Japanese tourist visa for Chinese national with UK permanent residence

Japanese tourist visa for Chinese national with UK permanent residence - Lilac umbrella in garden near house

My girlfriend has a Chinese passport, but lives in the UK and has permanent residence here. We are going on a holiday to Japan for 30 days so she needs a tourist visa, however when we tried to apply for the visa here in the UK they said they can only issue it max. 3 months before we enter Japan. At this time we will be in China (we are travelling around Asia), and for Chinese citizens the tourist visa is only normally valid for 15 days!

I would like to know if we apply for the visa whilst in China would it only be valid for 15 days? Or can she still get a 90 day visa like if she applied from within the UK.



Best Answer

According to the Embassy of Japan in PRC, the length of stay of tourist visas is not predefined unless you are travelling with a tour group. The Embassy asks you to contact a pre-approved travel agent, which handles visa applications for you. To minimize risk (the travel agencies are supposed to pre-screen applications), some travel agents might place arbitrary limitations on your stay. However, if you go to a large and established travel agency, such as the China International Travel Service (???????), they likely would help you get a visa for stays of 30 days. From personal experience, I am very certain that one person I know of (my mother) has been approved for a 90-days visa, and many other people I know have been approved for 30-days. So in terms of possibility: yes, it is definitely possible.

So, you have two options here:

  1. when you arrive in China, apply for a visa at a CITS (or other major travel agency's) office. Prepare her household register (Hukou), bank statement, salary sheets, etc.

  2. if you (and your GF) have a decent income, she can try to apply now for a multiple-entry visa. Depending on where you live, you need to contact the visa section of either the Embassy of Japan in the UK (in London), or the Consulate-General in Edinburgh, to ask for the qualifications & documentations required for the visa. A quick Google search will tell you the email address.

I'd go for the second option because: (1) she gets a multiple-entry visa, and (2) she might have problems finding proofs of her resources in RMB (the agency & consulate might not accept bank documents/salary sheets in GBP). But then it all depends on the circumstances.




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Do UK residents need visa for Japan?

Japan tourist visa is not required for citizens of United Kingdom for a stay up to 90 days. Good news if tourist visa is the correct choice for the purpose of your trip to Japan.

Which countries accept UK residence permit?

Visa-Free Countries with UK Residency Card
  • Bulgaria. Cyprus. Eswatini. Greece.
  • Grenada. Guine a-Bissau. Ireland. Malta. Moldova. Montenegro.
  • Portugal. Spain. Turkey. United Arab Emirates. Vanuatu.


Do Chinese citizens need a visa for Japan?

Chinese passport-holders need a visa to go to Japan. The most common type of visa is the tourist visa though there are various types which vary in th reason for visiting and the length of stay. Travelers with passports issued by Hong Kong and Taiwan can enter Japan for periods of up to 90 days without a visa.

Can Chinese nationals travel to Japan?

Chinese citizens currently need to go to a Japanese embassy or consulate to apply for a Japanese tourist visa. The single-entry visa allows visitors to spend up to 90 days in Japan for tourism, business, and visiting friends or relatives. A number of documents are required as part of the application.



How I Got My Permanent Residency In Japan In 4 Years




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Ryutaro Tsukata, John Lee, Miguel Á. Padriñán, Pixabay