Malaysians Will Soon Require Travel Authorisation When Visiting Japan
The authorisation system is part of Japan's new tourism plan to deter illegal migration.
By Tamara Jayne — 30 Aug 2024, 04:00 PM
Malaysia is one of 71 countries that will soon require travel authorisation to visit Japan under the country's new tourism plan
According to Japan Today, the Japanese government announced that tourists from visa-exempt countries will need to declare their personal details online before entering Japan.
This new system aims to curb the number of illegal immigrants who enter from visa-exempt countries, such as Malaysia, and overstay their permitted period.
The travel authorisation requirement will also apply to countries like Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea, Britain, the US, and Australia
The report highlighted that in January 2016 alone, 49,801 illegal short-term visitors were recorded in Japan, with over 28,000 coming from visa-exempt countries and regions.
The new system, named JESTA, will function similarly to the US Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), which was introduced as an anti-terrorism measure.
Research costs for JESTA will be allocated in next year's budget, with plans to implement the system by 2030.
JESTA will require foreigners to declare their purpose of entry and place of stay
If an application is flagged as an illegal-stay risk, the travel authorisation will be denied, and the traveller may need to obtain a visa from their local embassy instead.
Here is the list of the 71 visa-exempt countries that will require travel authorisation under the new system:
- Andorra
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Chile
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Dominican Republic
- El Salvador
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lesotho
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macao
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Monaco
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Panama
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Republic of Korea
- Romania
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Suriname
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Tunisia
- Türkiye
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uruguay
