How do you get a Japan visit visa from Pakistan? (2026)

Do Pakistanis need a visa to visit Japan?

Yes. A Pakistani passport does not get visa-free entry to Japan, and there is no visa on arrival. You need a visa in your passport, or for some Pakistanis living abroad an electronic visa, before you board.

What the official sources say

As of 22 October 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists 74 countries and regions with which Japan has reciprocal visa exemption for short stays, and Pakistan is not one of them. That means every ordinary Pakistani passport holder needs a visa for a short trip, whatever the purpose: sightseeing, visiting relatives or friends, or short business such as meetings and trade fairs.

The visa is called a temporary visitor visa

Japan calls the short-stay visa a temporary visitor visa, and once you land you are given the Temporary Visitor status of residence. The Immigration Services Agency describes the activities it covers as sightseeing, recreation, sport, visiting relatives, inspection tours, attending lectures or meetings, business contact and similar short activities. Work is not on that list, and I come back to that below.

If you are still choosing a destination, compare the routes first. The Malaysia visit visa guide and the Thailand visit visa guide explain two Asian trips that are fully online for Pakistani travellers.

Can Pakistanis use the Japan eVISA?

Not from Pakistan. This is the most common misunderstanding I see, because Japan’s eVISA is advertised widely and people assume it covers everyone.

Eligibility depends on where you live

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs eVISA page, dated 15 May 2026, lists the places where the system is available. Residents of Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States can apply directly online. Residents of Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Macau, Mongolia, South Korea, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates apply through an accredited agency. Pakistan is on neither list.

Good news for Pakistanis living in the Gulf or the UK

The rule is about residence, not nationality. The page says all foreign nationals residing in those countries can apply, except those who are already visa-exempt. So a Pakistani working in Riyadh, Dubai or Manchester can use the eVISA from there, for a single-entry tourism visa of up to 90 days. One detail is unusual: travellers must show the visa issuance notice online at the airport, and the ministry states that a PDF, a screenshot or a printed copy will not be accepted. The ministry also warns about fraud websites made to look like the eVISA site.

Where do Pakistanis apply for a Japanese visa?

Through an agency, not at the embassy counter. Both Japanese missions in Pakistan handed visa submissions to VFS Global and Gerry’s in 2024, and which centre you use depends on where you live.

Islamabad and Karachi

The Embassy of Japan in Islamabad states that from 1 April 2024 it does not accept any visa applications directly, except diplomatic and official ones, and that applicants and their questions go to VFS Global and Gerry’s. The Consulate-General of Japan in Karachi made the same change in early May 2024. Residents of Sindh and Balochistan apply at the Karachi centre, which the Consulate-General says accepts them without a prior appointment. Residents of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir fall under the Embassy in Islamabad. The official pages I read name centres in Islamabad and Karachi only, so a Lahore family should plan on travelling to Islamabad.

Asking for special treatment does not help

The embassy says plainly that some applicants ask to have their files accepted directly at its desk, that it will not agree to such requests to ensure impartiality, and that pressing for it only slows things down. An agent who claims a private line into the embassy is telling you something the embassy itself rules out.

Is the Japanese tourist visa open to Pakistanis?

This needs checking before you spend anything, because the official position is not clear, and I will not pretend otherwise.

The 2023 suspension notice

The Embassy of Japan in Islamabad published a notice dated 13 October 2023 saying that from 30 October 2023 the acceptance of visa applications for sightseeing and tourism was suspended temporarily. The same notice said short-term business, visiting relatives or acquaintances, Certificate of Eligibility cases and humanitarian emergencies continued as normal.

What I could and could not confirm

As of 22 October 2026, that notice is still on the embassy’s website, and I could not find a later embassy notice lifting it. At the same time, the visa centre’s own pages list a temporary visitor visa for tourism as a category. The two do not fit neatly together, so ask the visa centre in writing whether a pure tourism application is being accepted at your centre before you book flights or pay anyone. Visits to relatives, friends and business contacts were never part of the suspension.

Which visa types are there, and how long can you stay?

Most Pakistani visitors receive a single-entry temporary visitor visa. The length of stay is decided when you land, not when the visa is printed.

