How to Apply for a Japan Visa From Pakistan

Pakistani passport holders need a visa for every visit to Japan,. Since 1 April 2024 the Embassy of Japan in Islamabad, and since early May 2024 the Consulate-General of Japan in Karachi, no longer take ordinary visa applications at their own desks. Tourists, family visitors and short business travellers now hand in a paper file at a Japan Visa Application Centre (JVAC) operated by VFS Global together with Gerry's Visa.

This guide is only about applying from inside Pakistan. It differs from our Japan visa from India guide and our Japan visa from the Philippines guide, because the Pakistani route has its own provincial split between Islamabad and Karachi, a walk-in rule for Sindh and Balochistan, a visa fee exemption for Pakistani nationals, a CNIC and Family Registration Certificate requirement, and its own checklists. It covers who applies where, how to reach the centre, fees by nationality, documents for each purpose, the schedule of stay, guarantors in Japan, timing, refusals and a planning checklist.

Facts come from the Embassy of Japan in Pakistan visa information page, the Embassy notice Application for Japanese visa since 1st April, the Consulate-General in Karachi pages Visiting Japan and application since 7 May, and the VFS Global Japan Pakistan visa information page with its tourism checklist (PDF). Confirm details there on the day you apply, because centre rules can change at short notice.

Do Pakistanis Need a Visa for Japan?

Yes. Japan does not offer visa-free entry or a visa on arrival to holders of ordinary Pakistani passports. Every visit, even a few days at a conference, needs a visa issued before you travel. From Pakistan the application is a paper file handed in at a visa centre.

For a holiday, a visit to relatives or friends, or a short business trip, you apply for a temporary visitor visa. VFS describes the tourism and family categories as allowing a stay of up to 90 days. Ask only for the stay your plan really needs, and make the schedule of stay show it.

Work, study, joining a spouse and other long stays need a Certificate of Eligibility issued in Japan first. Those routes are outside this guide.

If you live in Pakistan but are not Pakistani

Foreign residents of Pakistan also apply through the visa centre. The fee you pay depends on your nationality, and some nationalities have a separate fee scale. Bring proof of your legal stay in Pakistan and ask VFS which extra papers apply to your passport.

Which Centre: Islamabad or Karachi Jurisdiction

Your province of residence decides where you apply, not your city of birth or the airport you plan to use. The rule in the VFS and Consulate pages is simple:

VFS states that only residents of Sindh and Balochistan can apply at the Karachi centre. There is no Japan visa centre in Lahore, so applicants from Lahore travel to Islamabad. Carry your CNIC, because the address on it is the easiest proof of which jurisdiction you belong to. If you have moved, bring proof of your current address, such as a utility bill or a rental agreement.

The Embassy and the Consulate-General still decide every visa. The centre only receives files, collects the service charge and returns passports. Asking the Embassy to take your file directly does not help: the Embassy says such requests are refused to keep the process fair and can slow down processing.

Where to Submit and How to Get There

Both centres are run by VFS Global together with Gerry's Visa, the partner named by the Embassy. The VFS Japan centre pages for Islamabad and Karachi list these addresses. Both open Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00, with application submission from 09:00 to 14:00 and passport collection from 11:00 to 16:00. If your booking confirmation shows anything different, follow it.

• Islamabad centre: Japan Visa Application Centre, Gerry's VISA Services, Adjacent to Punjab Cash and Carry, Park Road, Chatha Bakhtawar, Islamabad, Pakistan Get directions
• Karachi centre: Japan Visa Application Centre, Fourth Floor, Bahria Complex IV, Chaudary Khaliq Uz Zaman Road, Gizri, Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan Get directions

Directions to the Islamabad centre

Use the map link above and give a ride-hailing driver Punjab Cash and Carry on Park Road, Chatha Bakhtawar, as the landmark, since the centre is next to it. Applicants travelling from Lahore, Faisalabad or Peshawar usually reach Islamabad by motorway the evening before, so a long drive does not eat into a morning slot. Allow extra time for weekday traffic and arrive about 15 minutes before your appointment with the booking letter, passport and complete file.

Directions to the Karachi centre

The centre is on the fourth floor of Bahria Complex IV on Chaudary Khaliq Uz Zaman Road in Gizri, Clifton, so entering the building name in a ride-hailing app or the map link above is the simplest way to arrive. Allow time for the lift and security at the entrance. Applicants from Hyderabad, Sukkur or Quetta should plan to arrive in Karachi the day before. Because Sindh and Balochistan residents can walk in, queues can build early in the day; come with a complete, ordered file so you are not sent away to make photocopies, and arrive well before submission closes at 14:00.

