Complicated Visa Ordeal......

[murr-man]

Ok fellas, here is the question, maybe somebody can provide guidance.

 

I am a US Citizen, living in Okinawa Japan. I want to bring a girl I met last trip, out here for a couple weeks to show her around....see her once more....you know, the whole nine yards.

 

She lives in Bangkok, but is a citizen of Laos. She has a Laos passport.

 

My question, is can she get a visa to Japan from the Japan Embassy in Bangkok? Will she have to get it in Laos?

 

Can I get it for her here in Japan?

 

This is fucking ming boggling, and before I get nut deep....hopefully one of you guys could shed some quick light and get me started in the right direction. Thanks.

[GoldCoastJon]

Murr Man

 

I think she will need to obtain some type of tourist VISA to come to Japan. It might be an idea to get her to call the Japan Embassy in Bangkok to get all the details of whats required, you could also contact someone from the Japanese Immigration department (Or what ever its called) to sound them out if thats possible

 

Good luck, hope it works out for you

 

 

Cheers

Jon

[ricktoronto]

Ok fellas, here is the question, maybe somebody can provide guidance.

 

I am a US Citizen, living in Okinawa Japan. I want to bring a girl I met last trip, out here for a couple weeks to show her around....see her once more....you know, the whole nine yards.

 

She lives in Bangkok, but is a citizen of Laos. She has a Laos passport.

 

My question, is can she get a visa to Japan from the Japan Embassy in Bangkok? Will she have to get it in Laos?

 

Can I get it for her here in Japan?

 

This is fucking ming boggling, and before I get nut deep....hopefully one of you guys could shed some quick light and get me started in the right direction. Thanks.

 

Their web site amazingly, has a wealth of info including forms. If she is legally living in Thailand then she applies where she lives. They granted a lot of visas to Thais, 2nd only to China, maybe a Laotian living in Bangkok has a chance. Of course since you are not her, you can't apply for her. It is pretty rare to apply for a visa in the country someone is going to, vs. where they are coming from primarily because countries don't have embassies or consulates for themselves in their own country, on the basis if you are there, well, you are there.

 

Maybe an approved travel agent in Bangkok might grease the skids of legitimacy for her and at the very least is likely to give you the best advice on the odds, since it is in their best interest to get one (and sell a ticket there).

 

This basic visa info applies to a tourist/transit/other visa for pretty much anyone from pretty much any country in the world that doesn't offer visa on arrival or visa waivers or visa exemptions (which are 3 different things).

 

http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/

 

Points to Note and Application Method

 

An application for visa is made by the applicant him/herself at the Japanese Embassy / Consulate General with jurisdiction over the area in which the applicant lives. In some cases the application may be made by an accredited travel agent that has been approved by the Japanese Embassy / Consulate General.

 

When making an application, documents prepared by the applicant him/herself and documents prepared by the inviting person in Japan are required.

 

The documents that are necessary for the application differ depending on the travel purpose and the nationality of the applicant. Refer to the relevant section of this web site.

Edited March 1, 2011 by ricktoronto

[murr-man]

Murr Man

 

I think she will need to obtain some type of tourist VISA to come to Japan. It might be an idea to get her to call the Japan Embassy in Bangkok to get all the details of whats required, you could also contact someone from the Japanese Immigration department (Or what ever its called) to sound them out if thats possible

 

Good luck, hope it works out for you

 

 

Cheers

Jon

 

My question is, her being a Laos citizen....is the Japanese embassy in Thailand (Bangkok) going to tell her to go to hell most likely?

[SlickMonkey]

You wont really go thru the Embassy anyhow so it wont matter (Assuming she is in Thailand legally w/ Laos Passport). You will submit your documents thru the Japan Visa Application Center anyhow.

 

http://jp-vfsglobal-th.com

Japan Visa Application Centre,

Address:

15th Floor, Unit C, Silom Complex, Office Towers

191 Silom Road, Silom District Bangrak,

Bangkok 10500

+66 - (0) 2 - 6321541

E-mail at [email protected]

Edited March 1, 2011 by SlickMonkey

[murr-man]

You wont really go thru the Embassy anyhow so it wont matter (Assuming she is in Thailand legally w/ Laos Passport). You will submit your documents thru the Japan Visa Application Center anyhow.

 

http://jp-vfsglobal-th.com

Japan Visa Application Centre,

Address:

15th Floor, Unit C, Silom Complex, Office Towers

191 Silom Road, Silom District Bangrak,

Bangkok 10500

+66 - (0) 2 - 6321541

E-mail at [email protected]

 

God I looked through all of this, this is gonna be a bitch to do hahaha.

 

Will be worth it when I strut her sexy ass through Okinawa and make all the girls here look like shit!

[CJ-PAF]

I have dealt with a lot of visa issues and several countries lately, albiet, not with Japan. The basic criteria is generally twofold.

 

1.) You have sufficient resources to maintain yourself for the duration of the stay.

2.) You have sufficient cause to want to return home rather than become an illegal alien.

 

Generally, they will be looking at her job and income to determine these factors. Does she have enough to travel and does she have enough of a career, property, school, family ties etc. to return home to. The better your documentation is for this the better your chances. Be absolutely clear on your schedule, where she will stay and most importantly why she must return. No waffling or vague answers.

 

Most likely, they will be looking for a sponsorship letter guaranteeing financial maintenance and that you will put her back on the plane. Your residence status may not be sufficient to be the one to be able to provide this guarantee. You should check on that. They may require a Japanese citizen or business to sponsor a foreign applicant. A business trip is the easiest to arrange if she has appropriate credentials for such an event.

 

I think RickToronto had a good idea in going through a travel agent. An expansion of that might be joining a group tour package where they may be able to process the visa, along with a pile of others, for her. He is also correct that if she has legal residency in Thailand, she can apply from her resident country. If not then she will need to apply in Laos. It is not unusual for this to be done in person and require an interview.

 

I suspect that Laos is a little harder because they export a lot of servants around the world and probably make up a good bit of illegal immigrants in Japan. Don't know for sure but would not be surprised.

 

On the plus side, other than the paperwork hassle, it is only $36 to apply for the visa. That's a pretty low financial risk, even if they reject the application.

 

 

Good luck

[thewaytolos]

Just to add on to this. I plan on doing the same thing with a TGF I have. I also live in Okinawa, on the Japanese embassy website, if your applying for a Visa to come to Okinawa the Visa fee is waived. Visa Fee only applies to the mainland.