Japan keeps free 90-day visa for Filipinos

The Japanese Embassy in Manila clarified that Filipino nationals will continue to enjoy free temporary visitor visas for stays of up to 90 days, even as Japan rolls out its first visa fee increase in over 40 years for select countries.

The advisory follows reports that new visa charges will apply to applicants from countries such as China, India, and Vietnam. However, the embassy emphasized that Filipinos remain exempt from such fees.

“Please note that temporary visitor visa for stay within 90 days at maximum for Philippine Nationals remains as gratis,” the embassy said.

It added, “The Embassy of Japan places great importance in strengthening the people-to-people exchange, which is a vital part of Japan and the Philippines bilateral relationship.”

While the visa itself remains free, applicants are still required to pay a ₱800 service fee to VFS Global, the embassy’s accredited third-party visa processing provider.

Currently, visa fees are only collected for long-term stays, with single-entry visas priced at ₱5,750 and multiple-entry visas at ₱11,550, excluding the service fee.