Do Iraqi passport holders need a visa for Japan?

Yes. Iraq is not on Japan’s visa exemption list and Iraqi nationals are not eligible for the Japan eVISA, so Iraqi citizens need a short-term stay visa issued before travel. For tourism it is a single-entry sticker visa for a stay of up to 90 days, applied for in Iraq through a travel agency accredited by the Embassy of Japan in Baghdad or the Consular Office in Erbil, not at the embassy counter itself.

Visa required

Yes, a short-term stay visa

Japan eVISA

Not available to Iraqi nationals

Where to apply

Accredited travel agency in Iraq, for the Baghdad embassy or the Erbil office

Maximum stay

Up to 90 days, single entry

Visa fee

About 15,000 yen single entry from 1 July 2026, paid in dinars, plus the agency’s fee

Processing time

5 working days, up to 2 months if referred to Tokyo

Passport

Valid for the whole stay, with 2 blank visa pages

Entry requirements

• An Iraqi passport valid for the whole stay in Japan, with at least two blank visa pages.
• One completed visa application form and one photograph.
• A flight itinerary showing the flight number and the dates of arrival in and departure from Japan. Paid tickets and hotel bookings are not required at the application stage.
• Proof that you can pay for the trip: an income certificate or tax return issued by a public agency, or a bank statement or balance certificate.
• A day-by-day itinerary in Japan on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs form, with accommodation named.
• Supporting documents must have been issued within the last three months, and everything except the passport is kept by the embassy.

How to apply

Find the accredited agency for where you live. Applicants in Iraq outside the Kurdistan region use one of the agencies accredited by the Embassy of Japan in Baghdad, which have offices in Baghdad, Basra and Najaf. Applicants resident in the Kurdistan region use one of the two agencies accredited by the Consular Office of Japan in Erbil. The embassy says it may decline applications lodged in the wrong jurisdiction.

Go to the agency in person with the documents above. This applies even if someone else is lodging the file for you, and a proxy application also needs a power of attorney signed by the passport holder. The agency forwards the file to the embassy or the Erbil office, which may call you for an interview at the officer’s discretion.

Allow five working days for a straightforward file. If the post decides it needs to refer the application to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo, the embassy says the answer can take up to two months, and MOFA itself says more than a month. The visa fee is charged only if the visa is granted, and the agency collects it in cash in dinars. The agency’s own application fee is separate and is charged whatever the outcome.

Good to know

• The fee changed on 1 July 2026. MOFA amended the Cabinet Order on consular fees, and for applications accepted from that date the visa fee is about 15,000 yen for a single entry and about 30,000 yen for multiple entry, converted into local currency. The embassy’s page still quoted the old figure of 27,000 dinars as of 1 April 2026 when this was checked, so confirm the current dinar amount with the agency rather than budgeting on either number.
• You cannot shortcut the agency by applying in Amman or Dubai. Since 20 August 2019 the Embassy of Japan in Jordan and the Consulate-General in Dubai no longer accept Iraqi applications unless the applicant holds a proper residence visa for Jordan or the UAE. The only direct-to-counter cases in Iraq are official travel with a letter from the Iraqi authorities, invitations by the Japanese government or its agencies, Japanese government scholarship holders, and urgent humanitarian cases.
• Referral to Tokyo is the thing that breaks travel dates on this route. The embassy will not give a reason if the visa is refused, and a referred file has no fixed timetable, so book nothing non-refundable until the visa is in the passport. MOFA notes that flight and hotel payments are not needed to apply, which is the point.
• The visa is a sticker in the passport and is checked at boarding. Japan also makes clear that a visa is not a guarantee of entry: the period of stay is granted as landing permission by the immigration officer on arrival, and it cannot be obtained on arrival or extended into paid work.

Frequently asked questions

Related pages

• Japan travel guide
• Do Mauritians need a visa for Japan?
• Do Iraqis need a visa for the United States?
• Check visa requirements for any passport

Other passports for Japan

• Finland passport holders visiting Japan
• Greece passport holders visiting Japan
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines passport holders visiting Japan
• Lebanon passport holders visiting Japan
• Georgia passport holders visiting Japan
• Jamaica passport holders visiting Japan

Sources

Every fact on this page was checked against the official sources below on 22 August 2026.

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan — List of Countries and Regions that have Visa Exemption Arrangements with Japan (archived copy of 2026-08-03, mofa.go.jp refuses automated access). Iraq is not listed. Read 2026-08-22.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan — VISA (index page dated 24 June 2026): all nationals of countries not on the exemption list require a visa; visas cannot be obtained on arrival; application through the diplomatic mission or an accredited agency; approximately one week, longer if Tokyo is consulted. Archived copy of 2026-07-31. Read 2026-08-22.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan — Visa Processing Time: 5 working days from the day after receipt, more than a month if transmitted to Tokyo. Archived copy of 2026-02-07. Read 2026-08-22.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan — Visa Fees (page dated 24 June 2026): Cabinet Order amended, from 1 July 2026 approximately 15,000 yen single-entry and 30,000 yen multiple-entry, paid in local currency, no fee if refused, agency handling fee separate. Archived copy of 2026-06-25. Read 2026-08-22.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan — The JAPAN eVISA system (page dated 15 May 2026): eligibility limited to residents of Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the USA, plus agency-based groups in China, the Philippines, Viet Nam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Macau, Mongolia, Korea, Singapore and the UAE. Iraq absent. Archived copy of 2026-07-31. Read 2026-08-22.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan — Checklist for "Single-Entry Short-Term Stay Visa" (April 2025, PDF linked from the Embassy of Japan in Iraq as the required documents for Iraqi nationals): tourism documents, three-month document validity, bookings not required at application. Archived copy of 2026-03-31. Read 2026-08-22.
• Embassy of Japan in Iraq — Visiting Japan (page dated 1 April 2026): applications through accredited agencies by jurisdiction, direct cases, interview at officer’s discretion, power of attorney for proxies, 2 blank pages and validity for the stay, 5 working days or up to 2 months on referral, 27,000 dinars as of 1 April 2026, no reason given for refusal. Archived copy of 2026-06-08, iraq.emb-japan.go.jp refuses automated access. Read 2026-08-22.
• Embassy of Japan in Iraq — Visa Application through the Accredited Travel Agencies in Iraq (notice No. 14, 16 August 2019): agency route from 20 August 2019; Amman and Dubai posts no longer accept Iraqi applications without local residence. Archived copy of 2026-05-12. Read 2026-08-22.
• Embassy of Japan in Iraq and Consular Office of Japan in Erbil — The List of Accredited Travel Agencies (two PDFs): Baghdad, Basra and Najaf agencies for Iraq outside Kurdistan; two Erbil agencies for the Kurdistan region; applicants must attend in person. Archived copies of 2026-04-20. Read 2026-08-22.

Entry rules change without notice and the official source is always the authority. Confirm with the embassy or immigration portal before you book.