Travel from the Philippines to Japan: Travel requirements, restrictions, travel time, and more

If you plan to travel to Japan for work, study or a leisure visit, you’ll need to make sure you understand the travel requirements to Japan from the Philippines, and have all the required paperwork sorted in advance. While the Japan travel requirements for 2025 don’t include any covid related rules, you’re likely to still need a visa.

This guide looks at the rules for travel from the Philippines to Japan to help you get organised. We'll also introduce the Wise card, a handy travel companion to make seamless card payments when you're overseas.

Travel requirements to Japan from Philippines

If you hold a passport from the Philippines it’s important to understand the Japan travel requirements based on the purpose of your trip. Even as a tourist you’re likely to need a visa¹, which you have to apply for in advance - but the good news is that there are no longer covid based rules. That means there’s no need to have your vaccination certificates, get tested or complete a period of quarantine.

Once you have your Japan visa you can arrange your flights to Japan - and don’t forget that you’ll also need to complete the departure form² on the Philippine government travel site up to 3 days before you hop on a plane.

Bear in mind that travel rules and restrictions do change pretty frequently, so you are advised to check the live regulations before you travel, to ensure nothing else is needed.

Japan travel restrictions for Filipinos

Unfortunately, if your question is - does Japan need a visa from the Philippines - the answer is yes. Prior to travel you must make sure you have the correct Japan visa based on your travel reason and the length of your stay. It’s helpful to know that the process for applications is changing in April 2025, so you’ll need to make sure you’re reading the most up to date information based on your travel date³. We’ll look at that in a moment.

You will also need to complete the Philippine government departure form before departing the Philippines - but this can be done quickly and online, making it a pretty minor hurdle.

Do Filipinos need a visa to go to Japan?

As we’ve seen, you need a visa to go to Japan with a passport from the Philippines, even as a tourist. Previously, applications were done through various licensed agents - but this process is being updated in April 2025.

From March 2025 you’ve been able to make arrangements through VFS travel bookings to complete your Japan visa application in their offices in:

• Paranaque
• Makati
• Quezon City
• Cebu
• Davao

However, if you applied prior to this date, the agent you used can still process your application. Due to backlogs in applications, the old and new application processes are likely to run side by side for a while. Do check the status when you submit your visa application to make sure you know who to send your application to.

For a tourist visa you’ll usually need to provide the following⁴:

• Passport
• Application From
• Passport
• PSA issued Birth Certificate and Marriage Certificate
• Itinerary in Japan
• Proof of funds to cover the costs of the trip

You’ll also have to pay a fee and attend a VFS office in person before your visa is prepared. This should all be arranged prior to booking travel, in case of delays or your application being rejected.

There are also several other types of visa you can apply for to travel to Japan, including multiple entry tourist visitor visas, and long stay visas for work, study and family reunification.

Flying from Philippines to Japan

The average Philippines to Japan travel time is about 4.5 hours. However, you can fly to Japan from the Philippines from and to different airports, which may mean your flight takes a bit longer, or arrives a bit faster. Bear in mind as well that there is a time difference between Philippines and Japan, with Japan being an hour ahead. This isn’t a massive difference, but it’s worth remembering when you book your onward connections after landing.

Direct flights are available from Manila to destinations including Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka, with major airlines like ANA (All Nippon Airways), Philippine Airlines and American Airlines offering options. However, if you’re looking for a great deal, it helps to know that at the point of research, the cheapest airline flying to Japan from the Philippines is Cebu Pacific. We’ll look at some example flight prices to give you a feel, next.

Philippines to Japan ticket price

The Philippines to Japan ticket price does vary a lot. Seasonal changes make a difference, and of course the specific route and carrier you select. On average the most expensive times to fly are December to February, with flights in the months of June to October often somewhat cheaper. Different destinations also have their own peaks, with flight prices changing during sakura season for example, or while the skiing is good in Hokkaido.

To give a couple of examples, at the time of writing, here are some flight prices we found:

• Flights from Manila to Tokyo started from about 8,400 PHP
• Flights from Manila to Osaka started from about 7,300 PHP
• Flights from Manila to Nagoya started from about 9,600 PHP
• Flights from Manila to Fukuoka started from about 9,700 PHP

Of course, being able to shop around to find various different flight options will give you an advantage in terms of finding a good deal. If you can be flexible on precisely where you travel from and to, you may be able to snag a bargain - travel within Japan is often convenient and cheap, too, so if you need to fly to a different airport compared to your first choice you may still find it’s worthwhile if you can get a convenient internal connection or train to your destination.

Flight information and prices based on advertised costs for travel in the upcoming 30 days, correct at time of research - 2nd April 2025

Save more on your PHP conversions when you spend with the Wise card in Japan

Before you head off to Japan from the Philippines, you’ll need an easy way to hold, send and spend JPY at the mid-market rate with low, transparent fees.

With the Wise card, makaka gastos ka ng 40+ currencies sa mid-market rate, kasama ang USD, SGD, GBP at JPY. Kaya, siguradong makakakuha ka ng sulit na deal sa mahigit 150+ countries. Para makapagsimula, gumawa ka lang ng libreng Wise account, mag-order ng card, at mag-top-up ng PHP.

Maaari kang mag-order ng physical card ng Wise sa halagang 369.90 PHP. Kung mayroon kang physical na card, makakagawa ka ng chip and PIN payments, at may 2 libreng ATM withdrawals na aabot sa 12,000 PHP bawat buwan.

Kapag nasa abroad ka, puwede mong piliing gumastos ng direct as PHP at hayaan mag auto-convert, o i-convert sa gusto mong currency gamit ang iyong Wise account. Kahit ano piliin mo, makukuha mo ang rate na nakikita mo sa Google, na may kasamang low, transparent fees mula 0.57%. For seamless payments in Hong Kong and beyond.

💳 Kumuha ng Wise card

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