Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Getting A Japanese Tourist Visa without Guarantor in Japan

I am very happy because Japan granted me another tourist visa. I was a bit scared that I might not be able to acquire one because this was the first time that I applied in the Philippines.

I got my first 2 visas in Korea. Getting a tourist Japan Visa in Korea was a breeze. The consulate in Korea did not require so much documents compared here in the Philippines. I only submitted the following documents: round trip ticket, itinerary in Japan, school certificate, alien registration, re-entry permit to Korea, along with the application form, and the best part was I got the VISA for free.

In the Philippines, you can no longer personally apply for a Japanese tourist visa in their consular office. You need to get the services of accredited travel agencies, submit all the needed documents and wait.  I waited for 3 weeks before I finally got my passport back. 

If you are located in Metro Manila, there are a lot of accredited travel agencies and the fee would vary from 1000 to 3000 pesos. Here in Iloilo City, I sought the services of ELS Travel and Tours (I paid 3000 pesos), the same travel agency which processed my visa application to Korea. 

These are the documents needed if you want to get a tourist visa
1. Passport(should be valid 6 months from the date of travel)*
2. Visa application form*
3. Two recent 4.5x4.5 cm photo (colored with white background)*
4. Birth certificate issued by NSO within 1 year from date of issuance (I was not required to submit this because I already had previous Japan visa)
5. Marriage contract issued by NSO within 1 year from date of issuance ( not required if you have previous Japan visa
6. Schedule of itinerary *
7. Employment certificate, business registration, Sec registration certificate
8. Original bank certification with 3 months blank statement and or passbook
9. Latest income tax return
10. Hotel confirmation*
11. Invitation letter from Guarantor in Japan
* Documents that I submitted

Because I am still a student, I used the bank statement of my parents, but I also submitted my own bank certificate
I also submitted an affidavit of support 

TIP
Regarding the schedule of itinerary, to increase your chance if getting an approved tourist visa, limit your activity in a certain area, and also the number of days even if you intend to visit different places. Because if you put so many places in your itinerary, especially those which are far from each other (example Day One- visit Osaka Universal studios, Day 2 Tokyo Disneyland), more money will be expected from you.

Sample itinerary that I submitted to the travel agency

Day 1: Arrival via Cebu Pacific Air ( Kansai Airport)
          Go to hostel

Day 2: Visit Osaka Universal Studios
Day 3: Visit Kaiyukan Aquarium
Day 4: Visit Osaka Castle and Osaka Science Museum 
Day 5: Buy souvenirs, Depart Kansai Airport to Manila

Even if I placed 5 days in my itinerary, they gave allowed me to stay in Japan for 15 days. They usually issue 15 or 30 days of stay and they based it in your schedule


I love Japan Visa because they put your picture on it. So I make it a point that I submit good pictures. LOL!



My transformation from a malnourished to an over-nourished person.

First tourist visa I got in Korea

I feel in Love with Japan, so I decided to go back after 2 months.

My favorite Japan visa..this one was issued in the Philippines. I had no problem acquiring this one because is I was invited the Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to become on of the representatives of the Philippines in Japan-Asean Student Conference.

The latest...so fat my face.

11 comments:

  1. You're such a lucky and privileged boy. I would like to Visit Japan and Korea too. Have you been to Singapore yet? If not you might want to read some Singapore Articles before exploring the country.

    ReplyDelete
  2. how much money do i need for a week stay in tokyo? TIA

    ReplyDelete
  3. I agree. It needs a lot of documents and effort when you have visa services in the Philippines. The Philippines are very particular about it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. hi, along with the affidavit of support, what other documents were included that belonged to the parent? thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi Marces... bank certificate and certificate of employment of your parents

      Delete
  5. Hi! How do you get the affidavit of support notarized?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi very helpful ang blog mo.Thank you for posting this!

    BTW,hope you can help us with your advice.I already booked a flight to Fukuoka this June 27th and nagre ready na ako for the visa.I already emailed Friendship for inquiry but hindi pa sila sumasagot ,bka busy pa kasi peak season ngayon ng visa applications for Japan.
    So baka makatulong ka,hopefully :)
    We are 3 adults (me,my fiancee and mom)and our 2 children (aged 8 months old and a 6yrs old).
    Some background of me,I'm a self employed real estate agent and have bank account balance of 100k+ and my ADB is around 75k.May 2 bank accounts pa ako but too low ang balance to consider (around 5k lng).
    I have a COR from BIR and will be paying my income tax this week to get the ITR (form 1701Q)

    My fiancee would be registering in BIR pa lang so no ITR sya and his bank balance is around 25k and credit card with limit of 50k.



    We will be staying around 3 days and 2 nights only and bayad na ang roundtrip planetickets.Nakapag book na din ako ng hotel (with free cancellation)
    Questions are:

    1.Will I need to provide a guarantee letter for both of my kids?

    2.Guarantee letter ba ang isasama ko sa application o Affidavit of Support?

    3. My mom don't have an ITR and her bank certificate is too low to consider,do I need to provide an Affidavit of Support for her too?

    4. Can I just make a guarantee letter/Affidavit of Support for my fiancee and put his 25k to my account para mas lumaki ung balance ko?

    5. We have a relative in Osaka (my aunt,my mom's sister) but we would not be able to visit her kasi Fukuoka ang destination namin,pwede kaya namin siyang gawing Guarantor just to increase our chances to get approved?

    Thank you so much at hopefully matulungan mo ako sa mga questions ko.I know you are not affliated with the embassy but I guess what you think will matter. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 1.Will I need to provide a guarantee letter for both of my kids?
      You need the guarantee letter if you someone from Japan who will sponsor your trip.
      You can provide an affidavit of support to your kids.Have it notarized
      Japan only requires bank certificate and not bank statement, hence you can pool your funds.
      2.Guarantee letter ba ang isasama ko sa application o Affidavit of Support?
      Affidavit of support.
      The guarantee letter will be provided my someone who is based in Japan.

      3. My mom don't have an ITR and her bank certificate is too low to consider,do I need to provide an Affidavit of Support for her too?
      Is your mom retired? Yes you can provide an affidavit of support for her.But it would be better if she can provide a bank certificate with an ample amount of money. There is no minimum amount, and again you can po funds and make a bank certificate
      4. Can I just make a guarantee letter/Affidavit of Support for my fiancee and put his 25k to my account para mas lumaki ung balance ko?
      It would be better if he can provide his own bank certificate, again you can pool funds. All documents are valid for 3 months. Request for bank certificate at different dates
      5. We have a relative in Osaka (my aunt,my mom's sister) but we would not be able to visit her kasi Fukuoka ang destination namin,pwede kaya namin siyang gawing Guarantor just to increase our chances to get approved?
      Yes you can but. I also have a relative in Japan. But they need to pass a lot of documents in order to sponsor a relative so I decided not to ask for a guarantee letter.

      Good luck!

      Delete
  7. Hi.thanks for answering,but according to the Japanese website,quote

    “[If Guarantor who lives in the Philippines will shoulder part or all of the applicant’s travel
    expenses]
    9. Guarantee Letter
    10. Proof of relationship between applicant and guarantor (e.g. Birth Certificates etc.)
    11. Bank Certificate (original) and Income Tax Return (ITR Form 2316) (clear Photocopy) of
    Guarantor]”

    Ano po b tlaga?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you for this blog. I have a question regarding my ITR. I only started filing taxes as a freelancer this year, so I only have quarterly income tax returns right now (BIR Form 1701Q). Do Japanese Embassy accepting ITR 1701Q? Thank you in advance.

    ReplyDelete