Press Releases
Relaxation of Visa Requirements for Chinese Citizens
1. On April 21, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces that it will take the following measures that will come into effect on May 8 to relax the visa requirements for Chinese citizens.
2. The specific measures are as follows.
(1) Measures for Chinese citizens residing in China
(i) Issuance of multiple-entry visas to applicants with sufficient financial capability
Multiple-entry visas, valid for 3 years and with a period of stay of up to 30 days for each visit (initial visit is limited to sightseeing only), will be issued to applicants with sufficient financial capability and their families.
(ii) Expansion of multiple-entry Tohoku Region visiting visas from 3 to 6 prefectures in the Tohoku Region
Visas for visiting 3 prefectures in the Tohoku region (Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima) will be expanded to 6 prefectures (Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, and Fukushima), and will abolish the requirement for a travel history to Japan within the past 3 years that had been imposed on applicants with a certain level of financial capability.
(iii) Relaxation of multiple-entry visas for individuals with substantially high incomes
Multiple-entry visas for individuals with substantially high incomes and their families (valid for 5 years, with a period of stay of up to 90 days allowed for each visit), are not limited to first visits to Japan for sightseeing, and may also be used for business affairs and visits to relatives/acquaintances. Additionally, use of this visa applies to individuals who are able to arrange their plane tickets and accommodations themselves without having to use a travel agency.
(iv) Simplified application procedures for single-entry visas for individual tourists
Documentation for single-entry visa applications for individual tourists will be simplified for individuals with (gold) credit cards.
(2) Measures for Chinese citizens residing outside of China
Multiple-entry visa for sightseeing will be issued for Chinese citizens residing outside of China with the same requirement as those residing in China.
(Note) Multiple-entry visas valid for 3 years, with a period of stay of up to 30 days for each visit, will be issued to applicants with sufficient financial capability and their families. Multiple-entry visas valid for 5 years, with a period of stay of up to 90 days for each visit, will be issued to individuals with substantially high incomes and their families.
3. The above mentioned relaxation of visa requirements are expected to further advance people-to-people exchanges between Japan and China.