Japan begins visa waiver procedures for Qatari passport holders

Doha: An official at the Department of Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Japanese authorities have started the visa waiver procedures for holders of Qatari passports on April 2, 2023, based on the following procedures:

1- The applicant must submit (by himself or his representative) his passport and the passport registration application form to any Japanese diplomatic mission, provided that the validity of the passport is more than six months.

2- The Japanese diplomatic mission returns the passport with the visa waiver registration stamp to the applicant on the next working day following the date of application submission.

3- Citizens of the State of Qatar who hold a passport with the visa waiver registration stamp may enter Japan multiple times without the need to obtain a new visa to stay in Japan for a period not exceeding (30) consecutive days during the registration validity period of three years, or according to the passport validity period - if it is less than three years.

Holders of Qatar's passports who plan to stay in Japan for more than 30 consecutive days or for business purposes need to obtain a pre-entry visa.

If holders of previously registered passports in the State of Qatar obtain new passports, or if there is a change in the names of their holders, they will have to register the new passports.

Applicants who applied for passport registration and got rejected are advised to apply for a regular visa.