Travel Budget Book

I went to Tokyo for the first time in July 2016. I was supposed to be with my friend and her friend but they were stranded in Batanes due to the bad weather. So, I had no choice but to go experience JAPAN all by myself.

Getting a visa can be pretty tedious and expensive. However, securing a Japan Visa is so easy! The Japanese Embassy has relaxed the Visa Application Process for Philippine passport holders to further boost their tourism. Good news for us!!!

Here are the 3 easy steps on securing a Japanese Visa:
1. Gather all required documents
The Japanese embassy website has published all required documents for visa application purposes depending on the type of your visit. I applied for a tourist visa.

• Visa Application Form (with Photo)
  The form can be downloaded from the Japanese Embassy website. It is in PDF format. You just supply all necessary information they are requiring and you are good to go. And also, you need to paste a picture in the form. You just go to a photo studio and tell them it's for a Japan Visa.
  Cost: Php 60.00 - for the photo
• Passport
  You should already have your passport with you when applying for Visa. This is where they will be attaching your Visa - if granted.
  Cost: Php 950.00 - Php 1,200.00
• Proof of Financial Capacity
  I provided my Bank Certificate and a copy of my BIR Form 2316.
  For the Bank Certificate, go to the home branch of your bank account (the bank branch where you opened your account), and tell them you are requesting for a bank certificate for a Japanese Visa. They will give you a form to sign and write your account number and the purpose of your request.
  Cost: Php 100.00 - automatically deducted from the account
• Employment Certificate
  Request for a Certificate of Employment from your employer. It should indicate your tenure with the company, your annual income, and your current position.
• NSO Birth Certificate
  Instead of lining up in the National Statistics Office, I opted for the online version where they will deliver my Birth Certificate in my address. Hassle-free!
  Cost: Php 315.00
• Schedule of Stay
  The Schedule of Stay form can also be downloaded from the Japanese Embassy website. They have a template for this. Basically, you will just supply a high-level view of your itinerary to them. Easy!

2. Pass all required documents to a Japanese accredited agency
After securing all required documents in #1, you will then need to find a Japanese accredited agency to pass your requirements for you. This is because you can not personally apply for a Japan Visa in their embassy. We have to course it to an accredited agency.
I went with Discovery Tours in Cebu.
Cost: Php 1,000.00

3. Wait
The waiting game.. Upon passing all required documents, the agency will tell you that the processing will take for about 10 to 15 working days. Once they have the result of your application, they will call you informing about the result.
I passed my requirements to Discovery tour on May 6. They called me on May 18, informing me that my visa is granted and I can now claim it from them. Considering that I passed it in the afternoon, and May 9 is a holiday, it only took 7 working days for my application to be processed.