Japan will issue e-visas to Vietnamese tour groups starting November 1st.

Starting in early November, the Japanese Embassy in Hanoi and the Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City will issue e-visas to Vietnamese tour groups.

According to an announcement on the website of the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam on October 2nd, the electronic visa issued is for short-term, single-entry tourist visas valid for up to 15 days, and is only granted to Vietnamese passport holders residing in Vietnam. The issuance of electronic visas will begin gradually among designated travel companies organizing package tours.

Daigo-ji Temple in Kyoto during autumn. Photo: Noppawat

Sources from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) in Vietnam told VnExpress that initially, the new policy does not apply to independent travelers but to authorized agencies, and later to designated agencies. Designated agencies are only allowed to submit visa applications for tour groups, while authorized agencies can submit applications for various purposes other than tourism, such as business trips or studying abroad. "The authorized agency is usually also the designated agency," the JNTO source stated.

Visa applicants must present a "Visa Issuance Notice" displayed on a mobile phone, iPad, or other internet-connected device at the airport. PDF files, screenshots, or hard copies are not accepted.

According to JNTO, with 397,000 visitors in the first eight months of the year, Vietnam is one of the seven largest source markets for Japanese tourists. Speaking to VnExpress on September 27th, Yoshida Kenji, Chief Representative of JNTO in Vietnam, stated that Vietnam has always been considered a key market for Japanese tourism. He expects the number of Vietnamese visitors to Japan this year to surpass the record of 2019 (500,000).

Conversely, Japan is also one of the largest source markets for tourists to Vietnam, with over 414,000 visitors in the first eight months of the year, ranking behind South Korea, mainland China, and Taiwan.

Ms. Vu Bich Hue, Head of Communications at Flamingo Redtours, believes the new policy makes it easier to obtain visas for group tours. "Tour prices to Japan are cheaper this year due to the depreciation of the yen, which will certainly attract more tourists to Japan," Ms. Hue said.

Phuong Anh

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/nhat-cap-e-visa-cho-khach-doan-viet-tu-1-11-4661162.html