Who is eligible for a Japan Rail Pass?
You are a foreign tourist visiting Japan from abroad for
sight-seeing, under the entry status of "temporary
visitor."
"Temporary
Visitor" entry status, according to Japanese Immigration Law, allows a
stay in Japan of 15 days or 90 days for "sight-seeing, etc." If you
apply for a "stay for sight-seeing" when you enter Japan, entry
personnel will stamp your passport as "Temporary
Visitor," as shown here. Only people who have a passport bearing this
stamp can use a Japan Rail Pass.
CAUTION: Even if
you visit Japan with an Exchange Order, to be turned in for a Japan Rail Pass, the exchange cannot be
made unless you have "Temporary
Visitor" status: if you enter Japan under any other official status,
such as "Trainee," "Entertainer," or "Reentry
Permit," you cannot change the Exchange Order for a Japan Rail Pass. Please note that according to strict
interpretation of the Japanese Immigration Law, "Temporary Visitor" status differs even from other types
of stays that are also for only short time periods.
You are a Japanese
national living outside of Japan,
a. Who is qualified to live permanently in that country, or
b. Who is married to a non-Japanese residing in a country
other than Japan.
Note: To purchase
an exchange order or redeem your Exchange
Order for a Japan Rail Pass, you
will be required to provide proof of eligibility as described below.
People meeting
condition (a) must provide written proof of the following:
Permanent resident status
Residence outside of Japan
People meeting
condition (b) must provide written proof of the following:
Residence outside of Japan.
Marriage to a non-Japanese individual.
Residence of their non-Japanese spouse outside of Japan.
Even if an applicant presents electronic data or other
documentation, establishing their compliance with conditions a and b above, the
pass may be denied if the clerk is unable to verify that compliance.
Similarly, applicants with dual citizenship in Japan and
another country will not be able to turn in their Exchange Order for a Pass if
they entered Japan on their Japanese passport.
You cannot purchase a Japan Rail Pass inside of Japan. You
must purchase an Exchange Order from an authorised sales office or agent prior
to entry.
Validity period of
the Order.
An exchange order must be exchanged for a Japan Rail Pass
within three months from the date the order was issued.
Japan Rail Pass
exchange offices
Exchange for a Pass can be made at one of the folowing
applicable JR stations having a Japan Rail Pass exchange office: Kushiro,
Obihiro, Asahikawa, Sapporo, New-Chitose Airport, Hakodate, Aomori, Hachinoche,
Akita, Sendai, Yamagata, Fukushima, Nigata, Nagano, Kanzawa, Narita Airport
Terminal 1, Airport Terminal 2, Tokyo, Ueno, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro,
Shinagawa, Yokohama, Shin-Yokohama, Odawara, Mishima, Shiuoka, Hamamatsu,
Nagoya, Kyoto, Shin-Osaka, Osaka, Kansai Airport, Sannomiya, Okayama, Matsue,
Hiroshima, Shimonoseki, Takamatsu, Matsuyama, Tokushima, Kokura, Hakata,
Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Kagoshima-chuo.
Exchange procedure
The signer on the order must apply at a Pass Exchange Office
and there present the order with the original passport.
Fill in the application form provided at the office in Japan
or in order to speed up this process you can also download the form here and
have it ready when you arrive in Japan.
Specify the first date that you wish the pass to start. This
can be any date within one month from the issue date.
Alterations
Any alterations made to the exchange order or pass after the
exchange, make the document invalid and non-refundable.
Refund of an Exchange
Order
An Exchange Order can be refunded only at the office where
it was issued, within one year of the issue date. The refund will be subject to
a 15% cancellation charge and relevant administration charges at the time of
cancellation.
Refund of a Japan
Rail Pass
A pass can be refunded only within a validity period and
before the first date of use, at any Japan Rail Pass exchange office. (15% of
the price will be charged as a handling fee and also an administration charge).
The pass is non-refundable on or after the first date of use.
Duplicate passes and/or Exchange Orders cannot be issued if
lost or stolen. Please ensure it's safe keeping.
The Japan Rail Pass is not valid for any seats, reserved or
non-reserved, on 'NOZOMI' trains on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines.