Japanese consular unit closed Dec. 23-27, Dec. 30-Jan. 3

The Japanese Embassy in the Philippines’ consular section will be closed from Dec. 23-27, and 30-31 this year, as well as Jan. 1-3 next year. The embassy will be closed Dec. 23 as it is the Japanese Emperor’s birthday. It will resume usual operations on Jan. 4, 2011. But the embassy advised passport and visa applicants to put off their applications until mid-January, as it will be “very crowded" during the last week of 2010 and the start of 2011. “(A)pplicants are advised to apply in the middle of January, unless in a compelling situation," it said (http://www.ph.emb-japan.go.jp/visiting/consular%20section%20schedule.htm). According to the embassy’s yearend-2010 and start-2011 schedule, Dec. 21 will be the last day for visa applications this year. No applications for visas will be accepted on Dec. 22 and 29. “(It) takes a minimum of five working days to process a visa application. For those planning to travel by the end of the year, please make sure that you apply well before your planned departure date. For those who apply for a visa on and after the 20th of December, the examination may not be completed until the New Year. Please be advised that visa applications, in principle, must be launched at the Consulate-General of Japan at Manila through the agencies accredited by the Consulate-General," the embassy said. Passport applications schedule Dec. 22 is the last day for applications for passports that can be released within the year. But applications for passports and all certificates will still be accepted even after Dec. 22, but these will only be released next year. “For passport applications, we wish to remind the applicants that the present passport will be surrendered and kept by the Consulate-General until the new passport is released," the embassy said. The embassy issued these release schedules for passport applications:

• For applications accepted on Dec. 20 and 21, the passport may be released Dec. 28.
• For applications accepted on Dec. 22, the passport may be released Dec. 29.
• For applications accepted on Dec. 28, the passport may be released Jan. 5.
• For applications accepted on Dec. 29, the passport may be released Jan. 6.
• For applications accepted on Jan. 4, the passport may be released Jan. 7.

On the other hand, Dec. 28 is the last day for applications for certificates that can be released within the year. — MRT/VS, GMANews.TV