15, 30 or 90 days

The Immigration Services Agency sets the period of stay for a Temporary Visitor at 90 days, 30 days or 15 days, or a specific number of days up to 90 that the Minister of Justice designates for an individual. The officer at the airport grants a period that matches the purpose and schedule in your file, so a ten-day family wedding trip should not expect 90 days.

Extensions are rare

The agency says an extension of a Temporary Visitor stay is granted, in principle, only where there are truly unavoidable humanitarian reasons, and gives needing medical treatment as an example. A wish to stay longer with family is not that. Plan the trip to fit the stay you are given.

Multiple entry is for a narrow group

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs outline for nationals of Asian countries in Pakistan’s group limits multiple-entry visitor visas to business applicants who are directors, or full-time employees of more than a year, at qualifying organisations such as government enterprises, listed companies or firms trading regularly with a listed Japanese company; to recognised artists, scholars, athletes and university teachers; and to their spouses and children. It also warns that an applicant may receive a single-entry visa instead after verification.

How much does a Japanese visa cost for Pakistanis?

Here is the fact that surprises almost everyone. Pakistani nationals pay no Japanese visa fee at all, even though the fee for other nationalities rose sharply in July 2026.

What the embassy’s fee schedule says

The Embassy of Japan in Pakistan publishes its consular fees in rupees. Its schedule for applications made on or after 1 July 2026 carries a note that Pakistani nationals are exempt from the visa fee. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also says that depending on nationality, fees may not be required.

The fee is charged only if a visa is issued

The ministry states that if a visa is not issued, no visa fee is charged. It also says that when you apply through an agency approved by the embassy, the agency charges its own handling fee on top. So for a Pakistani, the real cost of applying is the visa centre’s service charge, plus courier and any optional services you choose. Check the current service charge on the visa centre’s own page when you book.

What an agent’s quote should show

• the visa fee, which should be zero for a Pakistani national;
• the visa centre’s service charge, on its own line;
• their own consultancy charge, separately;
• any ticket, hotel or insurance included in a package;
• what happens to your money if the visa is refused.

An agent who charges a Pakistani client a Japanese visa fee is charging for something the embassy does not collect. Ask them to show you where it goes.

What documents do you need for a Japanese visit visa?

Japan asks for more paperwork than most visit visas, and much of it has to come from the person in Japan. The lists below combine the Consulate-General in Karachi’s requirements, the Embassy in Islamabad’s requirements table and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs checklist from April 2025. Your centre’s current checklist is the final word.

What every applicant brings

• one visa application form, completed with no column left blank and signed by the applicant;
• one recent photograph with a white or light background. The Islamabad embassy page gives 45mm by 45mm, while the Karachi consulate’s current page gives 45mm by 35mm, so use the size your centre’s checklist states;
• a valid passport with blank pages for the visa, the Karachi page says more than two;
• all old passports, even expired or cancelled ones;
• your original CNIC, with a photocopy.

From Pakistan, for tourism or a family visit

• a letter explaining the reasons for the trip in detail;
• bank statements for the last six months, which the Islamabad table asks to be attested with a bank manager’s letter;
• proof of your job or business, such as an employment certificate showing your designation, length of service, salary and leave dates, or school documents for a student;
• for government employees, an NOC or ex-Pakistan leave certificate;
• proof of relationship for a family visit, such as a NADRA Family Registration Certificate, Nikah Nama or B-Form, with attested English translations where needed;
• proof of friendship for a visit to a friend, such as photographs, letters and emails;
• a detailed day-by-day schedule of the trip, with accommodation;
• a flight itinerary for the whole trip.

Do not buy the ticket yet

The Islamabad requirements table asks for a confirmed return booking issued by a travel agent and says, in so many words, please do not buy the ticket. The ministry’s checklist adds that reservations and payment for flights and hotels are not required at the time of application. A booking is enough. Do not spend money on a non-refundable fare before the visa is issued.

Originals, and they are kept

The Consulate-General in Karachi says documents must be originals, that faxes, emails and photocopies are not accepted, and that submitted documents are in principle not returned. For papers that are hard to get again, such as a Nikah Nama, submit the original with a clear copy. Japanese documents must have been issued within the last three months.

