Once you have a Certificate of Eligibility (or you're applying for a short-stay visa that doesn't need one), the final step abroad is the embassy or consulate application itself.
Most applicants submit paperwork in person or through an authorized visa agency (common for tourist visas in several countries), rather than dealing with the embassy directly. A formal in-person interview isn't standard for most categories — many short-stay and even CoE-backed applications are processed on paperwork alone. Where an interview or additional questioning does happen, it's typically to clarify inconsistencies in the application or verify a relationship (common for spouse visas) rather than a general screening every applicant goes through.
What to actually expect:
- Bring originals and copies of every document listed in your Required Documents Checklist.
- Fees are generally paid at time of submission (see Japan Visa Fees) and are typically non-refundable even if the application is denied.
- Passports are usually held by the embassy during processing, so plan around that if you need to travel elsewhere in the meantime.
- For CoE-backed visas, embassy processing is comparatively fast — often 5–10 business days — since the substantive eligibility review already happened at the immigration bureau stage in Japan.
For end-to-end timelines, see Processing Times. Back to How to Apply.