VISA
Information on Entry to Japan (updated on June 13, 2022)
Japanese Government has changed the policy of border measures this June, but all the foreign nationals still need visas for visiting Japan, and entry for sightseeing is limited only to group tourists organized by travel agencies. As these border measures will not change until August, we proceed to support visa issuance with no accompanying persons. We are sorry for your inconvenience.
After you registered, we will send an e-mail on the details of visa support.
As of June, participants from most countries no longer need to be quarantined upon entry, regardless of whether or not they have proof of three vaccinations.
Visit the following website for details:
( LINK )
We are also thinking about offering an opportunity to take the COVID-19 test for returning to your country. This may be done in the conference venue (Grand Park Otaru) or a hospital near the hotel. However, many countries no longer require the negative certificate. If you need to take the test near the conference venue, please contact us (organizer@ult2022.org).
Visa issuance for non-Japanese participants (May 17, 2022)
The ULT2022 will be a hybrid conference (on-site with virtual components). However, as of May 2022, by the strong border measures due to the pandemic, all the non-Japanese (foreign nationals) need a visa to attend ULT2022 (and LT29). Therefore, the attendees of LT29 and other satellite conferences in person will be mainly Japanese, and most non-Japanese scientists will attend the conferences online. We are concerned with this situation because the ULT Conferences have traditionally put emphasis on informal discussion during the meeting.
The Japanese government is now considering a lift of the border measures from June. According to press reports on May 6, the border may open to small tour groups as early as May, and then will open for general tourism (possibly from June). This is good news, but the situation on the border measures is still unstable. So the ULT2022 Organizing Committee starts to support visa issuance to all the non-Japanese prospective participants.
Upon your request, we ask the Ministry of Health of Japan the permission to issue a visa and will send you some documents of approval. You will then request to issue a visa at the Japanese Embassy or Consulate of your country. The visa will be valid for three months after issuance. Depending on the country you live in, you may or may not quarantine at your entry to Japan.
If you want to attend ULT2022 (and LT29) in person, send your request for visa support to organizer@ult2022.org . OR in the Registration Form, you will have a questionnaire about "your current plan regarding the type of participation in ULT2022". Select No. 4 (On-site) or No.2 (Online, but you may change your plan to on-site participation). We will contact you to ask about the travel plan necessary for the application and your passport information.
Important notices:
— We are sorry that we can help with visa issuance only for attending LT and ULT but not for visiting other institutions. We also cannot support issuing visas for accompanied persons not attending ULT for scientific purposes. The LT29 Organizing Committee (and the Committee of other satellite meetings) will not help with visa issuance.
So, if you want to visit Japan with your families or friends who are not scientists, we suggest deferring the application for a visa until the (probable) announcement of the lift of border measures, hopefully, the end of May or the beginning of June.
— The fee for the permission documents and postal cost (approx. 150 US$ per person) are covered by the ULT2022 Organizing Committee. The other expenses, such as visa issuance fees and travel expenses, will, however, not be covered.
— The registration fee for ULT2022 will be 30,000 JPY for an on-site attendee (20,000 JPY for a student) and 15,000 JPY for an online attendee (10,000 JPY for a student). The fee for an on-site attendee does not include the cost of the conference banquet and excursion.
— This visa-issuance process will be complicated for you. Nevertheless, please understand that under the current circumstances, your on-site participation is essential for making ULT2022 successful as a hybrid meeting.
Thank you for your thinking and cooperation,
Keiya Shirahama, on behalf of the ULT2022 Organizing Committee:
organizer@ult2022.org
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Related websites provided by Japanese Government:
-- Border enforcement measures to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19)
https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html
-- Information on the Novel Coronavirus Diseases (COVID-19)
https://www.mofa.go.jp/p_pd/pds/page22e_000910.html
Quarantine at the entry to Japan (Since March 1, 2022)
1. If you come from the country/region NOT on the list(*) below and have a vaccination certificate(**), you do not have to quarantine.
2. If you come from the country/region NOT on the list and do NOT have a vaccination certificate, you have to quarantine at accommodations for three days and submit the result of the self-test to be negative, or you have to quarantine at accommodations for seven days without the self-test.
3. If you come from the country/region on the list and have a vaccination certificate, you have to quarantine at accommodations for three days and submit the result of the self-test to be negative, or you have to quarantine at accommodations for seven days without the self-test.
4. If you come from the country/region on the list and do NOT have a vaccination certificate, you have to quarantine at government-designated accommodations (for example, a hotel near the Narita Airport) for 3 days. The quarantine terminates if the test result at the accommodation is negative.
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"(*)List of the countries/regions as of May 17
Bulgaria
Egypt
Laos
Pakistan
Russia
South Africa"
(**) You have to be vaccinated three times with vaccines listed on the second page of https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000903661.pdf