Japan Releases List of 74 Countries Whose Citizens Qualify for Visa-Free Travel
- Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed a reciprocal visa exemption arrangement covering 74 countries and territories for short-term visits
- Permitted stay durations vary by nationality, with travellers allowed 15, 30, or 90 days depending on their country of origin
- Eligible travellers must hold an ICAO-compliant ePassport or machine-readable passport, with some nationalities subject to additional technical requirements
Japan has confirmed a visa exemption arrangement for citizens of 74 countries and territories.
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This allows eligible travellers to enter the country for short-term stays without obtaining a visa in advance, according to guidelines published by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The framework is structured on a reciprocal basis and is intended to ease travel for tourism, business, and social visits by removing the requirement for pre-departure visa applications for eligible nationals.
How long visitors can stay in Japan
The permitted duration of stay differs depending on the traveller's country of origin. Citizens of Indonesia and Thailand may remain in Japan for a maximum of 15 days, while nationals of Brunei and Qatar are authorised to stay for up to 30 days.
Travellers from all other listed countries and territories are permitted stays of up to 90 days.
Japan's immigration authorities have also specified that citizens of certain countries must hold an ICAO-compliant electronic passport or a machine-readable passport to qualify for the exemption.
Additionally, a new version of the Uruguayan ordinary passport issued after 16 April 2025 has been temporarily excluded from the arrangement.
Full list of 74 visa-exempt countries
The complete list of countries and territories whose citizens qualify for visa-free entry into Japan includes: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
Among African nations, only Lesotho, Mauritius, and Tunisia appear on the confirmed list, while the majority of the continent's countries are not covered under the current arrangement.
US lists countries eligible for visa-free travel
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the US had released the list of countries whose citizens qualify to enter the country without a standard visa under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
The list, published on the US Department of State website, showed 42 countries whose citizens may travel to the US for tourism or business purposes for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa in advance.
The eligible countries span Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and Latin America.
Source: YEN.com.gh
