Working Visa

Professor, Artist, Religious Activities, Journalist, Investor/Business Manager, Legal/Accounting Services, Medical Services, Researcher, Instructor, Engineer, Specialist in Humanities/International Services
Intracompany Transferee, Entertainer, Skilled Labor

Temporary
Visitor's Visa

Temporary Visitor*

Transit Visa

Temporary Visitor*

General Visa

Cultural Activities*
College Student*
Pre-college Student*
Trainee*
Dependent*

Specified Visa

Designated Activities+
Spouse or Child of Japanese National
Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident
Long-Term Resident

WORKING VISA
Professor
(3 years or 1 year)

Activities for research, research guidance, or education as a professor, assistant professor, or assistant, etc. at universities, equivalent educational institutions, or technical colleges

Artist
(3 years or 1 year)

Activities for the arts that provide income, including those carried out by composers, songwriters, artists, sculptors, craftspeople, photographers, etc.

Religious
Activities
(3 years or 1 year)

Missionary and other religious activities conducted by members of foreign religious organizations.

Journalist
(3 years or 1 year)

News coverage and other journalistic activities conducted on the basis of a contract with a foreign journalistic organization, such as a foreign newspaper company, news agency, broadcasting station, documentary movie company, etc. (Specifically, activities carried out by newspaper journalists, magazine journalists, report writers, editorial chiefs, editors, media photographers, television and radio announcers, etc., including freelancers.)

Investor/
Business
Manager*
(3 years or 1 year)

Activities to commence the operation of international trade or other business, to invest in international trade or other business and to operate or manage that business, or to operate or manage international trade or other business on behalf of foreign nationals (including foreign corporations) who have begun such an operation or have invested in such a business. The business in question must meet certain conditions of scale. Applicants who wish to engage in business management must fulfill certain conditions concerning work status and personal history.

Legal/
Accounting
Services*
(3 years or 1 year)

Activities to engage in legal or accounting business. Applicants must be attorneys or public accountants certified to perform their duties in Japan, or those with other legal qualifications recognized by Japan.

Medical
Services*
(3 years or 1 year)

Activities to engage in medical treatment service. Applicants must be physicians, dentists, or those with other medical qualifications, and must be qualified under Japanese law and fulfill certain conditions concerning work status, etc.

Researcher*
(3 years or 1 year)

Activities to engage in examinations, surveys, research, etc. on the basis of a contract with a public or private organization in Japan. Applicants must fulfill certain conditions concerning personal history and work status.

Instructor*
(3 years or 1 year)

Activities to engage in language instruction and other education at elementary schools, junior high schools, senior high schools, schools for the blind, handicapped children's schools, miscellaneous schools (kakushu gakko and senshu gakko), or other educational institutions equivalent to kakushu gakko in facilities and curriculum.

Engineer*
(3 years or 1 year)

Activities to engage in service that requires technological skill and/or knowledge pertinent to physical science, engineering, or other natural science fields, on the basis of a contract with a public or private organization in Japan. Applicants must fulfill certain conditions concerning personal history and work status.

Specialist in Humanities/
International Services*
(3 years or 1 year)

Activities to engage in service that requires knowledge pertinent to jurisprudence, economics, sociology, or other human science fields. Activities to engage in service that requires specific ways of thought or sensitivity based on experience with foreign culture, such as interpreting, translation, copywriting, fashion design, interior design, sales, overseas business, information processing, international finance, design, or public relations and advertising based on a contract with a public or private organization in Japan.
Applicants must fulfill certain conditions concerning personal history and work status.

Intracompany Transferee*
(3 years or 1 year)

Activities on the part of personnel who are transferred to business offices in Japan for a limited period of time from business offices that are established in foreign countries by public or private organizations with head offices, branch offices, or other business offices in Japan and who engage at these business offices in the activities described in the "Engineer" or "Specialist in Humanities/International Services" sections of this table. Applicants must fulfill certain conditions concerning personal history and work status.

Entertainer*
(1 year, 6 months, or 3 months)

Activities to engage in theatrical performances, arts, song, dance, musical performances, sports, or any other show business. Applicants must fulfill certain conditions concerning personal history, work status, and form of entertainment.
Activities such as the production of television programs or movies, the photographing of models, etc. Applicants must fulfill certain conditions concerning work status.

Skilled Labor*
(3 years or 1 year)

Activities to engage in service that requires industrial techniques or skills belonging to special fields on the basis of a contract with a public or private organization in Japan. Applicants must fulfill certain conditions concerning personal history and work status.

*Statuses of residence to which the Ministerial Ordinance to Provide for Criteria for Landing Permission does apply.

b) Statuses of residence not permitting work

VISA CATEGORY
Status of residence
(term of residence)

Activities authorized to engage in

TEMPORARY VISITOR'S VISA

Temporary
Visitor
(90 days or
15 days)

Sightseeing; recreation; sports; visiting relatives, friends, or acquaintances; visiting a sick person; attending a wedding or funeral ceremony; participating in athletic tournaments, contests, etc. as an amateur; business purposes (such as market research, business liaison, business consultations, signing a contract, or providing after-sale service for imported machinery); inspecting or visiting plants, trade fairs, etc.; attending lectures, explanatory meetings, etc.; academic surveys or research presentations; religious pilgrimages or visits; friendship visits to sister cities, sister schools, etc.; or other similar activities during a short period of stay in Japan.

TRANSIT VISA
Temporary
Visitor
(15 days)

Activities are limited to sightseeing, leisure, and rest. Applicants must be foreigners traveling to a foreign country from another foreign country via Japan who wish to stay in Japan for a short period (up to 15 days).

