VISAS AND LETTERS OF INVITATION

Entry Visas

Presently, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs grants VISA waivers/exemptions to approximately 62 countries with special agreements with Japan. If you are unsure of whether or not you need to apply for a short-term VISA to enter Japan in order to attend this conference, please consult this page.

If your country is not listed, then you must contact the Embassy of Japan, or the nearest Consulate of Japan in your home country to receive guidance on the application process and necessary documents. More information.

As part of the VISA application process, you may be required to submit a Letter of Invitation from the conference organizing committee. We ask that you please understand and respect the process for obtaining this Letter of Invitation.

Letter of Guarantee

The conference organizers would like to underline the difference between a Letter of Invitation and a Letter of Guarantee. Depending on your professional situation, background and nationality, you may be required to submit a Letter of Invitation and/or Letter of Guarantee.

A Letter of Guarantee is a letter in which an individual or body agrees to be legally and financially responsible for you during your stay in Japan. You may know a willing individual or institution in Japan who is willing to act as a guarantor, or, if you have no connection with the country, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs may find that it is acceptable to have your university act as the guarantor. IAFOR can not provide Letters of Guarantee.

Letter of Invitation

A Letter of Invitation is an official document which confirms a registration payment and extends an official invitation to the paid registrant to attend and participate in the upcoming conference. It provides you with an official reason to come to Japan. It may be required by your university for administrative purposes, and will likely form one of the documents required for visa application if you are from a country that does not have a visa exemption agreement with Japan.

In order to qualify for a Letter of Invitation, you must meet both of the following criteria:

Be a registered audience member or the author of an accepted abstract and/or paper
Have paid the conference registration fee in full

Subject to approval, all letters of invitation will be sent by email as a PDF attachment and a physical copy mailed to your residence or place of work. Please provide ample time for this to be processed.

Please note:

Under no circumstances shall IAFOR provide a Letter of Invitation or Visa application paperwork to any interested party who has not met the two criteria listed above.
All questions/concerns regarding the status of your VISA should be directed to the Embassy of Japan or nearest Consulate of Japan in your home country.
IAFOR is not authorized to assist with the VISA process beyond providing a Letter of Invitation.
IAFOR will not provide letters of guarantee. Should your application be denied, IAFOR cannot change the decision of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, nor will IAFOR engage in discussion or correspondence with the MOFA or the Embassy of Japan on behalf of the applicant.

Checklist

You will need to have the following before you submit the Letter of Invitation:

Details of your planned itinerary (all daily activities while staying in Japan).
Tentative flight arrival/departure information including flight time, flight number, etc.
Your planned hotel name, address, phone number.
The title and address of the embassy/consulate in your country you are using to secure your visa.
All passport information.
An ability to use correct English spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization.

Download the Letter of Invitation Form

Please make sure of the following before downloading the form

Yes, I have paid the conference registration fee
Yes, I understand the difference between a Letter of Invitation and a Letter of Guarantee
Yes, I understand that if my visa is denied I cannot get a refund after the conference refund deadline of June 15, 2016

Please download the letter of invitation draft as a MS Word document by clicking below:

How to complete the Letter of Invitation Form

The Letter of Invitation Form is comprised of three pages:

Page 1 is in English and contains personalized information and is the main page
Page 2 is in English and is your planned itinerary for your time in Japan
Page 3 is in Japanese and gives an explanation of the conference and the organizing body (IAFOR)

Please complete the three separate pages of the Letter of Invitation by substituting the red text with personalized information.

Please take great care to ensure that this is completed accurately, and is free of typographical and spelling errors, as this will form the basis of an official document used to secure entry into Japan.

Please allow ample time for the LOI application process

Providing all the information we receive is correct, the Letter of Invitation process will usually take between one and three weeks.

How to Submit

When you have completed your Letter of Invitation form, please return it by attachment as an MS word document to [email protected] with ‘Letter of Invitation Form – (Your Name)’ in the subject field.
Providing you have paid the registration fee and you have completed the form IAFOR will draft the information on to official headed paper, and have it stamped with the seals of both The International Academic Forum and that of the Chairman. This will normally be undertaken within one week of the IAFOR office receiving your request submission.
Unless requested, the LOI will be scanned and sent to you by PDF attachment. If the letter is required for administrative purposes internal to your university then this will usually suffice.
If requested, the LOI will be mailed to the mailing address at the top of the first LOI page by airmail. This will usually arrive at your home address within 7-10 days of dispatch. If you wish to opt for the LOI to be sent by trackable registered post (Express Mail Service – EMS) from our head office in Japan, you will be required to pay a 1400 JPY surcharge. Please click on the Paypal button below to pay for the Express Mail Service: