JR pass

Eligibility for Use

The clerk at the location where you purchase your Exchange Order will explain the eligibility requirements for the JAPAN RAIL PASS. Be sure that you understand these requirements before purchasing an Exchange Order.

In the event that you are unable to receive a PASS because you fail to meet the eligibility requirements, the JR Group is not liable for any charges or fees associated with your use of JR lines while in Japan.

• If you are unable to receive a PASS, you can return your Exchange Order to us for a refund. (*Fees apply.)
• If you have any questions about the Exchange Order, please inquire directly us .

(1) 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 below.

*In order to receive or use JAPAN RAIL PASS, your passport must bear this stamp or sticker.

Examples of the “Temporary Visitor” entry status stamp

*If you use an automated gate, no stamp will be applied to your passport. Either use a manned automated gate or ask a clerk to apply the stamp to your passport.

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.

(2) You are a Japanese national living outside of Japan who meets the following conditions.
(Eligibility requirements that will be in effect from June 1, 2017)

People who have both their Japanese passport and written proof—obtained from the embassy or legation of Japan in the foreign country where they live—that they have been living legally in the country for 10 consecutive years or more

* You must present both your passport and proof of eligibility to purchase an Exchange Order in a country other than Japan, and to exchange your Exchange Order for a JAPAN RAIL PASS in Japan.

* You cannot use a photocopy of your passport to purchase an Exchange Order or to exchange your Exchange Order for a JAPAN RAIL PASS.

* You can purchase an Exchange Order and exchange it for a JAPAN RAIL PASS only if your stay in the country for 10 consecutive years or more is verified by such written proof.

■ Acceptable written proof

(1) Copy of your Overseas Residential Registration issued by the embassy or legation of Japan in the foreign country where you live (limited to an Overseas Residential Registration with a date of acceptance at least 10 years earlier)

(2) Certificate of Overseas Residence issued by the embassy or legation of Japan in the foreign country where you live (limited to a Certificate of Overseas Residence with a date at least 10 years earlier as the date on which your address (or place of temporary residence) was established as your present address)

(3) As a special case limited to the USA, Brazil, and Canada, the Permanent Resident Card issued by these 3 countries can be used as written proof until further notice (limited to a Permanent Resident Card confirming your stay in the relevant country for 10 years or more).

* In regard to (1), if a single copy of your Overseas Residential Registration verifies that any family members living with you in the country have stayed for 10 consecutive years or more, such a document is valid for those family members.
* Concerning children (under 12 years of age) whose stay in the country is less than 10 years at the time of purchase of an Exchange Order, if a single copy of the Overseas Residential Registration stated in (1) verifies that they live together with the applicant whose stay in the country is 10 consecutive years or more, and if they also use the JAPAN RAIL PASS together with that applicant, their eligibility requirements are satisfied.
* The copy of the Overseas Residential Registration and the Certificate of Overseas Residence are only valid for 6 months after the date of issue.
* You cannot use a photocopy of your written proof to purchase an Exchange Order or to exchange your Exchange Order for a JAPAN RAIL PASS.
* Definition of “10 years or more”: At the time of purchase of an Exchange Order, a date in the same month 10 years earlier or before is valid. (Example) In the case of the purchase of an Exchange Order on June 1, 2017, a date any time in June