# Seeking advice/help regarding the 90 day tourist visa (US expat)



## inasense

Hello Expatforum Community = )

Towards the end of this month, a friend & I will be traveling to Tokyo for an internship/volunteer opportunity at an animal rescue just outside Tokyo. We couldn't be more excited to have the honor & privilege of experiencing this incredible city, and giving time/energy to a good cause. What's not to love?

We enquired at the Japanese embassy regarding the visa process, and the gentleman said we'd be awarded a 90-day visitor visa automatically upon entry into the country. This poses a bit of an issue, as the program we are working with has a mandatory commitment of 4 months! Is there a proper channel/department we can contact to apply for an extension past the 90 day visa? Is it even possible to do so in the first place? We are in Malaysia at the moment, volunteering at an animal rescue, but are both originally from the US. Also, is a proof of exit required by customs at the airport, such as a return plane ticket?

Any info is welcome, thanks in advance for your time!

-Jason


----------



## larabell

The proper channel is to apply for a visa at your nearest Japanese Embassy. I'm surprised you didn't ask or weren't told while you were there. If you're scheduled to arrive in Japan by the end of this month, however, there may not be time to apply for and receive a visa.

The last I knew, you couldn't extend a temporary visa but I've since been told that in some cases you can. If you have a legitimate reason for being here, it's certainly worth a try. The place to go to find out once you're here is the Immigration office near Shinagawa. Worst case, you take a quick trip over to Seoul for the weekend sometime near the end of your 90 days and when you return you get a brand new 90 days.

I'm assuming, of course, that you're getting no money for this rescue venture. If you're paid, the Immigration officials may count that as work and you're not allowed to work as a tourist. If you're already working and being sent here "on business", a temporary visa is probably OK.

As for proof of exit, I assume you mean proof of either a return or onward flight (that is, some proof that you're not intending to stay here long term). In that case, a plane ticket is perfect. It doesn't have to be a ticket to return to your home country or even to where you're coming from -- it just has to show that you intend to eventually leave Japan. However, a flight four months after your arrival may raise some eyebrows.


----------



## inasense

larabell said:


> The proper channel is to apply for a visa at your nearest Japanese Embassy. I'm surprised you didn't ask or weren't told while you were there. If you're scheduled to arrive in Japan by the end of this month, however, there may not be time to apply for and receive a visa.
> 
> The last I knew, you couldn't extend a temporary visa but I've since been told that in some cases you can. If you have a legitimate reason for being here, it's certainly worth a try. The place to go to find out once you're here is the Immigration office near Shinagawa. Worst case, you take a quick trip over to Seoul for the weekend sometime near the end of your 90 days and when you return you get a brand new 90 days.
> 
> I'm assuming, of course, that you're getting no money for this rescue venture. If you're paid, the Immigration officials may count that as work and you're not allowed to work as a tourist. If you're already working and being sent here "on business", a temporary visa is probably OK.
> 
> As for proof of exit, I assume you mean proof of either a return or onward flight (that is, some proof that you're not intending to stay here long term). In that case, a plane ticket is perfect. It doesn't have to be a ticket to return to your home country or even to where you're coming from -- it just has to show that you intend to eventually leave Japan. However, a flight four months after your arrival may raise some eyebrows.



Thanks so much for your insightful response Larabell, it's cleared up a lot we were unsure about!

Our date of departure isn't set in stone, so I'll get down to the embassy asap and see about getting things rolling with an application = )

As a ballpark estimate, how long would you say it _might_ take to apply and receive a visa?

I'll inquire at the office near Shinagawa for sure, hopefully we'll find some luck there. Visiting Seoul would be brilliant, let alone facilitating an extension in the process. nice to know that's an option!

Yes, no payed compensation involved

Perhaps a ticket to Seoul could also serve as our proof of departure from the country

Thanks again


----------



## larabell

inasense said:


> As a ballpark estimate, how long would you say it _might_ take to apply and receive a visa?


I don't know. It's been years since I applied. Maybe someone with more recent experience can answer the question. Or you can ask at the Embassy. If I had to make a wild guess, I'd say on the order of several weeks, since they probably have to send the paperwork to Japan for approval.

BTW, I've heard recently that some people have been able to change from a 90-day temporary visa to some other classification so even if the application doesn't go through you're probably still OK. As long as you're not "working" while you're on the temporary visa, I doubt you'll run into any problems.



> Perhaps a ticket to Seoul could also serve as our proof of departure from the country.


Sure... When you enter Japan, don't tell them the purpose of the ticket is to get around the 90 day limit. If asked, just say you're also interested in seeing other parts of Asia since you're over here already.

There's a chance you might be asked questions to see whether you have enough funds to sustain yourself while in Japan. I assume you do, if you're planning to spend 4 months doing volunteer work but just to let you know so you're prepared for the question if they do ask.


----------