Mission addresses (not for ordinary submissions)

For completeness, the Embassy's visa section is at Plot No. 53-70, Ramna 5/4, Diplomatic Enclave I, Islamabad 44000 Get directions and the Consulate-General's visa section is at 6/2 Civil Lines, Abdullah Haroon Road, Karachi Get directions. Ordinary applicants should not go there to apply: both missions now accept only diplomatic and official visa applications at their own desks. The Diplomatic Enclave in Islamabad also has restricted access.

Illustration created with AI; the people shown are fictional.

Contacts, Hotline and Who Answers What

Three different contact points exist, and each handles different questions. Using the right one saves days.

The Embassy also asks applicants not to request special treatment or direct acceptance at its desk. It says such requests are refused to keep processing fair, and that they can delay files for everyone.

Japan Visa Fees by Nationality

Fees depend on the passport you hold, not on where you live. Pakistani passport holders are exempt from the Japanese visa fee. The VFS page says so directly, and Japan's consular lists of visa-fee-exempt nationalities include Pakistan.

The service charge is PKR 3,500 per application and is not returned. The VFS tourism page says it is paid online when you book, while the centre pages describe payment at the centre, so check the live instructions for your booking. Any visa fee and optional extras are paid in cash in Pakistani rupees at the centre. Foreign residents of Pakistan should confirm the current visa fee for their nationality in the official VFS and Embassy fee schedule before they go.

Optional services at the centre, such as photocopying, form-filling help, a photo booth or SMS updates, cost extra. None of them is required. A complete file prepared at home saves both money and time.

Cost and Time Plan for a Family of Four

Because Pakistani passport holders pay no Japanese visa fee, the official cost of applying is mainly the centre's service charge, charged per application.

Add your own costs for travel to the centre, photos and fresh certificates. On time, count back from your flight: at least 6 working days of processing, a margin for extra checks, closure days, and the earliest submission limits of 90 days before travel in Islamabad and 60 days in Karachi. For most visitors, submitting four to six weeks before departure balances these limits.

Documents for a Tourist Visa

VFS asks you to arrange documents in the same order as the checklist and attach a copy of the checklist to the form. All photocopies must be on A4 paper. The tourism checklist lists:

1. Passport and a copy of the personal details page.
2. Visa application form, completed, printed on one side of the paper and signed by you.
3. One recent photograph on a white background, in the size the current checklist states.
4. Flight itinerary issued by a travel agency or an airline office.
5. Itinerary with the places you plan to visit and where you will stay.
6. Hotel bookings on the same dates as the itinerary and flight plan.
7. Certificate of employment or a letter from your organisation confirming the purpose of the trip, plus the last three months of salary slips if you are employed.
8. For business owners: business profile with Chamber membership, NTN personal information page or SECP registration.
9. Copy of bank statement for the last three months, stamped and signed by the bank.
10. Copy of your CNIC on A4.
11. Copy of student card, only if you are still a registered student.
12. Family Registration Certificate, for families, issued within the last three months.

If someone else pays for the trip, add documents proving your relationship with that person and their own bank statement. Photo size is the one detail where official pages differ: the current VFS tourism page and the Karachi Consulate page give 45 mm by 35 mm, while an older Embassy page and older VFS checklists give 45 mm by 45 mm. Use the size in the current VFS checklist for your category on the day you apply, and ask the centre if in doubt.

Visiting Relatives or Friends in Japan

If someone in Japan invites you, the file changes. The visiting relatives checklist asks for your own documents plus papers from the person in Japan:

• Invitation letter and letter of guarantee, on the Embassy forms.
• The inviter's latest certificate of income or taxation (kazei shomeisho) showing annual income.
• Certificate of residence (juminhyo) showing all family members.
• Copy of the inviter's bankbook for the last three months.
• Proof of relationship, such as a Japanese family register (koseki) or a Pakistani Family Registration Certificate issued within three months. Friends can show photos together or chat history.
• Copy of the inviter's residence card (zairyu card) and passport, if they are a foreign resident of Japan.
• Your CNIC copy, certificate of employment and, if you study, your student card.

Japanese certificates come from the inviter's city office and should be recent. The checklist names them in Japanese; if any Pakistani document you add is in Urdu, ask the centre whether an English translation is expected, and keep the translation next to the original.

Guarantor and the schedule of stay

The guarantor in Japan promises to cover your stay and return if needed. Use the Embassy's letter of guarantee form and the itinerary form, which has columns for date, activities, contact and accommodation. Fill in every night of the trip. If you stay with your relative, write their address; if you move between cities, show each hotel.

What the Japanese Invitation and Guarantee Forms Ask

If someone in Japan hosts you, the forms they sign are the core of your file. The Embassy forms on the VFS site are short, but every line matters.