What are the guarantee and invitation letters?

If someone in Japan is inviting you or paying for the trip, they prepare a set of documents on their side. This is where most family visit files are won or lost.

The invitation letter

The invitation letter is addressed to the Japanese Ambassador or Consul General, gives the host’s name, address and phone number, and explains the purpose, background and relationship. The ministry’s checklist warns that a vague description such as tourism or visiting friends or relatives is not acceptable. Name the actual reason, such as a nephew’s birth, a wedding or a graduation, and attach proof of it where there is any.

The letter of guarantee

On the official form, the guarantor guarantees three things for the visitor: the expenses of the stay in Japan, the cost of the return trip home, and compliance with Japanese laws and regulations. It is a serious undertaking, and the embassy reads it that way.

The host’s supporting papers

• an itinerary in Japan, day by day, with the host’s full address if you stay with them;
• proof of the guarantor’s funds, such as the latest municipal certificate of income or taxation, a tax return, or a balance certificate. The ministry states that a withholding tax slip will not be accepted;
• a certificate of residence, juminhyo, showing the relationship to all family members;
• if the host is not Japanese, a copy of both sides of their residence card and their passport;
• a certificate of employment for the host;
• a list of visa applicants if more than one person is applying.

The Karachi consulate notes that if you have no friends or relatives in Japan, the Japan-side requirements are waived, and you rely on your own documents instead.

How long does it take, and what happens after a refusal?

Japan is quick when the file is clean and slow when it is not. Two rules about refusals matter more than most people realise.

Six working days at the earliest

The Embassy of Japan in Islamabad gives a standard processing period of six working days from the day you apply at the visa centre until the visa is issued, at the earliest, if there is no problem with the application. It says incomplete files take longer, that some cases needing thorough examination can take several months, and that it never issues a visa on the same day. The Karachi consulate says files referred for verification or to the ministry in Tokyo can take a month or more.

No reasons, and a six-month wait

Both missions state that the reason for a refusal will never be given. A refused applicant can apply again six months after the refusal, and the Islamabad table says the new application should come with all new documents. So there is no quick second attempt. Get the first file right, especially the purpose, the funds and the host’s papers.

What is Visit Japan Web, and what happens when you land?

A visa lets you travel to Japan. The decision to let you in is made at the airport, and Japan offers an official online service to speed up the arrival formalities.

Visit Japan Web

Visit Japan Web is run by Japan’s Digital Agency. You register the information needed for immigration clearance and the customs declaration in advance, then show a 2D code on your phone or tablet at the airport. You can fill it in on a computer, but you need a smartphone or tablet to show the code. The Digital Agency has warned about suspicious look-alike apps, so reach it through the agency’s own pages rather than an advert.

The landing examination

The Karachi consulate states that holding a visa does not entitle the bearer to enter Japan, and that a visa holder found inadmissible may be refused landing. Be ready to answer simply:

• Why are you visiting, and for how many days?
• Where are you staying, and who is your host?
• When is your return flight?
• Who is paying for the trip?
• What work do you do in Pakistan?

Your answers should match the itinerary and the invitation letter. A traveller whose spoken plan differs from the paper plan gives the officer a reason to look closer.

What is JESTA, and will it change anything for Pakistanis?

JESTA is short for the Japan Electronic System for Travel Authorization. It is a planned online pre-travel screening system, and it is not in operation yet.

The Immigration Services Agency’s plan says the government aims to bring in JESTA in fiscal year 2028, ahead of the original target of 2030, to screen travellers on information provided online in advance and keep out foreign nationals who should not enter. As of 22 October 2026, nothing I read on official pages says JESTA will replace the visa for Pakistani passport holders, so plan on needing a visa, and treat any website selling a JESTA today as a scam.

Can you work in Japan on a visit visa, and what if you overstay?

No, you cannot work, and overstaying is a crime in Japan, not just an administrative problem. The consequences can follow you for a decade.

No work, paid or otherwise

The ministry’s checklist states that it is not permitted to undertake revenue-generating business operations or to receive remuneration in Japan on a short-term stay visa. Japan has separate statuses of residence for work, each needing a Certificate of Eligibility filed in Japan. A visit visa cannot be turned into a job on arrival, and anyone selling that idea is selling a breach of Japanese law.

