UPDATE: Japan to Introduce New Entry System for Travellers from 71 Visa-Exempt Countries

Japan to Introduce New Entry System for Travellers from 71 Visa-Exempt Countries. The Asian Country Is Going To Switch From Its Visa Exemption Policy To JESTA.

Visiting Japan has been easier for some people due to the 71 countries exempt policy that was in place. Japan is set to introduce a new entry system for all travellers from these 71 visa-exempt countries. This means, travellers from these countries who at a time did not require a visa to travel to Japan will now have to go through the new entry system policy before heading to Japan.

The JESTA, which is the new policy for all travellers from the 71 visa-exempt countries, will require new travel authorization from these travellers. This new entry system will make the Asian country more safe and secure, especially at its borders.

For the old policy, tourists from the 71 visa-exempt countries did not require a visa to stay in Japan. With the new entry policy, this situation is about to change with the introduction of the new policy which is tagged as ‘JESTA’.

The new entry policy (JESTA) will function just like the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) in the United States. The ESTA was implemented to counterterrorism and curb any form of suspicious acts. With the JESTA, travellers will now be required to input their information online.

The new entry system will be checking all travellers from the 71 visa-exempt countries to curb all unauthorized long stays in Japan. Tourists from these exempt countries can stay in Japan between 14 and 90 days. Some of these tourists do overstay, and this new policy will identify all possible victims of such acts. This was disclosed by the Japanese government.

However, all visitors travelling to the country from the 71 visa-exempt countries will now have to state their visit purpose and their length of stay. This information will now filter all possible threats. If travellers are denied the JESTA, they will need to officially apply for a visa.

Once the JESTA is implemented, these 71 visa-exempted countries will need to start using it:

1. Argentina
2. Austria
3. Andorra
4. Australia
5. Belgium
6. Bahamas
7. Bulgaria
8. Barbados
9. Brunei
10. Brazil
11. Croatia
12. Canada
13. Costa Rica
14. Czech Republic
15. Chile
16. Cyprus
17. Dominican Republic
18. Denmark
19. Estonia
20. El Salvador
21. France
22. Finland
23. Guatemala
24. Germany
25. Greece
26. Hungary
27. Honduras
28. Hong Kong
29. Israel
30. Iceland
31. Ireland
32. Italy
33. Indonesia
34. Liechtenstein
35. Luxembourg
36. Lesotho
37. Lithuania
38. Latvia
39. Mauritius
40. Macao
41. Monaco
42. Malaysia
43. Mexico
44. Malta
45. North Macedonia
46. Netherlands
47. Norway
48. New Zealand
49. Portugal
50. Panama
51. Poland
52. Qatar
53. Romania
54. Republic of Korea
55. Singapore
56. Slovenia
57. San Marino
58. Suriname
59. Serbia
60. Sweden
61. Switzerland
62. Slovakia
63. Spain
64. Tunisia
65. Türkiye
66. Taiwan
67. Thailand
68. United Kingdom
69. United States
70. United Arab Emirates
71. Uruguay

The Japan government aims to complete and implement this new policy by 2030.

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