Hello I am currently in Japan right now and my visa (temporary visitor) is from March 15 to May 15. Now I bought a round ticket to Japan from March 25 to May 20. I didn't realize the expiration of my visa is on the 15th on May. Am I going to break the law? Should I reschedule my flight?
Tourist visa problem
- Thread starter bellryp
- Start date
madphysicist
先輩
- 20 Aug 2015
- 341
- 131
Normally what people do in your case is leave the country, go to Korea or somewhere for a weekend and come back. They'll reissue you a temporary visitor stamp. I'd advise you not to leave it to the last minute as it looks more suspicious if you stay for almost 90 days, leave and come straight back.
This will probably be much cheaper than rebooking your flight home.
This will probably be much cheaper than rebooking your flight home.
- 15 Mar 2002
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His stay is short of two months.
I would suggest going down to Immigration and asking them. It may be possible to resolve this with a simple rubber stamp instead of altering his travel plans.
madphysicist
先輩
- 20 Aug 2015
- 341
- 131
My misreading, I'm too used to the 90 day visas. Although I thought they weren't keen on extending temporary visitor visas unless you have a good reason.
- 15 Mar 2002
- 16,758
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Oh, quit being such a Gloomy Gus based on no information. If your profile told us what city you are in rather than the cryptic "Somewhere" I would have googled up the nearest Immigration office for you. Go check with them before you go making decisions or getting melodramatic.
- 20 Aug 2003
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1. Most foreigners don't get a "tourist visa". Places like India do, I believe. Americans, for example, get what is called a visa waiver. It lasts 90 days. What is your nationality?
2. You started the conversation by saying: my visa (temporary visitor) is from March 15 to May 15. But your most recent post contradicts that by saying: my visa is from Feb to May 15, 90 days. The first one is a period of only 60 days, which does not make sense for a visa waiver.
Which is it?
3. Your main problem:
You might not get caught, or as you pass through immigration on your way out, you might. That would be a minor hassle at best (probably a stern talking to) or something major at most (20 days of incarceration, a fine, maybe even being blacklisted from returning here for 1-5 years). During those 20 days you could be interrogated without a lawyer daily.
Here's what happened to some students who overstayed a short time.
Change your flight, or leave and come back as mentioned above, or if you don't want to do either of those, go to an immigration office and beg forgiveness ASAP. I still think they will tell you that as long as you're still here legally, you should leave before the deadline, but who knows if they will extend your stay long enough? Usually, that is granted only if you can state a very plausible reason and show you have enough funds. Being unaware of what's written on your passport is not a good reason, usually. Certain nationalities might make things worse.
2. You started the conversation by saying: my visa (temporary visitor) is from March 15 to May 15. But your most recent post contradicts that by saying: my visa is from Feb to May 15, 90 days. The first one is a period of only 60 days, which does not make sense for a visa waiver.
Which is it?
3. Your main problem:
Yes, you are going to be breaking the law. Even one day over your visa/waiver is against immigration law.
You might not get caught, or as you pass through immigration on your way out, you might. That would be a minor hassle at best (probably a stern talking to) or something major at most (20 days of incarceration, a fine, maybe even being blacklisted from returning here for 1-5 years). During those 20 days you could be interrogated without a lawyer daily.
Here's what happened to some students who overstayed a short time.
Change your flight, or leave and come back as mentioned above, or if you don't want to do either of those, go to an immigration office and beg forgiveness ASAP. I still think they will tell you that as long as you're still here legally, you should leave before the deadline, but who knows if they will extend your stay long enough? Usually, that is granted only if you can state a very plausible reason and show you have enough funds. Being unaware of what's written on your passport is not a good reason, usually. Certain nationalities might make things worse.
- 15 Mar 2002
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- 2,298
I'm the world's most infrequent flyer and uninformed traveler, but I thought they checked for an outbound ticket when letting people in on tourist waivers. Is that not the case? I can't understand why the date problem wasn't noticed at the airport by somebody.
- 13 Dec 2015
- 208
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Is this right? Or perhaps it relates specifically to Japan? I only ever remember airlines checking I had a valid visa to enter a country.
- 7 Jun 2008
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In the fall of 1975, I was picked up by Japanese Immigration for over-staying my visa. I don't remember exactly how they found me, but I think it was at the school where I was teaching English illegally (no work visa). In those days, Americans needed at least a tourist visa to go to Japan. As I recall, the visa was for sixty days and could be extended one time for another sixty days. My memory could be wrong, though.
An Immigration official gave me a stern talking to, made sure I had a ticket to leave, and got my promise not to ever, ever overstay any future Japanese visa I might obtain. Maybe I was lucky. They were treating a pair of Koreans at the next table less politely.
An Immigration official gave me a stern talking to, made sure I had a ticket to leave, and got my promise not to ever, ever overstay any future Japanese visa I might obtain. Maybe I was lucky. They were treating a pair of Koreans at the next table less politely.
- 20 Aug 2003
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That was 42 years ago, but I still think the situation was that Americans needed only their passport -- effectively a visa waiver, not a tourist visa.
You actually worked illegally and got nothing more than a talking to (and expulsion)? Things have changed considerably since 1975! Friend of mine in the early 2000s went in to renew his spouse visa and neglected to look at its date. He was in the office to do the business, and they said he was already expired, so they detained him for a few hours, grilling him over and over. His Japanese wife was called to come and help explain things, and he got off without a fine or imprisonment (had to sign a formal apology), but that's because he had been working legally up to then, had a family, paid his bills, etc. But it sure scared the hell out of them!
ismail
後輩
- 18 May 2013
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most countries need a visa to go to Japan
- 20 Aug 2003
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What is your source for that? I'd guess that most people need passports, not visas, to visit here. If someone wants to study or work here, that's different.
Here's a list of countries with visa exemptions.
ismail
後輩
- 18 May 2013
- 37
- 6
I was about to give the same link, according to that list only 1/3 of the world's countries are exempted which means 2/3 need a visa to enter Japan.
- 15 Mar 2002
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You two are mixing units. One of you is talking about the number of countries and the other is talking about the number of people. One of you is going to have to total up the populations of the visa-exempted countries to see who is right.
ismail
後輩
- 18 May 2013
- 37
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I was indeed talking about the number of countries but it must be even more true with the number of people. Especially as I don't see India and China in the list
liftedblocks
後輩
- 30 Apr 2014
- 32
- 1
go to immigration and obtain an extension of the period of stay. Visa Extension in Japan
