Japanese tourism visa before starting Working Holiday?
I am French and I just got a working holiday visa for Japan.
When I filled in the form, I said that I want it to start in October but, on the visa, it says that it can start from March 2017 to March 2018.
I would like it to start in October, but I also plan to visit Japan with friends for 2 weeks in August.
I'm afraid that, if the immigration sees my WH visa on my passport, they automatically start it.
If it is the case, it means that I will be authorized to stay only until August 2018.
As I am currently working in a company, I will either leave or ask for a sabbatical year for my working holliday year in Japan.
So, knowing when my WH visa will really start is important for means
My stay in Japan in August will be purely tourism, and I will be able to show my return ticket to prove that I'll stay only 2 weeks
Is it possible to ask immigration to give me a tourist visa and not start my WH visa when I'll arrive in August ?
I know that this question was already asked here some years ago, but I'd like to be 100% sure of the current Japanese immigration policy.
Best Answer
I thought I might add to this as I’m going through a similar thing. We live in Melbourne Australia and have just been approved for a working holiday visa, however we are going to Japan in two weeks for a short holiday. We intend to activate our WH visas in May 2018. We were worried about accidentally activating the WH visa so we contacted the embassy in Melbourne today who advised that this is not a problem - we simply need to explain at the airport in Japan that we do not want to activate our visas during this stay and wish to travel on a tourist visa. It didn’t seem to be a problem at all, but if you’re not from Melbourne you may need to check with your local consulate. Hope this helps
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Can I enter Japan with working holiday visa?
Working Holiday visas are for a single entry only. Therefore, if the Working Holiday participant needs to leave Japan for any reason and wishes to return to Japan, that person must obtain a re-entry permit from the Immigration Authorities before leaving Japan.Is Japan issuing tourist visas now?
Tourists from most countries can now enter Japan on package tours. Students, business travelers and relatives of long-term/permanent residents can also enter. In all cases, you must apply for visa. Independent tourists cannot enter yet.How much money do you need for working holiday visa Japan?
An applicant must be in good health and of good character. 5. An applicant must possess a reasonable amount of funds for their maintenance during the initial period of stay in Japan. The minimum amount for a single person is A$2500 and for a married/de facto couple is A$3500.How long does it take to get a working holiday visa for Japan?
How long does it take to get a working holiday visa for Japan? In most cases, it takes about seven days for a visa to be processed and returned. But, it some instances it may take longer, so make sure you allow plenty of time when applying.Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Aleksandar Pasaric, mentatdgt, Shion MURAKAMI, Andrea Piacquadio