Getting a Japanese Visa through a Travel Agency

Last year, Japan eased the requirements for Filipinos applying for a Japanese Visa and even increased the maximum validity to 10 years.

The Kingdom Hearts franchise seem to be quite an enabler for our out-of-the-country trips. This time, we’ll be going to Japan for the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra – World of Tres – which will be held at Osaka in November.

Before this though, I will be going to Hokkaido for my birthday celebration so it’s important that I get my visa approved; otherwise, goodbye flight and hotel bookings! Now, let’s get the visa application done.

Note: Some writings are similar to my Korean Visa Application blog post here.

Preparing the Documents

Currently, I’m self-employed and own a business so the documents I need are the following:

1. Original Philippine Passport
2. Visa Application Form
3. 4.5cm x 4.5cm (or 2in x 2 in) Passport Photo
4. Birth Certificate issued by the PSA within the year
5. Daily Schedule in Japan
6. Bank Certificate
7. Income Tax Return (2316) / Annual Income Tax 
8. Multiple-entry Visa Request Form (optional)
9. Other Documents to show ties to the Philippines (Land Title perhaps?)

Do note that all documents should be in A4-sized paper. For more information on Visa application, you can visit the embassy’s webpage here.

Note: Since I don’t have my 2018 Annual Income Tax yet, I decided to just use my 2017 one. However, I did include some other latest tax payment documents.

Submitting the Documents to a Designated Travel Agency

After completing all the requirements, submit the documents to an accredited agency. Based on the list, the nearest one for me would be Attic Tours in SM North Edsa. Upon submission however, I found out that my birth certificate was registered late so I had to include a Certificate of Baptism and my elementary/high school’s Form 137. Because I didn’t have these two at this time, I wasn’t able to proceed with my visa application at Attic’s.

Thankfully I had the original copy of my Certificate of Baptism at home so that’s one check. Form 137, on the other hand, was going to be difficult. I had to go to DLSU’s OUR to request for one. Even worse, it just so happened that they were closed when I went and won’t be open in 2 days. I did remember that when these aren’t available, one can write a letter of explanation instead.

With that said, I went to Reli Travel and Tours at Lucky Chinatown Mall in Binondo since I was in Manila the following day. True enough, the agency asked me to write a letter (even handwritten was okay) explaining why I couldn’t provide my Form 137 and instead submitted my college Transcript of Records. Now that my requirements were complete, I went ahead and submitted my documents for Visa Application. Time to hope for the best!

Note: Attic charges around PHP 2,100.00+ for a JP Visa Application with Multiple Entry Request. On the other hand, Reli charges PHP 950.00. I did ask the latter if there were additional charges when I get a multiple visa entry but they said no. I wonder if the agency has any bearing on the visa approval chances? 

Waiting for the Results of My Japanese Visa Application

Results for the Japanese Visa were out after 3 working days. I submitted my documents on April 25 and got the text saying that it was ready for pick-up on April 30. For a first time applicant, I’m lucky to have gotten a multiple-entry, 5-year Japanese Visa.

And that’s it! See you in Japan!