A1: (1) In the case of an invitation for a short-term stay (inviting family or friends, workers of a firm with whom you conduct business, etc., for a stay of 90 days or less and not providing them an income), please compose a Letter of Reason for Invitation and draw up a Schedule of Stay. Regardless of the applicant's nationality, you must additionally submit a Letter of Guarantee, the guarantor's certificate of residency, and papers proving the guarantor's ability to pay the charges if you are inviting someone from China, Russia, CIS countries, or Georgia and if you will be paying their travel expenses instead of the visa application (who desires to come to Japan).
(2) In the case of an invitation for a long-term stay (spouse, working, studying, etc.), it is advised that you begin by requesting a Certificate of Eligibility from your local Regional Immigration Bureau.
(3) Once all the above documents have been created, mail them to the visa applicant.
A2: If you are in a very urgent humanitarian situation, contact the consular division of the Japanese Embassy/Consulate-General/Consular Office. Meanwhile, upon arrival in Japan, you must provide the original of your COE to an immigration official..
A4: If there are no problems with the application's contents, the usual processing period is five working days beginning the next day after the date of acceptance. Meanwhile, if a big number of visa applications arrive at the same time, it may take longer than normal.
