Dubai: Japan suspends e-visas; residents’ travel plans on hold as appointments ‘rejected’ – News

Some agencies may have a solution, with one expert encouraging travelers to obtain a five-year multiple-entry visa for a popular holiday destination

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Residents of the United Arab Emirates who hope to finally make their dreams of vacationing in Japan come true face a difficult challenge: obtaining a visa is very difficult.

Japan recently suspended its e-visa system, a service launched in 2023, to make the application process easier for UAE residents. Although Emirati residents can visit the country without visas, many expats must obtain permission before leaving.

Now, visa applicants for the popular East Asian destination must email the consulate in Dubai to schedule an appointment. However, travelers and agencies Khaleej times who I spoke to said it was “almost impossible” to get a place and several applications had been “rejected”.

Rafeez Ahmed, a Dubai-based travel vlogger, plans to visit Japan for two weeks in September — but instead of counting down the days until the big day, on Wednesday he was frantically gathering documents for his visa application. This would be his second attempt.

“I worked with the agency to make an appointment, but they have been trying to do it for the last two weeks. They sent four letters to the consulate and all four were rejected or rejected,” Rafeez said Khaleej Times.

“I have now spoken to another agency and they said they can give me a July 1 deadline,” said the Indian expatriate, keeping his fingers crossed.

To obtain an e-visa, applicants only had to log in to the website, fulfill the requirements and pay a fee (Dh80 for most nationalities and Dh20 for Indian citizens).

According to the director of the call center of the Japanese consulate general in this emirate, the online visa issuance system has been suspended in Dubai since April 27.

To make an appointment, applicants must now email the consulate between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. on weekdays. The mission has published a guide on its website (www.dubai.uae.emb-japan.go.jp/) specifying the details that must be included in the email.

If the visit is confirmed, the consulate will send information about the appointment for the following day by 4:00 p.m. If the applicant does not receive a response, it means that the application was “not accepted” and the next day he will have to send another application by e-mail.

The consulate said in its guide that your application will not be processed if your travel date is “longer than 3 months or less than 2 weeks at the time of application.”

Some travel agencies in Dubai have sent countless emails requesting visa appointments – but have never received a response.

Malou Prado, CEO of MPQ Travel and Tourism, said sending these emails doesn’t work at all. “At first, we just sent appointment requests to the consulate, but we didn’t get any response. We just got tired of trying.”

A customer service representative from another agency, Akbar Travels UAE, said they were helping residents apply for visas to Japan. “But after the suspension of the e-visa and due to many rejections, we simply stopped offering this service.”

Even travel platform Musafir.com has faced the same challenges, according to Rashida Zahid, vice president of operations for the agency.

But they managed to process visas two days ago, Zahid said. It’s a touch-and-go game — some get a spot, others aren’t so lucky.

Rafeez also heard of travelers who managed to get an appointment, but “it was very rare.”

The visa challenges come at a time when concerns have been raised about “overtourism” in Japan. Official figures show that more than three million tourists visited in May for the third month in a row. With the yen weak, international travelers are enjoying bargains.

Japan has always been a popular travel destination for tourists from the United Arab Emirates.

“We have seen continued interest in Japan as a holiday destination and we expect this trend to continue,” said Musafir.com’s Zahid.

Despite visa problems, some agencies, such as MPQ Travel and Tourism, managed to find a solution for their clients.

“We now suggest our Filipino clients to apply in the country as we also have an office in Manila,” Prado said.

“Those who go on one-month annual leave will first spend some time in Manila to be able to apply for the visa in person. They can get a visa to Japan within seven to 10 business days,” she explained.

Prado also encourages her clients to apply for multiple-entry visas. “We’ve found that when a traveler can go to Japan with a single-entry visa, it’s much easier to get a five-year multiple-entry visa when they come back,” she said.