Visa to Japan will come easy after PM visit

Visiting Japan for business or holiday will be easier after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's official tour to the country starting Sunday. After negotiating for four years, the two countries are set to sign a memorandum that will provide longer duration visas to Indians.

The new visa deal will benefit businesspersons the most who —on receipt of a request letter from "a duly recognized company" or from chambers of commerce or industry or trade groups —will be eligible for a five-year multiple-entry visa instead of the current "short-term" 90-day visa. Their dependents will automatically be eligible for three-year multiple entry visas. These applicants will also be exempt from submitting a host of supporting documents.

Tourists employed with listed firms, government or public sector undertakings and eminent persons will also be exempt from furnishing proof of funding their stay or presenting confirmed air tickets to apply for the 90-day visa. Additionally, those traveling in package tours run by operators (designated by Japan and registered in India) will get single entry 90-day visa with the tour operator merely submitting the package booking documents.

Dependents of Indians working in Japan would now enjoy three year multiple entry instead of two years while relatives visiting them would continue to be offered the 90-day single entry permit. Indian students going for higher study to Japan would now get a three month visa renewable by two more years instead of present practice of one year.

The only concession from the Indian side is providing an initial three-year multiple entry employment visas to highly qualified professionals instead of the present two-year initial visa. With the upper limit fixed at five years, what this would do is reduce the number of annual renewals to two years instead of current three.

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