UAE residents can now apply for visas to Japan via VFS Global after the company, in association with the Embassy of Japan in the UAE and Consulate-General of Japan in Dubai, opened Japan visa application centers in Abu Dhabi and Dubai on August 1, 2024.
The centers will accept document submission for short-term and long-term visas to Japan by prior appointment, VFS said on Thursday. Appointments will be available online at no charge.
Moreover, effective September 1, 2024, travelers eligible for e-visas to Japan will be able to visit these visa application centers to apply for tourist e-visas to the destination.
Boosting tourism
“It gives me great pleasure to announce the opening of the VFS Global Japan Visa Application Centre here in Dubai. The Government of Japan has set a target to increase the number of foreign visitors to Japan to 60 million by 2030. In recent years, partly due to the depreciation of the yen, the number of visitors to Japan has continued to increase, with more than three million foreigners visiting Japan each month since March this year,” said Imanishi Jun, Consul General of Japan to Dubai and the Northern Emirates.
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“The urgent task is to respond to the ever-increasing number of visa applications. The Consulate General of Japan in Dubai has therefore decided to partner with VFS Global. With the opening of the Japan Visa Application Centre, VFS Global and the Consulate General of Japan in Dubai will work closely together on visas to encourage more people to visit Japan,” the consul general added.
“VFS Global shares a long-standing relationship with the Government of Japan since 2010 and we are excited to expand our partnership further. These centres will play a crucial role in effectively catering to the growing demand for travel to Japan, one of the most popular destinations in the world. We are confident that these visa application centres will enhance customer experience by making the visa application process even more smooth and seamless, thereby helping us better serve travellers better,” added VFS Global regional head Monaz Bilimoria.
The application centers are located at WAFI Mall, Level 2, Falcon Phase 2, Umm Hurair 2, Dubai; and Level B2 (Lower Ground), The Mall, World Trade Centre, Khalifa Bin Zayed The 1st Street, Abu Dhabi.
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