What is a Short Terrm Visa in Japan
The Immigration Law of Japan defines a short term visa as a visa for foreign people who shall be engaged in activities such as tourism, recreation, sports, visiting relatives, fieldwork, participating in a lecture or a conference, business communication and so on.
It is possible for people from 68 countries to get short term visas without applying for a Japanese embassy or a consulate genaral of Japan.
https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/short/novisa.html
A short term visa is not a working visa. It is prohibited to be engaged in activities to get incomes or wages for a short term visa carrier.
The term of stay shall be determined for 90 days, 30 days or 1 to 15 days.
How to Apply for Extension of a Short Term Visa ?
In order to extend a short term visa, it is necessary to apply to a regional immigration bureau which governs the place where the short term visa holder lives temporarily.
The appliation should be made to submit the following documents and showing the passport of the applicant to the immigration bureau:
I. regulated appication form, to be filled out
II. materials which certify the reasons why the applicant needs to continue staying in Japan and
being engaged in the same activities as the current visa has permitted.
III. documents explaining the activities from the time of entering Japan to the time of
the application
IV. materials which certify that the applicant can pay all the expenses of the additional stay in
Japan, how to return to its country and that the applicant can pay the expense of its return
The applicant is not required to attend the regional immigration bureau when she/he hire a registered visa lawyer.
Is it Easy to Get Permission for the Extension ?
The immigration law of Japan just defines that the minister of justice can permit application for extension of a visa if he can admits a reasonable reasons why the extension should be adequate. Also there is no criteria of permission regulated by the ministry of justice for a short term visa, as the ministry of justice has made criteria of permission for the most of working visas.
The website page of the ministry of justice says that a humanitarian actual unavoidable reason or an equivalent special reason such as necessity for treatment of illness is principally required to permit for extension of a short term visa.
This means that it is difficult to get permission for entension of a short term visa.
How to Get Permission for the Exrtension ?
It is clearly necessary to certifiy that the applicant has a humanitarian actual unavoidable reason or an equivalent special reason to ask the immigration bureau for its visa extension.
The exanination of the visa application shall be made based on the documents and materials submitted.
Costs of Extension
If you hire us to apply for extension of the short term visa of yours, we shall ask you our fees as follows:
I. ¥22,500.- at the time of the application, including sales tax
This fee shall not be refundable.
II ¥22,500.- if permission has been obtained, including sales tax.
This fee should be paid just on a succcessful case
It is also needed to pay ¥4,000.-, if permitted.
