What is Japan's JESTA and when do you need it?

What JESTA is

JESTA is Japan's version of the US ESTA, the UK ETA and Korea's K-ETA: travellers who don't need a visa will submit their passport details and answer screening questions online before departure, and receive an approval linked to their passport.

It is aimed at short-term visitors from the 70-plus countries and regions currently visa-exempt for Japan, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and EU countries. Travellers who need a visa will keep applying for a visa as now.

The stated aims are to screen people before they board rather than at the airport, to cut immigration queues as visitor numbers keep climbing, and to reduce overstays.

What is confirmed so far (as of October 2026)

• The law: the Cabinet approved a bill amending the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act on 10 March 2026. The House of Representatives passed it on 28 April 2026, and the House of Councillors approved it in late May 2026, according to reporting on the Diet votes.

• The target start: fiscal 2028. Japan's fiscal year begins on 1 April, so that means sometime between April 2028 and March 2029. No exact date has been set.

• Airline checks: the government plans to require airlines to refuse boarding to visa-exempt travellers without a valid JESTA, the same model as the UK and Korea.

• Visa-free entry continues. JESTA is a screening step on top of visa exemption, not the end of it. A 90-day tourist stay for Americans is not expected to change.

Our Japan visa guide covers the current rules.

What is not confirmed: fee, validity and the official site

Fee. Not set. Kyodo News reported in December 2025 that the government was considering a fee of about ¥2,000 to ¥3,000 (≈ $12.7–19.0), and officials have said they will look at what other countries charge. For comparison, the UK ETA is £20 (≈ $27) and Korea's K-ETA is 10,000 won. Treat any exact yen figure you see before the official announcement as a guess.

Validity and processing time. Not announced. Comparable schemes run 2 to 3 years per passport, with decisions within about 72 hours, but Japan has not said what it will do.

Official site and app. There is none yet. No government portal accepts JESTA applications in 2026. Any site taking money for a Japan JESTA now is not official. When it launches, the official channel will be announced by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan. Expect lookalike sites, the same pattern seen with the UK ETA and the K-ETA.

JESTA vs Visit Japan Web

People mix these up, so here is the difference.

• Visit Japan Web exists now. It is free, optional, and fills in your immigration and customs forms in advance so you get a QR code for the kiosks at Narita, Haneda, Kansai and other airports. It is not a permission to travel. Our Visit Japan Web guide walks through it.

• JESTA will be mandatory for visa-exempt visitors, filed before you fly, and checked by the airline. Without approval you won't board.

Whether Visit Japan Web is merged into JESTA or kept separate has not been announced.

How it fits with Japan's other new visitor costs

JESTA is one of several changes raising the cost of a Japan trip. The international tourist tax (departure tax) went from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000 (≈ $19.0) per departure from 1 July 2026, built into your ticket: see our Japan departure tax guide. Cities add their own accommodation taxes, and Kyoto raised its rates in 2026.

For a family of four, the departure tax already adds ¥12,000 (≈ $76) per trip. A JESTA fee in the reported ¥2,000 to ¥3,000 (≈ $12.7–19.0) range would add roughly another ¥8,000 to ¥12,000 (≈ $51–76) once, though possibly covering several trips if validity is multi-year. Our Japan trip cost breakdown shows where these sit against flights and hotels.

Tax-free shopping is also moving to a refund model from November 2026: see Japan tax-free shopping.

What to do if you are planning a Japan trip

• Travelling before April 2028: nothing to do for JESTA. Check your passport is valid for the whole stay and consider Visit Japan Web.

• Travelling in 2028 or 2029: check the Immigration Services Agency's announcements about 3 months before you go. Once JESTA is live, apply as soon as you book flights, and through the official channel only.

• Renewing a passport: with comparable schemes, authorization is linked to one passport. If JESTA follows that pattern, renew first and apply after.

For the trip itself, our Japan guide and 14-day itinerary cover where to go, and 3 days in Tokyo covers the first stop for most visitors.

Frequently asked questions