I am a Canadian permanent resident and living in Canada. I am originally from Afghanistan and would like to visit my girlfriend in Japan. I know Canadian passport holder can simply enter into Japan without a visa and as a permanent resident of Canada can I also enter Japan without a visa for 30 days?
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I live in Vancouver– SlickSajjadJan 11, 2017 at 6:41
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11Permanent Residence status is not citizenship and the majority of visa / entry rules are based on citizenship.– user13044Jan 11, 2017 at 8:02
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2One of the extremely few exceptions to the rule @Tom mentions is the Schengen transit visa: holders of a valid residence permit issued by Andorra, Canada, Japan, San Marino or the United States of America do not need a Schengen transit visa. Do note this is only the transit visa, the short stay visa does not have such an exception.– user4188Jan 11, 2017 at 12:07
1 Answer
I am afraid NO, as an Afghan national and Canadian permanent resident you need a proper visitor's visa. Answer is from official Consulate-General of Japan in Vancouver:
I am a permanent resident of Canada. Do I need a tourist visa?
It depends on your nationality or the passport you hold. If you hold a passport of a country with a reciprocal visa exemption arrangement with Japan, you do not need a visa to enter Japan as a tourist. Otherwise, you need one. More on Temporary Visitor's Visas.
Unfortunately Afghanistan is not listed in those countries who are listed as a visa exempted country. Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan. Therefore as an Canadian permenant resident and Afghan national you will need a proper Japan temporary visitor's visa.
Moreover, details regarding temporary visitors visa can be obtained from the following website:
Temporary Visitor's Visa Consulate-General of Japan in Vancouver.