Planning future trips to Japan? You’ll soon need to remember to add one more item to your travel preparation checklist, because jetsetters from over 70 visa-exempt countries will eventually need to apply for a Japanese version of America’s ESTA. And nope, Singaporeans aren’t spared this time, despite having the most powerful passport in the world. Bummer.
Our 90-day travel window remains, but we’ll first have to submit an online application covering trip details such as the purpose of travel and accommodation address. If you’re flagged as suspicious, your JESTA application could very well be rejected. Having a clean slate on your record, free from any criminal activity or overstaying abroad, would certainly help.
Processing times can range from a few hours to a few days, which means spontaneous last-minute getaways to Japan may become a thing of the past. You’ll also have to factor in a little more vacation budget, as a JESTA admin fee is required at the point of application. At present, the cost of obtaining a JESTA has not yet been decided, but fingers crossed that it won’t be more than a meal at Ichiran Ramen.
Though initially slated for 2030, the timeline for Japan’s JESTA programme has been brought forward to the fiscal year of 2028, which means that you can expect it to commence sometime between April 2028 and March 2029.
This additional step sure strips away some level of convenience, but knowing just how much Singaporeans love Japan – with a record-breaking 691,100 of us visiting the country last year – this new requirement will probably do little to derail our travel plans.
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