New Japanese border measures from March 1st
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After almost two years of closure, Japan seems to be slowly opening its borders. In recent days there had already been talk of a possible opening of borders, and finally on February 17 at 7:00 pm Japan time Prime Minister Kishida gave a long awaited press conference where he finally announced the new entry rules for Japan. “Now that we have more accumulated knowledge about omicron, we will gradually ease border restrictions.” -he said.
One of the most awaited announcements by many is that Japan will resume issuing new visas. That means that new students and workers will be able to enter Japan although with a daily limit amount. In order to accelerate the process the daily limit of the total number of entrants into Japan will be increased from the actually 3,000 to 5,000. As has been mandatory for more than a year, all people arriving in Japan will be required to sign a Written Pledge.
Recently, the re-entry rules had already been gradually relaxed from 14 days of quarantine to 10 days and then to 7 days. With the new regulations, quarantine can be shortened to 3 days or even no quarantine at all if certain requirements are met. At first, all the people entering the country have a 7-days home quarantine. However, you can shorten or avoid quarantine with a PCR test or a vaccine certificate (as long as you have the third dose). The rules are the following:
●Vaccines approved in Japan
For those who have all three doses of the vaccine, a valid vaccination certificate must be presented at the time of entry quarantine to be able to shorten or be exempted from quarantine. As for today, the only vaccines that the Japanese Government recognized are Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca so certificates from any other different vaccine would not be accepted.
● People that have 3 doses
General: People arriving from the non-designated countries/regions who have completed their third vaccination shot is exempted from home quarantine.
For those arriving from designated countries and regions in response to the Omicron variant: Entrants who have completed their third vaccination shots they can do a 3-day home instead of a 3-day facility quarantine.
● People that DON’T have 3 doses
General: People that in the third day submit a negative PCR test result is not longer required to keep the home quarantine.
For those arriving from designated countries and regions in response to the Omicron variant: They will be request to do a 3-days facility quarantine and do a PCR test again in their third day. If the test result is negative, they will not be asked to wait at home after leaving the facility.
Another thing that will change makes reference to the transportation home. Until now, people arriving in Japan were required to travel home using private transportation. From March 1st the use of public transportation from airport to home for a home quarantine (within 24 hours from the on-arrival test) would be allowed.
However, it should be noted that there are some exceptions to the rules explained above. A mandatory PCR test upon arrival to Japan is still requested. Those tested positive or designated as a close contact person, will not be subject to shorten the waiting period at home (so they must do the 7 days quarantine). If a person who tested positive in the airport quarantine is infected from an other strain than the Omicron strain (delta, etc.), that person and the in-flight close contact person could be requested to do a 14 days quarantine. Lastly, if there is a separate instruction from the quarantine station or health center regarding the continuation of waiting at home, etc., it is necessary to follow that instruction.
The list of countries/regions subject to the measures has been updated as follows:
– 3-days facility quarantine: Italy, United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, France, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Canada, Switzerland, India, Lebanon, Peru, Israel, United Arab Emirares, Turkey, Mexico, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Cambodia, Jordan, Republic of Korea, Albania, Iraq, Indonesia, Myanmar, Iran, Oman, Singapore. *People who have completed their third vaccination shots can do a 3-day home instead of a 3-day facility quarantine.
– 3-days home quarantine: Austria, Czech Republic, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Greece, USA, Australia, Iceland, Chile, Cyprus, Estonia, Slovenia, Argentina, Hungary, Slovakia, Lithuania, Georgia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Philippines, Thailand, Fiji, Romania, Netherlands, Portugal. *People who have completed their third vaccination shot is exempted from home quarantine.
They have also implemented a fast track system. To learn more about this system or how to submit a negative PCR test on the third day of quarantine, you can check this article.
Clinic Nearme (Located in Tokyo, Hamamatsucho)
If you want to take a PCR test to shorten your quarantine our affiliated clinic Clinic Nearme offers the COVID-19 PCR test with same day result for 22,000 JPY. Clinic Nearme is one of the clinics authorized for the Japanese government and one of the few clinics in Tokyo and Osaka with English support.
We are delivering the latest information about entry restrictions on this news letter below.
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Written by
From Barcelona to Tokyo. Coffee & Adventure lover🌏☕️
I started to like Japan because of the anime, music and doramas, but after my first trip to the country I found what I love the most: traveling around, the culture and history. I have travelled a lot in Japan, but I still have many places to discover that I want to share with you🙋🏼♀️ Let’s discover Japan together!
Also, as a foreigner living in Japan for over 6 years I understand what kind of things are difficult when you move here and I want to help other people in the same situation that I have in the past.
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