Overstaying and the landing bans

Overstaying is an offence under Japan’s Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, punishable by up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to 3 million yen, or both. The Immigration Services Agency sets out the bans that follow:

• a person who is deported cannot land in Japan for five years from deportation;
• a repeat offender, previously deported or ordered to leave, is barred for ten years;
• a person who leaves under the departure order system is barred for one year;
• a person sentenced to a year or more in prison, or punished for drug offences, has no fixed end to the ban and cannot land in Japan.

The departure order route applies only to someone who comes forward to leave promptly, has no other grounds for deportation and has never been deported or ordered to leave before. The agency also warns that reporting yourself does not cure the overstay. Even where a deportation ban is shortened, it says the ban stays at five years for anyone seeking to land again as a Temporary Visitor. As of 1 July 2025 the agency counted 71,229 people overstaying in Japan, and it treats the problem seriously.

What happens at the Pakistani airport before you fly to Japan?

FIA immigration officers check that your passport and visa are genuine and valid, and they may ask about your trip. Visitors should carry a return ticket, accommodation details and proof of funds.

What FIA says it checks

As of 22 October 2026, FIA’s published guidance lists these for visit visa travellers: a valid passport, a return ticket, a confirmed hotel booking and sufficient funds. Its Travellers’ Guide says officers ask questions to confirm your identity and the authenticity of your passport and visa. For a family visit to Japan, carry copies of the invitation letter and the guarantee letter as well, because they explain where you will stay and who is supporting you.

If you are offloaded

Being stopped from boarding is often called offloading. FIA’s guide says the shift in-charge will personally tell an offloaded passenger the reasons, and that if your passport and visa are genuine and valid, with no apparent misdeclaration of facts, immigration staff are not authorised to offload you.

The protector requirement for work

Under the Emigration Ordinance 1979, every Pakistani going abroad for employment must be registered with the Protector of Emigrants. Someone really going to Japan for a job cannot fix that by holding a visit visa. If work in Japan is the real goal, the study route is one lawful path many Pakistanis take, and the study in Japan guide explains the Certificate of Eligibility and the student work limit.

How do you spot a fake Japan visa offer?

Japan’s strong wages make it a target for fraud aimed at Pakistani workers. Most scams fall into two patterns.

Fake websites and paid shortcuts

• a site selling the Japan eVISA to someone living in Pakistan, who cannot use it;
• a site selling JESTA, which is not in operation;
• a charge for a Japanese visa fee, which Pakistani nationals do not pay;
• a fast-track or guaranteed visa, which neither mission offers;
• a fake Visit Japan Web app, which the Digital Agency has warned about.

The visit visa with a job attached

The usual offer is a visit visa, a ticket and a promised job in a factory, farm or restaurant, with the permit to be sorted after arrival. Japanese law allows no work on a visit visa, so the promise is empty. Watch for these signs:

• the job starts on a visit visa, and the work papers come later;
• the agent produces a Japanese guarantor you have never met;
• no BEOE licence can be shown, and there is no job order;
• you are told to say tourism to FIA and at Japanese immigration;
• payment is in cash with no receipt, or someone keeps your passport.

Only a licensed Overseas Employment Promoter may recruit people in Pakistan for work abroad, and taking money for a job abroad without a licence is an offence under the Emigration Ordinance 1979. The guide to checking a visa consultant in Pakistan sets out the checks and where to report fraud. If you have already paid someone and have doubts, you can book a consultation and bring the receipts and messages.

How do you apply, step by step?

The order below works for most Pakistani tourists and family visitors. Start with the host’s documents, because they take longest to arrive.

1. 1

   Settle the purpose and check the tourism position

   Decide whether the trip is tourism, a visit to relatives or friends, or short-term business. The Embassy of Japan in Islamabad posted a notice in October 2023 suspending sightseeing visa applications, and I found no notice withdrawing it, so confirm with the visa centre that your category is being accepted before you spend money.

2. 2

   Work out which visa centre covers you

   Residents of Sindh and Balochistan apply through the Japan visa centre in Karachi, which handles applications for the Consulate-General. Everyone else falls under the Embassy in Islamabad. Both missions take visit visa applications only through VFS Global and Gerry’s, not at their own counters.

