVISA system is an online visa application route for a single-entry short-term stay visa for tourism (for a stay of up to 90 days), and it is available to foreign nationals who reside in certain countries/regions including South Africa (where a short-term visa is required).
Japan’s official guidance also makes clear that the eVISA route is specifically for tourism and that travellers seeking to visit for other purposes or for a longer-term stay should apply through the Japanese overseas establishment with jurisdiction over their place of residence, where a visa sticker is placed in the passport. During the eVISA process, applicants may be requested to appear in person at the relevant Japanese overseas establishment for an interview.
For applicants using the Embassy/Consular route in South Africa, the Embassy of Japan in South Africa publishes procedural information such as application submission hours, and notes that application procedures can vary depending on nationality and purpose of travel, and that additional documents may be requested.
For tourism applications, the Embassy’s local guidance references the online (eVISA) option for eligible applicants, and also lists baseline requirements commonly needed for visa processing such as having an ordinary passport (not a temporary passport) and complying with the mission’s instructions.
Because requirements and processes can be updated, applicants should always validate the latest steps and documentation with the official Japanese mission pages and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs guidance before submission.
