Visas and Japan

This visa guide is taken from Education Japan (http://educationjapan.org/visas/) and is copyright Education Japan.

When you come to Japan, you will need some kind of visa. There are many different types of visa for diverse activities. It is important to choose the correct one for what you want to do in Japan. Generally, most people come to Japan on a tourist visa, pre-college student (shugaku) visa, university student (ryugaku) visa or work visa. There are others of course, but if you are intending to study in Japan, then you will need to know principally about the first three listed above.

Unfortunately, the procedures for and the ease of applying for each visa are different, and requirements vary depending on your nationality, where you are and your visa status there. Citizens of certain countries will require guarantors in Japan before they can get any visa; others will be issued tourist visas on arrival in the country. However, do not just assume that you will be given your visa of choice on arrival in Japan. Whatever your nationality, it is important to check immigration and application requirements thoroughly before you come to Japan.

The first step in the process is to work out which is the right visa for you. The main factors you need to consider are:

• Aim: what are your intentions? Study, work, cultural activities? This will basically determine which visa you require.
• Duration of studies: up to 3 months, 3 to 6 months, over 6 months. This will also affect which visa you require and which you can apply for.
• Start date: how long until you start? Is there time to complete the process?
• Present location and visa status: this will affect your visa application and eligibility requirements.
• Nationality: this will affect which visa you need/can apply for and the application process.
• Work: do you want to be able to work in Japan? This will affect the type of visa you need.

There is a lot of jargon involved that can in itself be a barrier - use the glossary to work out what things mean. Definitions include Japanese Kanji and readings - useful for decoding documents which are rarely in anything other than Japanese. Again, feel free to contact us with any problems or questions.

Check the menu on the top left for information regarding all kinds of matters related to visas - including changing visa status once in Japan, if you can and how to extend your visa, information regarding visa exemptions, and so on.

One very important point to remember is that when you apply for one visa, you may not be eligible for another. Apply for the visa that suits you, and don't try to apply for more than one at the same time - this could put you and the institutions through which you apply in trouble with the Immigration Office and in the worst-case lead to the loss of both applications.

Notes:

Whatever visa you apply for, please bear the following in mind:

Alien Registration: all foreigners are required to register as aliens within 90 days of arrival in Japan. You are required by law to carry your 'Certificate of Alien Registration' with you at all times. Register at your nearest local government office or Town/City Hall - this usually takes half a day to complete. It is often a good idea to do this early rather than wait. (This does not apply to those on the Temporary Visitor (Tourist) visa unless you will be in Japan longer than 90 days - see exchange agreements for details.)

Life and Health Insurance: Medical care in Japan is very expensive if you are not insured (a simple visit to the doctor will set you back over 10,000 yen; hospital may cost in the order of 100,000s of yen per day). Make sure before you leave that you are fully insured for all medical expenses that may be incurred in connection with illness, injury, accident or death during your stay. If you find that you become a resident of a particular Japanese town or city for an extended stay, it will be worth considering applying for Japanese National Health Insurance at the local government office.

PDF Forms: The forms on this site are in PDF format. To read them you will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader. You can get it free from their website here. Most computers already have it installed.

This page © Education Japan.