Japan to Congo (Dem. Rep.) visa requirements

Japanese passport holders need a visa for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since early 2025 the DRC has run an official electronic visa (eVisa) system, which is the practical channel for a short tourist stay; an embassy visa in Tokyo is the alternative. There is no visa-free or visa-on-arrival option for Japanese tourists. A Japan ordinary passport holder traveling to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for tourism requires a visa in advance. The DRC is not in any visa-waiver arrangement with Japan and offers no visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry for Japanese tourists. In November 2024 the DRC authorities announced an electronic visa program, which launched in early 2025, allowing eligible foreign nationals to apply online for a short-stay tourist visa. The eVisa is single-entry, valid for 90 days from issue, and permits a maximum stay of up to 7 days. Applicants can alternatively obtain a paper visa from the Embassy of the DRC in Tokyo, which issues visas valid for up to six months with express (3-5 working days) or standard (10 working days) processing. In all cases the passport must be valid at least six months, and a yellow fever vaccination certificate is mandatory for entry. A mandatory "Visa Application Platform" (VAP) / border fee of about USD 90 is also collected on arrival in addition to the visa fee. Because fees and procedures are administered by the Direction Generale de Migration (DGM) and the embassy, travelers should confirm current details directly with the Embassy of the DRC in Japan before booking. Given the absence of any no-visa channel, the conservative and accurate verdict for a short tourist stay is eVisa (with embassy visa as the fallback).