Extend Tourist Visa

Hi everyone

I'm from Switzerland and when I arrived in Japan 2 months ago I received a tourist visa for 3 months.
Before I came to Japan I unfortunately made the mistake of booking my flight back after 97 days instead of 90 days. so I'll be in Japan from the 8th of July until the 12th of October which equals 97 days.
So I went to the immigration office in Shinagawa and they gave me a form to fill out. In the form I have to give a reason for my 7 days visa extension. I don't know what would be best to write in order to have my visa extended for 7 days. Do I need to make up an excuse or should I just write that I miscalculated the length of my stay when booking flights. I have no Idea how hard/easy it is to get a 7 days tourist visa extension. And the problem is I really can't afford buying another flight ticket so I'm really stressed out about this and want it to work out as good as possible.

I hope someone has had a similar experience and can give me some advice.

Have a nice day!

Put the truth, then be prepared to call your airline and rebook the tickets if your reason is rejected. Usually there is a fee associated with changing your booking, but you don't have to buy a whole new ticket. In the US it is often around 70 USD, but that probably depends on the airline.

Ultimately the responsibility for making sure you leave by the end of your permission is up to you, so immigration may or may not be understanding.

Are you (both) aware that the visa exemption agreement with Swtizerland allows stays of 6 months in the first place? If you were not a Swiss citizen (or from a handful of other countries), you would have been told it is not possible to extend it.

http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/short/novisa.html

Just say that it was your original plan to stay for 97 days since you saw you could stay for up to 6 months.

Wow you are right!

It says so in the footnote:

«([Note8])　For nationals of those countries with visa exemptions permitting stays of up to 6 months under the bilateral visa exemption arrangements, those who wish to stay in Japan for more than 90 days are required to apply for an extension of the period of stay to the Ministry of Justice (Regional Immigration Bureau) before the period of permitted stay is to expire.»

That's amazing news, thanks for the link! I appreciate your help!

And there you go! I had no idea. So basically, leave all visa questions for Firas to answer. Got it.

As said above, it's not like you need a valid reason to get the extension. It's just the oppositie: they can refuse the extension with a valid reason (for exemple: an arrest, causing trouble, etc).