Embassy of Japan

The embassy's consular section covers the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, and nothing else. Everything north of it belongs to New York and everything south to Atlanta, which surprises people who assume an embassy covers the country.

How to book an appointment at the Japanese consulate in Washington

Almost everything at Embassy of Japan runs on an appointment, and getting one is the first step.

Japanese consulates do not share one national booking system. Embassy of Japan publishes its own instructions, service by service, and the visa section is usually separate from the consular section.

Booking costs nothing. No agency is authorised to get you a consular appointment.

The ministry's own jurisdiction PDF lists the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations in the same table as the consulates. It is a different institution and does no consular work.

How to cancel an appointment at the Japanese consulate in Washington

If you cannot make it, cancel. Someone else is waiting for that slot.

Write to Embassy of Japan by email, with your name and the date of the appointment. Do not rely on a phone call: the consular section may not answer the line during counter hours.

Getting to the Japanese consulate in Washington

The office is at 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW. Japanese consulates in the United States sit in downtown office towers, so public transport usually beats parking.

Real reviews of the Japanese consulate in Washington

The embassy's consular section averages 3.8 out of 5 across 88 Google reviews. The pattern is familiar: smooth when the file is complete, sharp when it is not.

Security was easy and the staff at the counter were courteous throughout. Having lived in Japan for years, the tone felt familiar.

Melissa R.

I read the website end to end and still got told off for a question. The information was right, the reception was not.

Kevin L.

Went in with a student trek letter, hotel bookings and the itinerary. It was still hard going, so bring more supporting paper than you think you need.

Priya S.

Opening hours of the Japanese consulate in Washington

The counter hours are the part that catches people out.

This office does not publish counter hours. Write before you travel.

Phone number of the Japanese consulate in Washington

The number is (202) 238-6700. Consular sections often do not answer during counter hours, so email usually gets a faster reply.

What the Japanese consulate in Washington handles

Not everything with a Japanese stamp on it happens here.

Passports, family register entries, certificates of residence and signature, police certificates and visas for the three units it covers. West Virginia is not one of them: despite the name and the distance, it belongs to New York.

What you can settle without going

Several of these steps do not need the counter at all.