Hello, this is Sawai of IMS Legal Professional Corporation. We just passed the first Saturday and Sunday since the declaration of the state of emergency, and I hope everyone had a good time. Normally, I'm sure many of you were looking forward to the upcoming Golden Week, making plans for trips, homecoming, and outings.
Due to the prolonged effects of COVID-19, we have been receiving inquiries from people who have been forced to live apart from their families and want to bring their foreign family members to Japan. We hope that the situation will return to normal soon.
As a general rule, all those who wish to enter Japan, including Japanese nationals, must undergo a PCR test at a medical institution in the country/region where they are staying 72 hours prior to their departure. They also need to obtain a "pre-departure test certificate" to prove that they have tested negative for COVID.
Without this pre-departure test certificate, you will not be allowed to land in Japan based on the provisions of the current Quarantine Law. In addition, foreign nationals with travel history to areas currently subject to landing denial will not be able to enter Japan based on the provisions of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act.
On the website of the Immigration and Refugee Management Bureau, the following cautions have been announced regarding the above pre-departure test certificate.
In principle, the certificate should use the official format
In principle, the official format provided by the Japanese government should be used. If there is no medical institution that supports this format, the use of an alternative format is acceptable, but it must contain the same information.
※If there are special circumstances that prevent you from obtaining a pre-departure certificate in the official format, you are required to consult with the Japanese Embassy or Consulate General in the country/region of departure.
※Please refer to the website of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) for details on what should be included.
After arriving in Japan, you must present or submit the pre-departure test certificate to the quarantine station
If you are a foreign national with travel history to areas currently subject to landing denial, you must present the pre-departure test certificate to the quarantine station, and then submit the original or a copy of it to the immigration inspector.
※The pre-departure inspection certificate (or a copy of it) must be submitted in paper form.
※If you have an electronic copy of your pre-departure test certificate, you must prepare a printed copy in advance.
If a foreign national is found to have received landing permission by submitting a forged or altered pre-departure test certificate, they may be subject to deportation proceedings based on the provisions of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act.
We will continue to update you as soon as we have new information.
They say that this is the Golden Week of patience and endurance, but I hope everyone has a good holiday.
For more information, please contact us below ↓
https://imsvisa.support/en/contact/
