Latest updates on border rules for tourists visiting Japan, effective 11 October 2022

last update: 11 Oct 2022

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has officially announced the resumption of visa-free/individual tourism effective from 11 October 2022.
Before booking a flight ticket and packing your luggage, here are some highlights on the latest border rules that you may want to know.
(*Some details are not yet announced by the officials yet; we will keep this page updated once the related information released.)

・Who are eligible for visa-free travel to Japan?

All cross-border independent travelers from the listed 68 countries and regions (period of stay varies) (check the list here)
For tourists from China, Russia, CIS countries (including Georgia), the Philippines and Vietnam, prior travel visa application is still required before visiting Japan. Check here for details.

The former red-yellow-blue country classification scheme will be no longer applied, and tourists need not to go through a travel agency for flight and accommodation bookings anymore.

・Do I need a negative COVID-19 PCR test before/after entering Japan?

Pre-departure test: Not required for those who have completed 3 vaccine doses with valid vaccination certificate (*Pre-departure PCR test is still required for those who have not yet completed 3 vaccine doses.)
For details of accepted COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination certificate please refer to the information here.

On-arrival test: Not required in principal. However, health screening procedures still applies at the airport, and travelers who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms will be requested to take a PCR test upon arrival.

・Do I need to have self-quarantine or isolation after arrival?

No, quarantine nor refraining from use of public transportation are no longer required, regardless of their vaccination status.

・What is it like in Japan right now?

Although COVID-19 vaccination is not compulsory in Japan, up to the date over 3-hundred-million doses of covid-19 vaccines have been administered nationwide and over 80% of the population has been vaccinated. (source: Our World in data)

After more than two and a half years of days under the pandemic, despite some slightly changed of Japanese’s day-to-day life, most of them has already adopted well into the “new normal” life – you can still see people wearing face masks on the street, and you may be requested to get hand sanitized or body temperature check before entering public facilities such as restaurants, shops or hotels.

For the latest border rules, please check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
Further information about COVID-19 from the Kyoto prefecture.