Japan passes its ESTA-style entry law — but it does not start until 2028
What actually passed
On 29 May 2026 Japan's House of Councillors approved a revision of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act. The lower house had passed it on 28 April. Together they create the legal basis for the Japan Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or JESTA — Japan's version of the American ESTA and the European ETIAS.
Passing the law establishes the legal basis; the system itself has not been built. The government is aiming for fiscal 2028, which in Japan runs April 2028 to March 2029. Nothing about entering Japan changes for travellers in 2026 or 2027.
What JESTA will do when it finally arrives
JESTA will not end visa-free travel to Japan. It adds a step in front of it. Travellers from countries that are currently visa-exempt for short stays will need to get an electronic approval before they board, exactly the way an American ESTA works now.
This will affect the roughly 70 nationalities who currently enter Japan for short stays without prior authorisation, from fiscal 2028 onward.
Comparable systems and their timelines
The European Union's ETIAS is the closest comparison. It was legislated several years ago and its launch date has been revised more than once; it has not yet entered service.
Japan's stated target is fiscal 2028. Fiscal-year targets in Japanese government planning describe a planning horizon rather than a fixed commitment.
Details that travellers will eventually need — the fee, the period of validity, and which nationalities are covered — have not been announced. Any figure published in 2026 is not drawn from an official source.
Websites offering JESTA applications
Websites offering paid JESTA applications have appeared since the law passed. The Japanese government has not opened an application process, and no authorisation can currently be issued.
The same pattern followed the announcement of ETIAS, which also has not launched.
Submitting an application to such a site means providing passport details, travel dates and payment information to an operator with no official standing.
How to spot a fake permit site
Such sites often appear in paid search results above official portals, and may use national symbols and official-sounding names.
Japanese government websites use the go.jp domain. JESTA has not launched, and no fee has been announced for it.
Applications submitted to such sites disclose passport details, travel dates and payment information.
What Japan actually asks for right now
The only pre-arrival step for most short-stay visitors is Visit Japan Web, the government's free portal for immigration and customs. You fill it in before you fly and show QR codes when you land. It is free, it is run by the Japanese government, and it genuinely speeds up arrival at Haneda, Narita and Kansai.
The Japan change that did take effect in 2026 is the departure tax, which tripled on 1 July and is now built into your ticket.
If you are a PacificAir reader, what to do today
Do not apply for a JESTA. Do not pay anyone for one. It does not exist.
Do complete Visit Japan Web before you travel — free, official, and worth the ten minutes.
Budget for the higher departure tax, which is the Japanese cost that really did change this year.
References
- VisasNews — Japan's Parliament passes law paving the way for JESTA
- VisasNews — Tokyo approves bill to introduce the JESTA electronic travel authorization
- Stellex Law Firm — Electronic Travel Authorization System “JESTA”, scheduled for introduction in 2028
- Kanpai Japan — JESTA: new travel authorization for Japan starting 2028
- Get Around Japan — Japan's JESTA: the new travel authorization for 2028
- Digital Agency, Government of Japan — Visit Japan Web (official, free)
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan — official site