Can I change the flight of entry into Japan, after obtaining the visa?

July 13, 2008 6:22 PM

Does anyone here know what documents, besides your passport and visa, are needed at the border entry into Japan?

I will go to Japan this September. I have recently obtained my visa, after a process which included submitting to the Japanese embassy a dossier of files, which included my scheduled itinerary in Japan, my hotel reservation, my flight reservation, proof of money etc.

My question is: are these documents checked upon entry in Japan? I know that the visa is not a guarantee of being allowed entrance into the country.

The reason I ask is that I have just found that if I fly through Nagoya instead of Tokyo, the cost of the flight is halved. But my dossier says that I'm arriving through Tokyo, via a certain airline.

Could I change my flight, or would that cause me trouble at the border and would probably make me go back home?

What is your experience at the Japanese border?

Thanks!

posted by Masi to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

You must state what passport you're flying on. Flying on an American passport I only needed my passport as we don't need visas. It will depend on what kind of agreement your country has with Japan.
posted by Bunglegirl at 6:28 PM on July 13, 2008

Where will you be coming from when you go to Japan? The rules vary depending on your origin.
posted by Class Goat at 6:34 PM on July 13, 2008

Looks like (s)he's coming from Romania.
posted by infinityjinx at 6:40 PM on July 13, 2008

Romania it is, indeed.
posted by Masi at 6:44 PM on July 13, 2008

I've travelled to Japan on a Bangladesh passport. I didn't even have exact flight details as I was travelling with a group and they were coordinating flights (Japan was our middle stop). They got us through fine, no drama.
posted by divabat at 7:09 PM on July 13, 2008

Oh! To add on: one of our group was Romanian, though she was a staff member so she may have had proper flight details. However, since we all had visas, we got through immigration without hassle.
posted by divabat at 7:11 PM on July 13, 2008

This looks to be the web site of the Japanese embassy in Romania. I can't read the text, maybe there's information there. Otherwise you really can't know for sure unless you call the embassy and ask. It sounds like an honest change of plans that could be accommodated.

On the other hand, your visas probably doesn't have any of this information on there so the customs agents wouldn't know you changed your plans unless the information is stored electronically. I suspect that all you will need is the visa (maybe proof of onward travel ie. ticket out of Japan) and the customs officer will assume the itinerary etc. has been approved before you received the visa. When I've had to give itineraries for a visa (China) I've just written a general tourist itinerary that I didn't intend to use at all and it was never asked for.

Because you had to provide an awful lot of documentation to obtain the visa Japan could be quite strict with Romanians. I would call the embassy, explain your situation (perhaps without giving your identity right away) and see what they say. Specifically ask what documents you need to bring for customs when entering the country.
posted by Bunglegirl at 7:18 PM on July 13, 2008

I know the embassy website, but they do not say what documents are checked at the border, only those necessary for the visa.

If the visa were all I needed in order to enter the country, that would be great. Since Americans do not need visas at all to obtain entry, their experience at the border is probably not as relevant. So, if any non-Americans can share their experiences at the border, that would be great.

Am I not sure if the embassy can be of help, because I do not know if they know what documents they need at the border - the website only mentions that one should have documents regarding the duration and the purpose of the visit.

I have also studied the applicable law, and there doesn't seem to be a reason to be denied entry.
posted by Masi at 7:41 PM on July 13, 2008

Not related to Japan or Romania, but I have - numerous times - gone into countries requiring a visa at a different entry point and on a different date than I originally said I was going to (though the date was after the period of validity of the visa had begun) and was fine; I did have a printout of my onward/return ticket and my itinerary/accomodation for the first few nights, though I wasn't asked to show them.

Call the embassy, though, and ask if the point of entry on your visa is binding.
posted by mdonley at 8:34 PM on July 13, 2008