Hello, this is Ito of IMS Legal Professional Corporation. The State of Emergency declaration in the four prefectures of Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo, and Kyoto has been extended. In addition, Aichi and Fukuoka have been added to the targeted areas. "Priority measures to prevent the spread of the disease" (man'en-boshi) has also been expanded to eight prefectures: Hokkaido, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Gifu, Mie, Ehime, and Okinawa. The COVID-19 variant from India is still a threat, and there seems no easy relief in sight. We can only hope that the current vaccines available will be effective against any COVID strain.
Current entry measures require all arrivals into Japan to present a Certificate of Testing within 72 hours prior to departure and to remain at home for 14 days from the day after entry. The test certificate must be in the official format; however, if the test was conducted at a medical institution that will only issue their own format, the information must be the same.
Additional Information
・Certificate of Testing (Google translate; languages other than English listed in first paragraph)
・To all who enter Japan (PDF)
・Requirements for Certificate of Testing for Entering Japan (PDF)
The method of collecting the sample is said to be nasopharyngeal swab or saliva. However, even when a nasopharyngeal sample is collected, it may be described as a "nasal swab/smear" on the certificate. In this case, the certificate will not be considered valid and you will not be allowed to enter Japan. In some countries, the certificate is issued by a different institution than the one administering the test; this can result in the certificate not including the information required by the official format. This is a concerning but possible issue about whether such certificates can be accepted as valid.
We are still receiving requests for Certificate of Eligibility applications. We hope that the pandemic will subside and all who wish to come to Japan will be allowed to enter, regardless of nationality.
For more information, please contact us below ↓
https://imsvisa.support/en/contact/
