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Japan doesn’t accept a PDF, screenshot or printout of the eVISA notice. Open it live on a connected phone.
Do South Africans need a visa for Japan?
e-Visafor South African passports
South Africans need a visa for Japan, and you can now apply online with the JAPAN eVISA.
StayUp to 90 days, single entry
Single-entry visaAbout ¥15,000, roughly R1,540 (the eVISA site shows the exact fee before you pay)
Difficulty 3 of 5
Last checkedChecked17 Oct 2026
What changed: Japan raised its single-entry visa fee from about ¥3,000 to about ¥15,000 for applications accepted from 1 July 2026.
What you need
Tick these off as you go. Your ticks are saved on this device.
How to do it
- Apply on the official JAPAN eVISA website.
- Complete every field: incomplete applications are cancelled.
- Before boarding, show the visa issuance notice on a phone that’s online.
Official site:
Airlines decide whether you can board using a database called Timatic. Before you fly, check your route on the IATA Travel Centre.
What it costs in rand
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Single-entry visa | About ¥15,000, roughly R1,540 (the eVISA site shows the exact fee before you pay) |
Rand amounts use the exchange rate on 9 October 2026 (R16.53 to the US dollar, R18.50 to the euro, R21.87 to the pound) and are rounded. Work out your whole trip in the budget calculator.
Common problems and fixes
Asked for an interview
The embassy can still call you in. Answer promptly.
Plan your trip
Best timeMarch to May, and October to November
MoneyJapanese yen (JPY)
Three trip ideas
Tokyo
Neighbourhoods, food halls and day trips to Nikko or Kamakura.
Kyoto and Nara
Temples, gardens and the deer park.
Osaka
Street food and an easy base for the Kansai area.
Good to know
- Buy an eSIM before you land: you’ll need data to show the eVISA.
Book
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Sources and checks
Checked17 Oct 2026
Checked on 17 Oct 2026 against the official government or embassy page, plus at least one independent source.
- officialThe JAPAN eVISA system · Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan · no date shown
- officialRevision of visa fees from 1 July 2026 · Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan · published 24 Jun 2026
- secondaryJapan raises visa fees from 1 July 2026 · VisasNews · published 19 Jun 2026
- secondaryGood news for South African passport holders (Japan eVISA) · BusinessTech · published 20 Jul 2026
- dataPassport Index Data (visa matrix for 199 passports, updated 17 Feb 2026) · imorte, continuing the dataset by Ilya Ilyankou (MIT licence) · published 17 Feb 2026
How we check: our method and every source we use.
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