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I am a Vietnamese citizen. I will arrive at Tokyo (Haneda airport) at 4AM and also leave from same airport at 9am on Viet Jet Airline for Vietnam. I have to "self-transfer". Do I need transit Visa to pick up and re-check my luggage or to pass through security or at any other point during my transfer?

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    Have you checked this topic already travel.stackexchange.com/questions/17328/… ?
    – colombien
    Jan 5, 2022 at 7:40
  • @colombien Unfortunately pre-COVID advice is rarely usable for travel today. Jan 5, 2022 at 9:24
  • @lambshaanxy the question is about the necessity of having a transit visa
    – colombien
    Jan 5, 2022 at 10:50
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    @colombien in the case of Japan, even visa rules have changed due to Covid. Most European citizens were able to enter japan without a visa, and they no longer can, for instance. It's unclear what the rules are for transit at this time.
    – jcaron
    Jan 5, 2022 at 11:55

1 Answer 1

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Timatic tells us:

Visa

Visa required.

TWOV (Transit Without Visa):

Passengers with a confirmed onward ticket for a flight to a third country on the same calendar day. They must stay in the international transit area of the airport and have documents required for the next destination.

Passengers transiting through Tokyo (HND) or Osaka (KIX) with a confirmed onward ticket for a flight to a third country within 72 hours. They must stay in the international transit area of the airport and have documents required for the next destination.

Passengers with a passport and a confirmed onward ticket to a third country within 72 hours can obtain a Shore Pass on arrival if there are no connecting flights on the same calendar day. They must not be subject to entry restrictions and they must:

  • have documents required for the next destination; and
  • have proof of sufficient funds to cover their stay; and
  • arrive at and depart from an airport or seaport located within the same group below.
  • Group A: Airports: Narita (NRT), Haneda (HND), Nagoya (NGO), Niigata (KIJ), Komatsu (KMQ) and Yokota (OKO). Seaports: Tokyo, Yokohama, Niigata and Nagoya.
  • Group B: Airports: Osaka (KIX), Nagoya (NGO) and Komatsu (KMQ). Seaports: Osaka, Kobe and Nagoya.
  • Group C: Airports: Fukuoka (FUK), Nagasaki (NGS), Kumamoto (KMJ), Kagoshima (KOJ), Naha (OKA) and Kadena (DNA). Seaports : Hakata (Fukuoka), Shimonoseki and Naha (Okinawa).
  • Group D: Airport: Chitose (CTS). Seaports: Tomakomai, Otaru, Hakodate and Muroran. NOTE: NRT and NGO are not open for 24 hours. Passengers cannot stay overnight at transit area.

You don't qualify for either of the first two TWOV exceptions (you're not staying in the international transit area). You apparently don't qualify for the third TWOV exception because your connecting flight is on the same calendar day (!).

So IMHO do you do need a visa in your situation. I can't find any relevant details on the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs site so I don't know the official requirements.

Note that visa issuance is currently very limited. Not sure if they would actually issue this type of visa at the moment. Also it seems that even for countries which usually do not need a visa, entry without a visa is not possible at the moment.

Your best bet is probably to contact the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam, they would likely be the ones most aware of the current situation.

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  • +1, but if the OP can check-in online to the 2nd flight and travel without checked luggage, the itinerary might still be possible. That said, they mentioned rechecking baggage, and they would likely have trouble checking in for the first flight because the first airline will be afraid that they'll be returned. Jan 5, 2022 at 14:11
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    @lambshaanxy Yep, the "I don't have checked luggage so I don't need to go through immigration and don't need a visa" is full of caveats. See travel.stackexchange.com/questions/171352/…
    – jcaron
    Jan 5, 2022 at 14:14
  • The OP said they are entering and leaving from the same airport (Haneda), how does the "must stay in the international transit area" doesn't apply to them?
    – higuaro
    Sep 16, 2022 at 9:59
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    @higuaro OP is doing a “self-transfer”, I.e. the two flights are booked separately (two different tickets), and they need to claim their luggage and re-check it, which requires the passenger to leave the international transit area and go through passport control.
    – jcaron
    Sep 16, 2022 at 15:08

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