Letter of Guarantee

• Addressed to the Ambassador or Consul-General of Japan in Pakistan.
• Your full name in the Latin alphabet exactly as in your passport, with date of birth, nationality and occupation.
• For two or more applicants, the representative is named and a list of all applicants is attached.
• The guarantor promises to cover your expenses in Japan, your return travel and your compliance with Japanese law.
• The guarantor's name, date of birth, address in Japan, telephone, occupation or organisation, and relationship with you.

Letter of Invitation

• The inviting person's name, address and telephone. If the inviter and guarantor are the same person, the form allows writing Same as guarantor.
• The purpose of the invitation, the background to it explained in detail, and the relationship with you.
• When a company invites, it fills in the company name, the signer's title and a contact person with department.

Details of Company or Organisation

A company that is not yet registered and has no brochure uses this form to describe itself: representative, address, capital, annual sales, employees, business description, history, branches, and its business ties with you. Registered companies normally send their corporate registration or an overview instead, as the business checklist says.

Ask your host to send the signed originals early, and check that your passport spelling, dates and the trip purpose match your own form and schedule of stay.

Short Business Visits

For meetings, conferences, exhibitions, training visits or sports and cultural exchanges up to 90 days, follow the business checklist. It asks for an invitation letter or letter of guarantee from the Japanese company, a flight itinerary, hotel bookings and a schedule that does not exceed 90 days, recent bank statements with the bank stamp and signature, your CNIC and Family Registration Certificate, a certificate of employment and your business profile with Chamber, SECP or NTN details.

If the Japanese company guarantees your stay, it must also send its corporate registration (hojin tokibo tohon) or a company overview, and a passbook showing its account details. Ask your host early, because these papers come by post or courier from Japan.

Decision Examples: Which Route Fits You

These worked examples apply the published rules to common situations. Use them to check your own file, not as a promise of the outcome.

A salaried engineer in Lahore on a two-week holiday

Lahore is in Punjab, so the file goes to Islamabad, booked through VFS. As a Pakistani passport holder there is no visa fee, only the PKR 3,500 service charge. The file follows the tourism checklist: employment certificate with three months of salary slips, a stamped and signed three-month bank statement, CNIC copy on A4, flight itinerary, hotels on the same dates and a day-by-day schedule. Plan the Islamabad trip so a morning slot is not missed.

A Karachi family visiting a brother who lives in Osaka

A Sindh address means the Karachi centre, where residents may walk in. Each person has their own form, photo and service charge. The brother in Japan provides the invitation letter, letter of guarantee, income or tax certificate, residence certificate and bankbook copy, and the family adds a Family Registration Certificate issued within three months to prove the relationship.

A Quetta exporter invited to a trade fair in Tokyo

Balochistan residents also apply in Karachi. The business checklist applies: the Japanese company's invitation or guarantee, its registration or overview and, if it guarantees the trip, its passbook copy, plus the exporter's Chamber, SECP or NTN papers and stamped bank statements. The schedule should show the fair dates and any meetings, within 90 days.

A Peshawar student whose father pays for the trip

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa residents apply in Islamabad. The student adds a copy of the student card and, because someone else pays, the father's bank statement plus proof of relationship, such as the Family Registration Certificate. A short letter from the father confirming that he funds the trip makes the link clear.

Step-by-Step: How to Apply

1. Pick the category on the VFS site: tourism, visiting relatives or friends, or business.
2. Check your jurisdiction: Karachi for Sindh and Balochistan residents, Islamabad for everyone else.
3. Book an appointment for Islamabad following the current VFS instructions, and pay the PKR 3,500 service charge as the live instructions say. Sindh and Balochistan residents may apply at the Karachi centre without a prior appointment.
4. Fill in and sign the form, printed on one side only, and glue a photo in the size the current checklist states.
5. Build the file in checklist order, with A4 photocopies and the checklist attached.
6. Make dates match: the form, schedule of stay, hotels and flight plan should show the same arrival and departure.
7. Attend in person with original documents; a parent or guardian comes with any child under 18.
8. Wait at least 6 working days, then collect your passport as the centre tells you.

In Islamabad you cannot submit more than 90 days before your travel date, and in Karachi not more than 60 days before, so do not apply too early. Applying about four to six weeks before travel leaves room for extra checks.

Processing Time, Holidays and Refusals

The Embassy gives a standard processing time of 6 working days at the earliest from submission at the centre, if the file has no problems. The Karachi Consulate counts the submission day within the six. Incomplete files take longer, and files needing close examination can take several months. Japan never issues a visa on the day you apply.

