Japan is experiencing an unprecedented tourist boom. In the first six months of the current year alone, the country welcomed almost 18 million visitors – a new record.
Until now, Swiss nationals have been allowed to enter Japan for up to 90 days without a visa provided they have a valid passport.
Japan is now planning to change its entry regulations. According to «Japan Today», the new system will work in a similar way to the ESTA procedure in the USA. The Japanese version, which the government is provisionally calling JESTA, also aims to check visitors before they enter the country. With the new requirements, Japan aims to better monitor who enters from visa-free countries and how long they stay.
The JESTA system is expected to be operational by 2030 and will affect guests from 71 countries that are exempt from visa requirements. These include travelers from Switzerland, Germany and Austria.
It is expected that the JESTA will be valid for several years and allow repeated visits with the same permit. It is not yet clear how much the electronic travel authorization will cost.