Japan Visa for Visiting Relatives Within the Third Degree

Check current official requirements before submission.Documents and procedures may change. TaraVel can help you organize the applicable checklist.

For relatives beyond the third degree, use the Visiting Friends and Distant Relatives guide.

Passport

Original valid passport with the applicant’s signature, including any old passport with a previous Japan visa. The passport should be valid for at least six months and contain at least two blank pages. Remove passport covers.
Provide a colored scanned copy of the full passport biographical page.

Application form

Computer-completed Japan visa application form printed on A4 paper and originally signed. Complete every item; enter N/A where a question does not apply.

Photographs

Two recent color photographs, 45 mm x 35 mm, with a white background, taken within the last three months. Do not wear a white top, eyeglasses, or jewelry. Eyebrows and ears should be visible and teeth should not show.
Write the applicant’s name and birth date on the back. Digitally processed or modified photographs are not accepted.

Civil registry documents

Original PSA birth certificate and, for a married female applicant, marriage certificate issued within one year. An exemption may apply to an applicant with a previously used Japan visa who has no guarantor.
Attach the PSA receipt when available, especially for certificates issued from April 2025 onward.
If unreadable, also submit the corresponding Local Civil Registrar certificate. For late-registered births, include a baptismal certificate and school record (Form 137). If PSA has no record, provide the LCR certificate and PSA Certificate of No Record.

Relationship and agency documents

Birth and marriage certificates sufficient to establish the third-degree relationship between the applicant and inviter.
Original authorization for Embassy verification of PSA documents.
Original agency letters of authorization for representatives.
Copy of another valid ID bearing the applicant’s original signature.
Japan visa notice or waiver using the agency form.
Signatures on the passport, application form, authorization letters, and ID copy should match.

Inviter documents

Invitation letter and itinerary using Japan Embassy forms.
Residence certificate (Jumin-hyo) of the inviter and guarantor listing all household members, except the Individual Number and Jumin-hyo Code.
If the inviter or spouse is Japanese, provide Koseki-tohon issued within three months. If the inviter or guarantor is not Japanese, provide both sides of the residence card, issued within the stated validity period.

If the inviter or guarantor in Japan will pay

Japan Embassy guarantee letter.
One or more documents showing ability to pay, such as an income certificate, tax certificate showing total income, or bank certificate.

If the applicant will pay

Employment certificate or business documents showing source of income.
Bank certificate showing ADB; include statements proving transactions for the previous six months if ADB is omitted.
Copy of the applicable BIR income tax return.

Official Embassy of Japan checklistOpen Embassy of Japan checklist