Japanese consulates in California
Consular officeOther cities
California is one of three states Japan splits between two consulates, along with Connecticut and Idaho, and the line produces results that look wrong on a map: Bakersfield is served from San Francisco and Palmdale from Los Angeles.
Which Japanese consulate covers California?
California is divided by county. Los Angeles covers nine: Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura. San Francisco covers every other county, Kern included, so Bakersfield's office is 281 miles away.
Consulate-General of Japan in Los Angeles
Consulate-General of Japan in San Francisco
Honorary consuls in this state
An honorary consul is a local contact point, not a counter: the post issues no passports and no visas and cannot notarise a document. For that you still go to the consulate general.
- Fresno — Joy J. Goto
Distance from each city in California
| City | Consulate | Distance | Driving time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland | Consulate-General of Japan in San Francisco | 10 mi | 18 min |
| Long Beach | Consulate-General of Japan in Los Angeles | 25 mi | 35 min |
| Anaheim | Consulate-General of Japan in Los Angeles | 27 mi | 37 min |
| Santa Ana | Consulate-General of Japan in Los Angeles | 33 mi | 43 min |
| Irvine | Consulate-General of Japan in Los Angeles | 40 mi | 50 min |
| San Jose | Consulate-General of Japan in San Francisco | 49 mi | 1 h 3 min |
| Riverside | Consulate-General of Japan in Los Angeles | 56 mi | 1 h 10 min |
| San Bernardino | Consulate-General of Japan in Los Angeles | 61 mi | 1 h 13 min |
| Stockton | Consulate-General of Japan in San Francisco | 81 mi | 1 h 39 min |
| Sacramento | Consulate-General of Japan in San Francisco | 86 mi | 1 h 45 min |
| Modesto | Consulate-General of Japan in San Francisco | 91 mi | 1 h 50 min |
| Santa Barbara | Consulate-General of Japan in Los Angeles | 95 mi | 1 h 56 min |
| Bakersfield | Consulate-General of Japan in San Francisco | 281 mi | 5 h 17 min |
Driving times are calculated at posted speed limits and without traffic, so treat them as a floor rather than a promise.
Of the 13 places listed for California, the closest to its consulate is Oakland at 10 miles and the furthest is Bakersfield at 281. The average across the state is around 72 miles each way.
What you can settle without going
- You can have the Certificate of Eligibility applied for in Japan by your sponsor.
- You can check the office hours: most consular counters close at midday.
- You can check whether you need a visa at all, because most U.S. passport holders do not for stays under 90 days.
A single visit can often cover several services, so ask what else you can bring while you are there.