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Outline of Japanese Visa System in Japan

A foreign national wishing to enter into Japan must have a valid Japanese visa, unless your purpose of visit is a short stay and you are a citizen of the country with visa exemption arrangement by the Japanese government (See the countries and regions areas that have visa exemption arrangements).

Working visas will be issued to those who have special skills, and it is difficult to obtain working visa for those who are going to do simple labor work in Japan. Besides working visa, there are visas for special purposes such as spouse visa and student visa.

What is a Certificate of Eligibility?

The Certificate of Eligibility issued by the Ministry of Justice shows the applicant meets the conditions of entering Japan. It does not guarantee the applicant can enter Japan. A foreign national may be rejected to enter Japan by the reason that the examination of the Certificate of Eligibility was done by a false statement and/or evidence. But it quicken the visa issuance process. If you apply for a visa at the Japanese Embassy or Consulate with the Certificate of Eligibility, you will normally be able to obtain a visa after five working days. If you apply without the Certificate, the documents of your visa application will be transferred to Japan and the Ministry of Justice in Japan examines them, and report the result to the Embassy or Consulate in foreign countries. It takes more time than to have a Certificate of Eligibility at the beginning.

Standard Procedures of Obtaining Working Visas

Types of Working Visas

Status of Residence	Authorized Activities (General Outline)
Investor/business manager	Presidents or officers of companies invested by themselves or by foreign nationals (including judicial persons) except the businesses that need licenses described in "Legal/accounting services".
Intra-company transferee	People transferred to the Japanese branch or subsidiary by a foreign company. Their activities are either "Specialist in humanities/International Services" or "Engineer".
Specialist in humanities/International Services	People who have special knowledge on human science or foreign culture, and engaging in the work of foreign language teachers, interpreters, copywriters, designers, sales/marketing, etc.
Engineer	People who have special knowledge on natural science and engaging in the work of scientific engineers, IT engineers, etc.
Legal/accounting services	Attorneys and certified accountants with legal qualifications
Professor	University professor, assistant professor, assistant, etc. for research, guidance of research or education at a university, an equivalent educational institution, or a college of technology
Artist	Composers, songwriters, artists, sculptors, craftspeople, photographers, etc.
Religious activities	Monks, bishops, missionaries, etc.
Journalist	newspaper journalists, magazine journalists, editors, news cameramen, announcers, etc.
Skilled labor	chefs specializing in the food of a foreign country, animal trainers, pilots, sports trainers, sommeliers, etc.
Medical services	Physicians, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, etc. with legal qualifications in Japan
Researcher	Researchers, investigators, etc. at research institutes, etc.
Instructor	Teachers, etc. at elementary schools, intermediate schools and high schools
Entertainer	Musicians, actors, singers, dancers, sportspeople, models, etc.

What you prepare varies depending on the type of visa. In order to decide the suitable visa for an applicant, it would be helpful for us to have the applicant's resume and nationality besides the background of dispatching a personnel to Japan.

Your activity in Japan is limited to the purpose of your visa. Before you do the activity beyond the scope of your visa, you have to apply for a new one or apply for the permission for engaging an activity outside scope permitted.

Fee schedule for visa is here.