Japan

10 June 2022

Date of search

10 June 2022

Certificate adoption

Vaccination certificate of COVID-19 is issued as an official proof of COVID-19 vaccination upon receipt of applications from those who are vaccinated at each municipality (including the special wards of Tokyo) under the Japanese Vaccination Law.

Instrument type

Vaccination based

Certificate name

Vaccination certificate of COVID-19, COVID-19 Vaccine Certificate

Certificate details

For international travel & domestic use in Japan

The following information is written in both Japanese and English.

Vaccinated person’s information (name [Japanese, English], date of birth, etc.)
COVID-19 vaccination record (type of vaccine, date of vaccination, etc.)
Passport number and Nationality
2D barcode which contains the above information and digital signature

Certificate format

Both. The vaccine passport will be in paper certificate and also available in smartphone app.

Entry protocol

For general measures

From June 1, 2022, based on the New Border Measures, on-arrival test, self-quarantine period and place of accommodation after entry into Japan may be changed according to the grouping (“Red”, “Yellow” and “Blue” categories) of the countries/regions in which the entrants stayed within 14 days before the day of return to Japan or the day of application for landing on Japan and whether they obtain a valid COVID-19 vaccination certificate.

For grouping of the countries/regions and the respective measures, please see 3 (1) From June 1, 2022: Measures in response to Omicron variant / New Border Measures (28)

For new entry of foreign nationals

From June 10, 2022, foreign nationals who apply for new entry into Japan based on either of the following categories (1), (2), or (3), are regarded as those with “special exceptional circumstances” and are allowed for new entry into Japan in principle, if the receiving organizations located in Japan complete prescribed applications in the Entrants, Returnees Follow-up System (ERFS).

(1) Foreign nationals newly entering Japan for a short-term stay (less than three months) for purposes including business and employment (applied from March 1)

(2) Foreign nationals newly entering Japan for a short-term stay for tourism (only when a travel agency among others organizing the trip serves as the receiving organization of the entrants) Japan welcomes tourists on guided package tours from countries on the “Blue” list but remains closed to individual travellers.

(3) Foreign nationals newly entering Japan for a long-term stay (applied from March 1)

They need to apply for a visa except for those with re-entry permit. A certificate for completion of registration to the ERFS system obtained by a receiving organization through online application is required for the visa application, along with other visa application documents in response to the purpose of visit. Please refer to the following page for more details. https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page22e_000921.html

For foreign nationals with special exceptional circumstances, please see full details at https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html#section10

Document requirement

Pre-departure
- Must submit COVID-19 negative pre-test result 72 hours before leaving the country. If they are unable to presentation a valid certificate of inspection, they will not be allowed to enter in Japan based on the Quarantine Law.
- Fill out the Quarantine Questionnaire and save the issued QR code

On-arrival
- Areas designated as Blue will be exempt from arrival testing and quarantine – regardless of vaccination status.
- Areas designated as yellow will be exempt from arrival testing and quarantine if they have a vaccination certificate. However, on-arrival testing and quarantine still applies to those who cannot provide a valid vaccination certificate.
- Areas designated as Red will still be required to do an arrival PCR test and self-isolate.

Quarantine

Travellers who are entering or returning to Japan from a country or region designated as requiring quarantine at government-designated accommodations (hereinafter “designated country/region”) and who have not had three doses of a COVID-19 vaccination will be required to quarantine for three days at accommodations designated by a quarantine station. If the results of a test taken at the accommodations are negative, they will not be required to quarantine after leaving the facility.
Travellers who are entering or returning to Japan from a designated country/region and who have a certificate confirming they have received three vaccination doses will be required to quarantine at home/accommodations of their choosing for seven days, in principle. However, if they take a self-test after three days after entering Japan and submit a negative result to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Health Monitoring Center for Overseas Entrants, or HCO) where its status is confirmed, they will not be required to remain in quarantine after that.
Travellers who are entering or returning to Japan from a non-designated country/region and have not received three vaccination doses will be required to quarantine at home/accommodations of their choosing for seven days, in principle. However, if they take a self-test after three days after entering Japan and submit a negative result to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Health Monitoring Center for Overseas Entrants, or HCO) where its status is confirmed, they will not be required to remain in quarantine after that.
Travellers who are entering or returning to Japan from a non-designated country/region and who have a certificate to confirm they have received three vaccination doses will not be required to quarantine at home/accommodations after entering Japan

For FAQ about Quarantine measures, please see Japanese Border Measures (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) .