Step-by-Step Guide for International Patients

In Japan, highly skilled medical professionals work together before, during, and after treatment to provide advanced medical care in a clean, safe, and restorative environment.

Visit the Why Choose Japan page for more details.

While many patients with serious or complex conditions have successfully traveled to Japan for treatment, whether it's possible in your case depends on your specific condition and the treatment required.

Start by submitting your medical information — treatment history, current condition, and test results — to your chosen Japanese medical institution. They'll assess whether they can accept your case and advise on a treatment plan. Many institutions also offer online consultations before you travel, so you can discuss the proposed approach and whether traveling is advisable.

Because fitness to travel, timing, and mode of transport all depend on your condition, make these decisions only after consulting closely with the medical institution and your medical travel assistance company.

Yes — not speaking Japanese doesn't stand in the way of receiving treatment in Japan. Medical travel assistance providers specialize in supporting foreign patients, and language support (including medical interpretation) can be arranged so you're never navigating your care alone. Most patients coming to Japan for treatment don't speak Japanese, and the system is built with that in mind.

Preparation typically takes several weeks to a month or more, covering both the medical stay visa process and the medical institution's acceptance procedures.

Visa processing time varies by country, city, and individual circumstances, so it's best to start early. Medical travel assistance providers can help by organizing and translating your medical information and preparing your visa application — many patients find this support makes the process smoother.

A medical travel assistance provider is a company that helps foreign patients access medical care in Japan, from planning through recovery. Services typically include matching patients with the right hospital or clinic, handling payment on the patient's behalf, arranging interpreters, and other support throughout the visit.

Yes. Since treatment often requires follow-up visits over time, it helps to choose a destination that's easy to reach. Japan is close to other Asia-Pacific countries, has many international airports, and offers convenient domestic travel once you arrive.

Yes, a few things:

• Check the full cost breakdown. Estimates may include not just the treatment charges from the medical institution, but also coordination fees if you're using a medical travel assistance provider.
• Allow time for confirmation. It can take a while between sending the payment and having it confirmed as received.
• Check your bank's requirements early. Some banks ask for extra documentation for international remittances, so it's worth confirming what's needed before you send funds.

A visa is generally required to enter Japan, though nationals of visa-exempt countries may not need one. A medical stay visa is for foreign patients — and anyone accompanying them — coming to Japan for medical care, including checkups, health screenings, diagnostic exams, dental treatment, and therapeutic hot spring stays.

Applicants need a guarantee from a registered guarantor organization. If a medical travel assistance company is registered as one, they can handle this for you — on this site, you can contact a company affiliated with a candidate institution directly from that institution's page.

Note: The permitted stay is normally up to 90 days, as stated on your landing permission. You must leave Japan by that date, so confirm in advance that your treatment — and your trip home — can be completed within that window.

It varies by the patient's current country, city, and individual circumstances — but generally at least two weeks once the medical travel assistance company has all the necessary medical information. Since timing also depends on coordinating with the medical institution's acceptance schedule, plan your travel dates in close consultation with both the institution and the assistance company.

Yes. Japan is widely recognized for its safety, including in medical and health security. In The Safe Cities Index 2021, Tokyo ranked 5th overall out of 60 cities worldwide, with Tokyo and Osaka ranking 1st and 5th in the Health Security category.

A medical travel assistance provider can support you with language and other practical needs throughout your stay — arranging airport transfers, hotel check-in, transportation to and from the medical institution, and medical interpreters during treatment. If 24-hour support is needed after surgery, interpretation can be arranged around the clock too.

A couple of things to note:

• Whether an interpreter is needed is decided by the physician and medical institution, so coordinate with them (and your coordinator) on interpreter dispatch. Interpretation fees are billed hourly, and rates vary by coordinator — worth confirming in advance.
• Relatively few medical institutions have physicians or nurses who communicate directly in languages other than Japanese.

A few things worth knowing:

• Family involvement varies by institution. Care during hospitalization is generally handled by hospital staff, though family or a representative may be asked to attend treatment explanations. Visitor rules — numbers, hours, young children, overnight stays — differ by institution, so confirm these in advance.
• Appointments can shift. Emergency patients may be prioritized, so your consultation may not start exactly on time. Build in some flexibility for waiting.
• Disclose everything upfront. Undisclosed medical information can lead to acceptance being withdrawn, so submit your full medical history to the institution beforehand.
• Treatment is scoped to what's discussed in advance. If you want to be seen for more than one condition, raise this with the institution or your medical travel assistance provider before you travel — you may need separate inquiries or appointments with multiple institutions.

After treatment is complete, your final cost is compared to what you paid in advance. If the actual cost is lower, you'll be refunded the difference; if it's higher, you'll need to pay the difference. Confirm with the medical institution or your medical travel assistance provider how this process works and how to review the cost breakdown and invoices.

Note: If you want a refund sent to a different account than the one used to pay, you may need to provide documents showing your relationship to that account's holder.

Yes, insurance can be used, but whether your treatment and other medical expenses are covered depends entirely on your specific insurance plan and policy terms. Even if your policy covers medical care in Japan generally, it may not cover everything involved in your treatment, including interpretation and medical coordination fees. Confirm these details with your insurer before you travel.

Some medical institutions in Japan don't offer direct billing with overseas insurance providers. In these cases, you may need to pay medical expenses upfront and claim reimbursement from your insurer afterward. Ask the medical institution directly whether your insurance is accepted and whether direct billing is available.

Insurance claims often require documents such as medical certificates or forms completed and signed by the medical institution or physician. Your insurance company can tell you what's required and how to submit it.

Note: People residing outside Japan cannot enroll in Japan's public health insurance system for the purpose of receiving medical treatment in Japan.