Terms & Conditions - Japan Rail Pass

Terms & Conditions - Japan Rail Pass

Return to the Japan Rail Pass product page.

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 below. 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 citiznship in Japan and another country will not be able to turn in their Exchange Order for a Pass if they entered Japan on thier 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 10% cancellation charge and relevant administration charges at the time of cancellation.

Refund of a Japan Rail Pass

Please note that if your voucher has already been exchanged for the Japan Rail Pass and/or you have already used it to take the train, a refund will no longer be possible.

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.

Return to the Japan Rail Pass product page.