Hi all!
I've been in the process of obtaining a nomad visa since early June. When I contacted the embassy, they requested to send all the required documents listed on the official Japanese government website by mail, which I did.
Since then, the process has only been delayed, and I haven't even been given an appointment to go to the embassy yet with the physical papers. First, they asked for more details about my real bank income, and I explained that the income they were requesting wasn't the one they should be asking for, because they required gross salary, and the income I provided had taxes already applied.
When I sent them everything they requested, they told me it was too early to process the visa (I'm traveling in mid-October) and that they wouldn't start working on it until the last week of July. I mentioned that this was something new and might cause issues and delays, but they assured me not to worry.
Finally, in July, after calling them to follow up, they started the process, but since then, they've only been asking for more and more information, and it takes a week to get an answer each time. The last thing they requested was a copy of my employment contract, even though I've already provided several documents proving the company I work for and my gross salary.
After reading about the digital nomad visa in this forum, I’ve noticed that some people have taken up to two and a half months to complete the process, which worries me, especially if they need to send the passport to Japan, if i let them to send the passport and they spend 2 months to give It back inwont be able to fly.
For those of you who have gone through the process, how long did you have to be without your passport? I’ve already bought tickets and several domestic flights in Japan because they assured me there wouldn't be any problems, and at this point, I'm considering canceling the process and requesting a leave of absence from work to cover the days I was going to work from there (less than a month).
I don’t want to be asked for my passport just a few days before leaving for Japan and end up without it, having to cancel my trip. Could someone who has gone through the process give me an idea of how long it takes from the moment you submit the documents and passport until you get everything back with the visa?
Thank you in advance!
by -Dedy-