Immigration

A short stay in Japan for tourism purposes usually will not require a visa. As of 2013 Japan had agreements with 66 countries to waive the visa requirements to stay in Japan under certain conditions. A foreign national arriving in Japan as part of the visa waiver program for touring or business is limited in the length of time they are allowed to spend in Japan depending on their country of origin. Citizens of most countries on the list can stay in Japan for up to 3 months, but citizens of certain countries, such as Germany and Mexico can stay […]

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.