Short answer: fiscal year 2028, no later than 31 March 2029
No exact JESTA launch date has been announced. The Government of Japan aims to start JESTA within fiscal year 2028, which runs from 1 April 2028 to 31 March 2029. The law sets a firm outer limit: the JESTA provisions must take effect on a date set by Cabinet Order, no later than 31 March 2029. JESTA is not required for travel to Japan today.
Last checked: 19 October 2026. We update this page when the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) announces the Cabinet Order date. Dates below come from the ISA, the National Diet record and, where stated, the press.
Key dates
FY2028Government target (April 2028 to March 2029)
31 Mar 2029Latest date allowed by law
5 Jun 2026Law promulgated as Act No. 32 of 2026
Apr 2026System design and development began
What “fiscal year 2028” means
Japan’s fiscal year starts on 1 April. Fiscal year 2028 (令和10年度 in the Japanese calendar) therefore covers 1 April 2028 to 31 March 2029. A launch “within FY2028” could happen at any point in that 12-month window.
The legal deadline of 31 March 2029 is the last day of that same fiscal year. So the government target and the legal limit line up: if the target holds, JESTA starts during FY2028; if it slips, the law still requires the provisions to take effect by 31 March 2029, unless the law itself is changed.
JESTA timeline so far
| Date | Milestone | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Before 2025 | Original plan: introduce an electronic travel authorization in 2030 | ISA plan |
| 2025 | ISA plan sets the aim of introducing JESTA in FY2028, “ahead of the original schedule for introduction in 2030” | ISA plan (English PDF) |
| 10 March 2026 | Cabinet approves the bill to amend the Immigration Control Act | Press (Impress Watch) |
| April 2026 | Contractor selected; system design and development begin | Diet record, 19 May 2026 |
| 17 April 2026 | ISA confirms the FY2028 target in the House of Representatives | Diet record |
| 28 April 2026 | House of Representatives passes the bill | Diet record |
| 29 May 2026 | House of Councillors passes the bill; the law is enacted | ISA |
| 5 June 2026 | Law promulgated as Act No. 32 of 2026 | ISA |
| To be announced | Cabinet Order sets the effective date and fee | – |
| 31 March 2029 | Latest date on which the JESTA provisions can take effect | ISA summary |
For a running list of official announcements, including related changes such as the higher departure tax, see our JESTA news and timeline.
Why the date was brought forward
Japan originally planned to introduce an electronic travel authorization in 2030. The ISA’s plan, published in English, says the government will “aim to introduce JESTA in FY2028, ahead of the original schedule for introduction in 2030”. The ISA Deputy Commissioner repeated the FY2028 target in the Diet on 17 April 2026.
The official reasons given for JESTA are advance screening of visa-exempt visitors and faster arrival processing. The ISA summary notes that about 29.63 million visa-exempt short-stay visitors entered Japan in 2025. Read more in what JESTA is and why Japan is introducing it.
How long the build will take
In the House of Councillors on 19 May 2026, the ISA described the system schedule. A contractor had been selected and design and development started in April 2026. The ISA estimated it would need at least:
| Phase | Estimated length |
|---|---|
| System design and development | about 17 months |
| Integration testing | about 8 months |
| Staff training | about 3 months |
| Total, if run one after another | about 28 months |
Twenty-eight months counted from April 2026 reaches into the second half of 2028, which falls inside fiscal year 2028. This is our own arithmetic based on the ISA’s figures, not an official launch date. The phases could overlap or take longer, and the actual start depends on the Cabinet Order.
Funding is already in place for development: about ¥7.8 billion in the FY2025 supplementary budget and about ¥4.4 billion in the FY2026 initial budget, according to the Diet record of 24 April 2026.
What has not been announced
As of 19 October 2026, the following are not known:
- the exact day or month JESTA starts
- the fee amount
- how long an authorization is valid (the official summary says authorization is given “each time of a new entry”)
- the processing time
- the official application website (it does not exist yet; it is expected to use a go.jp address)
Be wary of any site that gives an exact JESTA start date or asks you to “pre-register”. Neither has any official basis.
What happens next
The next official step is a Cabinet Order that fixes the date on which the JESTA provisions take effect. A Cabinet Order will also set the fee. Before launch, the ISA also needs to finish the system, test it with the many connected government and private-sector systems, train staff and install kiosks and walk-through gates, starting with the busiest airports.
Until then, nothing changes for travellers. Visa-exempt visitors continue to follow the current Japan entry requirements. Once the date is set, check who will need JESTA to see whether it applies to you.
Planning a trip around the launch
If you plan to travel in 2028 or early 2029, keep these points in mind:
- Check this page and the ISA website a few months before you book.
- JESTA will apply from the effective date. Whether it applies to tickets bought before that date has not been announced.
- Airlines will have to check approval before boarding, so you will need JESTA before you fly, not on arrival.
FAQ
What is the official JESTA launch date?
There is none yet. The government targets fiscal year 2028 (1 April 2028 to 31 March 2029), and the law requires the provisions to take effect by 31 March 2029. The exact day will be set by Cabinet Order.
Will JESTA start in 2030?
2030 was the original target. The government brought it forward to fiscal year 2028, and the law now sets 31 March 2029 as the latest possible start date.
Do I need JESTA for travel in 2027?
No. JESTA is not required before the Cabinet Order date, and the government’s target is fiscal year 2028. Visa-exempt visitors follow the current entry rules.
When was the JESTA law passed?
The House of Councillors passed it on 29 May 2026. It was promulgated on 5 June 2026 as Act No. 32 of 2026, after the House of Representatives had passed it on 28 April 2026.
How will I know when JESTA starts?
The ISA will announce the date once the Cabinet Order is adopted. We update this page and our JESTA news page when that happens.
Japan ESTA Guide is an independent information website. It is not run by or affiliated with the Government of Japan. You cannot apply for JESTA here.
Sources
- ISA: 2026 amendment to the Immigration Control Act, enactment and promulgation (Japanese)
- ISA official summary: effective date by Cabinet Order, no later than 31 March 2029, PDF (Japanese)
- ISA plan: aim to introduce JESTA in FY2028, PDF (English)
- Diet record, 17 April 2026: ISA Deputy Commissioner on the FY2028 target (Japanese)
- Diet record, 28 April 2026: House of Representatives plenary vote (Japanese)
- Diet record, 19 May 2026: development schedule (Japanese)
- Diet record, 24 April 2026: development budget (Japanese)
- Impress Watch: cabinet approval of the bill, 10 March 2026 (Japanese)