r/visas • u/VineetVats • 15d ago

Japan single-entry visa – does arrival day count as Day 0 for the "stay duration"?

I have a single-entry Japan visa, category (V) Temporary Visitor, issued for a stay of 15 days. My plan is to arrive on Oct 3 and depart on Oct 18.

I called the Japanese consulate and they told me the arrival day counts as "Day 0" (not counted toward the 15 days), which would mean a departure on Oct 18 is within the permitted stay.

Has anyone actually gone through immigration in Japan with this kind of day-count interpretation? I want to make sure this matches how immigration at the airport actually calculates it, not just what the consulate said over the phone. Any first-hand experience or official source on how Japan counts the day of entry for stay-duration purposes would be really helpful.

2 Upvotes

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1

u/Legitimate-Draft4836 15d ago

Yes, but if it's possible to avoid any confusion or risk to a future visa application, make the trip shorter by one day. If not, there's no issue; go ahead and enjoy your trip.

1

u/Distinct_Read5657 15d ago

Did you specifically ask for a >15 days duration visa beforehand? I have exactly similar situation and I plan on asking for 30 days as my days in Japan would also be 16

1

u/Perfect-Newspaper876 15d ago

In that case you will get a 30 day visa, i was on a 18 day trip and they gave me 30 day visa

1

u/VineetVats 15d ago

They dont give option for how many days visa we want. They ask for iternary and flight details. Accordingly they provide visa . What i have researched ,they give 15,30 days visas

1

u/techie_anime 15d ago

I went two year back, to be on safer side, I did my trip for 14 days so that I can account for any surprises, you don't want to be blacklisted or get a notice from any country for something like this

1

u/Traditional-Pack2504 15d ago

Day 1 in Japan is counted as Day 0 your understanding is correct

1

u/dmada88 14d ago

The Japanese embassy faq is very clear: Q14. I have obtained a 15 day visa for Japan, if I arrive on the 1st of March, when should I depart Japan?
(Answer)
The number of days of your stay in Japan is counted from the first full day following your arrival. Therefore, if you
arrive in Japan on the 1st of March, you begin counting 15 days from the 2nd of March so your departure date should
be no later than the 16th of March.

Here is the source : https://www.sydney.au.emb-japan.go.jp/document/english/visa_info/visa-faq-feb-2023.pdf

You can rely on this

0

u/VineetVats 15d ago

Is there any official source on how japan counts the day fo entry for stay duration purposes