Ohara & Furukawa

To apply for a working visa in Japan, a foreign applicant must bring his or her passport, visa application, photograph and Certificate of Eligibility (original plus copy) to their local Japanese consulate or embassy. It is possible to apply for a visa without the Certificate of Eligibility but the documentation required to be produced by the applicant will be much greater and it may take longer for the visa to be approved.

Many different types of professions are covered by the variety of working visas available in Japan. Most people who visit Japan professionally and need a working visa can find one that fits their specific field of employment. Diplomats, religious missionaries, artists, journalists, entertainers, engineers and many more professions each have their own unique work visa in Japan. These visas usually afford the applicant a 3 year stay in Japan, which can be renewed multiple times.

A visa is necessary to establish legal status to work in Japan and without one, foreign nationals are generally not permitted to earn income in Japan. However, there is no general “working visa” in Japan; rather the term is a catch all for a variety of different employment based visas. Employment based visas that allow a foreign national to work in Japan are separated into specific categories such as “teacher,” “engineer” or “specialist in humanities.” These specific visas allow their holders to work in Japan but also limit them to the specific fields of employment designated by the visa.