The dream of traveling to Japan without having to use for a visa may soon disappear. The country, referred to as certainly one of the world’s top tourist destinations, is about to tighten entry requirements for foreign visitors.
The visa-free policy, which has long attracted tourists from 71 countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Thailand, is reportedly set to alter. Previously, the policy allowed travelers to go to Japan for between 14 and 90 days, depending on their passport.
New travel authorization system
The government’s plan to implement a brand new travel authorization system reflects Japan’s efforts to tighten controls on arrivals from abroad. Under the system, visitors from visa-free countries might be required to submit personal information online before entering the country.
The policy is meant to scale back the number of tourists who overstay. If a visitor is deemed to be susceptible to overstaying, they might be required to acquire an everyday visa.
The policy is anticipated to come back into effect in 2030 and can apply to all visa-exempt countries.
Goals and implementation
The Japanese government plans to implement a brand new temporary travel authorization system called JESTA, just like the U.S. ESTA system that was designed for counterterrorism purposes. The system would require visitors from visa-exempt countries to submit personal information online before entering Japan, very like ESTA verifies visitors’ eligibility to enter the United States.
Starting in 2030, JESTA would require visitors to supply their purpose of visit and place of residence online before traveling. If the appliance is deemed inadmissible, the visitor won’t be granted travel authorization and might be asked to acquire an everyday visa through the local embassy.
Comparison with current systems
Currently, international airlines transmit passenger information after takeoff, allowing visitors who fail to go through screening to still arrive in Japan. Furthermore, even when asked to depart the country, many don’t comply.
According to government data, abuse of the system is sort of widespread — of the 49,801 short-term illegal tourists registered in January 2016, greater than 28,000 got here from visa-free countries.
The JESTA system goals to deal with this problem by requiring visitors to supply personal information online before traveling and assessing the chance of illegal stay before entering Japan.