3. 3

   Ask your host in Japan for their documents

   For a family or friend visit, the person in Japan prepares an invitation letter, a letter of guarantee, an itinerary, proof of their income and a residence certificate. Japanese documents must have been issued within the last three months. Give them plenty of time, because these come by post or courier.

4. 4

   Build your own file in Pakistan

   Prepare the signed application form, a recent photo to the size your centre asks for, your passport and all old passports, your original CNIC, six months of bank statements, proof of your job or business, proof of the relationship, and a day-by-day schedule. Government employees need an NOC or ex-Pakistan leave certificate.

5. 5

   Submit at the centre and wait for the decision

   Pakistani nationals are exempt from the Japanese visa fee, but the visa centre charges its own service fee. The standard processing time is six working days at the earliest, and some files take a month or several months. A refused applicant is not told the reason and can reapply after six months.

6. 6

   Register on Visit Japan Web, travel and leave on time

   Before you fly, register your arrival details on Visit Japan Web, the Digital Agency’s official service, so you can show a 2D code at immigration and customs. Carry your visa, return ticket, hotel or host address and funds. Leave Japan before the period of stay stamped at landing ends.

What goes wrong most often?

Trying the eVISA from Pakistan

Pakistan is not on the eVISA list. A traveller who pays a website to file an eVISA from Lahore or Karachi is paying for an application the system will not accept from them. Apply through the visa centre that covers your province.

A vague invitation letter

The ministry says a vague purpose such as visiting relatives is not acceptable. A letter that names the real event, with dates and proof, does far more than a generic one.

The wrong guarantor documents

A host who sends a withholding tax slip, or papers more than three months old, weakens the file. The guarantor should send a current income or tax certificate and a juminhyo showing the whole household.

Buying a non-refundable ticket

The embassy asks for a booking and says not to buy the ticket. A family that pays for fares first and then waits weeks, or gets refused, can lose the money.

Reapplying straight after a refusal

You are not told why you were refused, and you must wait six months to apply again. Using that time to strengthen the file is the only sensible plan.

Travelling for a job on a visit visa

This is the costly one. Working is not allowed, overstaying is a crime, and a deportation carries a five-year ban. The money paid to the agent is usually gone.

A realistic example

This is a hypothetical illustration, not a real client. Hamza lives in Lahore and teaches at a private college. His younger brother Adeel has worked in Saitama for six years and holds a residence card. Adeel’s wife has just had a baby, and he invites Hamza and his wife Sana for 14 days.

• Ten weeks before. Hamza asks the Islamabad visa centre whether visits to relatives are being accepted, and gets the current checklist. Lahore falls under the Embassy in Islamabad.
• Eight weeks before. Adeel prepares an invitation letter naming the birth, a letter of guarantee, a day-by-day itinerary with his home address, his latest income certificate, a juminhyo for his household, copies of his residence card and passport, and a certificate of employment. He couriers the originals to Lahore.
• Six weeks before. Hamza and Sana gather their passports and old passports, CNICs, NADRA Family Registration Certificate, Nikah Nama with a copy, six months of attested bank statements, Hamza’s college letter confirming his post and leave, and an agent-issued flight booking. They do not buy tickets.
• Five weeks before. They submit at the Islamabad centre. They pay the centre’s service charge and no visa fee.
• Three weeks before. Both visas are issued. They buy tickets, register on Visit Japan Web, and carry copies of Adeel’s letters.
• At both airports. Their answers match their papers, and they are given a period of stay that covers the trip. They fly home on day 14.

Nothing in their file is clever. It tells one true story, with Japanese and Pakistani documents that agree with each other, and it leaves time for a slower decision.

The version that goes wrong

Now imagine Hamza’s neighbour Waqas, 26. An agent offers him a Japan visit visa with a factory job, produces a guarantor Waqas has never met, charges a large sum including a visa fee, and tells him to say tourism. If FIA’s questions expose the plan, he may not fly. If he flies and works, he breaks Japanese law, and if he stays past his permitted period, he risks prosecution, deportation and a five-year ban.

Key takeaways

Frequently asked questions