The centres close on Pakistani public holidays and some Japanese holidays. The VFS 2026 closure list includes 9 November (Allama Iqbal Day), 25 December and the year-end break from 29 to 31 December. Eid dates move with the moon, so check the list before you book around them.

If a visa is refused, the reason is not given. The Embassy says you can apply again six months after the refusal. Use that time to fix whatever was weak: unclear funds, a vague schedule, missing guarantor papers or dates that did not match.

2026 Closure Dates Still Ahead

The VFS holiday list shows the Japan centres in Pakistan closed on these remaining 2026 dates, so do not plan a submission or passport collection for them:

Earlier in the year the list includes Eid and Ashura dates that depend on the moon, Japanese holidays such as the Emperor's Birthday, and Pakistani national days. Check the new list when VFS publishes the 2027 calendar.

Children and Family Applications

Each family member needs their own form, photo and application, and each pays the service charge. For families, include the Family Registration Certificate issued within the last three months, which proves the relationship between parents and children. A child's file normally relies on the parent's bank statements and employment letter, so make sure those cover everyone travelling.

A parent or guardian must accompany any child under 18 at the centre. If one parent is not travelling, a signed consent letter from that parent with a copy of their CNIC is a sensible addition, even though it is not on every checklist.

Long-Term Visas With a Certificate of Eligibility

This guide focuses on short visits, but one practical point helps people on the work or study route. VFS says applicants for long-term stay categories who cannot get an online appointment at the Islamabad centre can visit at 2pm, and staff will help book the next available slot, subject to availability. The Certificate of Eligibility issued in Japan must be included with the application. Residents of Sindh and Balochistan still apply in Karachi.

Flight and Hotel Reservations for Your File

The VFS checklists ask for a flight itinerary issued by a travel agency or airline office and hotel bookings on the same dates. They do not ask you to buy a full fare before the visa is approved. What matters is that the itinerary is real, readable and matches your schedule of stay.

Illustration created with AI; the traveller shown is fictional. Landmark reference photo: nobu3withfoxy, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

A BookForVisa flight reservation gives you a verifiable itinerary for your Japan application:

• A flat $15 per person for a flight reservation, and $15 per person for a hotel reservation.
• A real PNR you can check on the airline's own site.
• Valid 48-72 hours, which covers the days around your appointment.
• Free date changes on the booking day only.
• It can be issued even while you are at the visa centre.

If you use another provider, a dummy ticket should still be a verifiable reservation that matches the dates on your form. For how Tokyo routings are usually shown, see our note on flight reservations for a Tokyo visa. Book your paid flight only after the visa is issued.

Common Mistakes Pakistani Applicants Make

• Applying in the wrong city. Lahore and Peshawar residents must go to Islamabad; Karachi takes only Sindh and Balochistan residents.
• Going to the Embassy or Consulate. They accept only diplomatic and official visas.
• Paying middlemen. Book and pay only on the official VFS site, and hand in your own file.
• Wrong photo size. Use the size in the current checklist, on white.
• Unsigned or double-sided form. Print on one side and sign by hand.
• Bank statement without the bank stamp and signature.
• An old Family Registration Certificate. It should be within three months.
• Applying too early: more than 90 days before travel in Islamabad, or more than 60 days in Karachi.
• Dates that do not match across the form, schedule, hotels and flight plan.

Planning Timeline

How This Guide Differs From Other Japan Guides

Our India and Philippines Japan guides describe different visa centres, currencies and document lists. From Pakistan the essentials are the Islamabad or Karachi jurisdiction, the walk-in rule for Sindh and Balochistan, no visa fee for Pakistani passports, the PKR 3,500 service charge, CNIC and Family Registration Certificate copies, and A4 photocopies in checklist order.

Japan Visa Checklist From Pakistan

1. Confirm you need a temporary visitor visa and choose the category.
2. Check whether you apply in Islamabad or Karachi.
3. Book the appointment and pay the service charge, or plan the Karachi walk-in.
4. Sign the one-sided form and attach a photo in the current checklist size.
5. Prepare bank statements, employment or business papers, CNIC and Family Registration Certificate.
6. Add invitation and guarantee papers from Japan if someone hosts you.
7. Match flight reservation, hotels and schedule of stay.
8. Attend in person, then collect the passport after at least 6 working days.

Header image: illustration created with AI; the traveller shown is fictional. Landmark reference photo: Dang Son, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Frequently Asked Questions

Friendly reminder: BookForVisa prepares flight and hotel reservations to support visa applications and onward-travel proof. Requirements vary by destination, consulate, visa category and applicant situation. A reservation supports your file; it is not a paid ticket for travel and does not guarantee visa approval or entry.