GENERAL VISA
Cultural
Activities
(1 year or
6 months)

Academic or artistic activities that provide no income, activities for the purpose of pursuing specific studies on Japanese culture or arts, or activities for the purpose of learning and acquiring skills in Japanese culture or arts under the guidance of experts (for example, ikebana, tea ceremony, judo, etc.).

College
Student*
(2 years or 1 year)

Activities to receive education at colleges or equivalent educational institutions, specialized courses of study at miscellaneous schools (senshu gakko), educational institutions designated for preparing persons who have completed 12 years of education at schools in foreign countries to enter college, or technical colleges (koto senmon gakko). Applicants must fulfill certain conditions regarding ability to pay living expenses, etc.

Precollege Student*
(1 year or 6 months)

Activities to receive education at high schools, high school courses of schools for the blind or of handicapped children's schools, higher or general courses of miscellaneous schools (kakushu gakko and senshu gakko), or of other educational institutions that are equivalent to kakushu gakko schools in facilities and curriculum. Applicants must fulfill certain conditions regarding ability to pay living expenses, etc.

Trainee*
(1 year or 6 months)

Activities to learn and acquire technology, skills, or knowledge at public or private organizations in Japan (including not only training in industrial techniques and skills but also administrative training in local governments and other public bodies and clerical training to acquire knowledge).

Dependent*
(3 years, 2 years,
1 year, 6 months
or 3 months)

Daily living activities on the part of the spouse or unmarried minor child of those who stay in Japan with a status of residence mentioned in Table (a) (excluding Diplomat and Official) or with a Cultural Activities or College Student status of residence.

*Same as note for Table (a).

(c) Whether work is permitted or not depends on the contents of individual permits

VISA CATEGORY
Status of residence
(term of residence)

Activities authorized to engage in

SPECIFIED VISA
Designated
Activities
(3 years, 1 year,
6 months, or a
designated
period of less
than 1 year)

Activities that are specifically designated by the Minister of Justice for foreign individuals. (For example, activities on the part of foreigners who wish to enter Japan as personal help privately employed by diplomats, consular representatives, etc.; foreigners who wish to enter Japan under bilateral working holiday agreements*; foreigners who are employed by companies, etc. and are active as athletes in amateur sports and their dependent spouses and children; foreign lawyers engaged in international arbitration affairs, etc. university students engaged in internship activities.)

*Working Holiday Agreements: Based on bilateral agreements, working holiday programmes permit young people (between 18 and 30 years of age) from the countries concerned who are visiting a partner country on vacation to engage in work there so as to supplement their funds to travel and stay in that country, thereby providing them with an opportunity to get to know that country's culture and general lifestyle. At present Japan has such working holiday agreements with five countries: Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea.

2. Statuses of residence without restrictions on activities in Japan

VISA CATEGORY
Status of residence
(term of residence)

Personal relationship or status based on which the residence is authorized

NO VISA GIVEN
Permanent
Resident
(indefinite)

Those who are granted permanent residence by tbe Minister of Justice. Application for Permanent Resident status is not possible at overseas Japanese diplomatic establishments.

SPECIFIED VISA
Spouse or Child
of Japanese
National
(3 years or 1 year)

Spouses of Japanese nationals, children adopted by Japanese nationals in accordance with the provisions of Article 817-2 of the Civil Code (Law No. 89 of 1896), or those born as children of Japanese nationals.

Spouse or Child
of Permanent
Resident
(3 years or 1 year)

Spouses of those who stay with Permanent Resident status or those who are Special Permanent Residents as described in the Special Law on Immigration Control, which covers those who have lost Japanese nationality through a peace treaty between Japan and another nation, or those born as children of Permanent or Special Permanent Residents.

Long-term
Resident
(3 years, 1 year,
6 months, or a designated
period of less
than 3 years)

Refugees as stipulated by the convention relating to the Status of Refugees, Indochinese refugee settlers, second- and third-generation Japanese settlers, etc.

Status of
residence

Supporting documents

Temporary Visitor

1. A ticket for boarding an airplane or a vessel to leave Japan, or a written guarantee issued by a transport company.
2. A valid passport which enables the foreign national concerned to enter foreign countries out of Japan.
3. Documents certifying that the person concerned can defray all expenses incurred during the stay in Japan.

(b) For the Purpose of Work or Long-Term Stay

Status of
residence

Supporting documents

Diplomat

Note verbale and/or documents issued by the foreign government or international organization, certifying the identity of the person concerned and his or her purposes while visiting Japan.

Official

Note verbale and/or documents issued by the foreign government or international organization, certifying the identity of the person concerned and his or her purposes while visiting Japan.

Professor

Documents certifying the activity, its duration, the position, and the remuneration of the person concerned.

Artist

1. Documents certifying the activity, its duration, and the position of the person concerned.
2. Material showing the achievements of the artistic activity of the person concerned.

Religious Activities

1. Documents from the foreign religious organization, certifying the duration of stay, position, and remuneration of the person concerned.
2. Material showing the outline of the foreign religious organization which is sending the person concerned, and the recipient Japanese religious organization.
3. Documents certifying the position and career of the person concerned as a religionist.

Journalist

Documents certifying the activity, its duration, the position, and the remuneration of the person concerned.

Investor/Business Manager

1. In cases where the person concerned intends to commence the operation of international trade or other business, or to invest in the business, the following materials are required.

1. A business plan, copies of the company registration, and a statement of profit and loss.
2. Material showing the number of full-time staff except the foreign national concerned, and in the case where the number of the full-time staff is two, copies of resident cards or certificates of alien registration and documents regarding wage payments of the staff concerned.
3. Material showing the outline of the business office.

2. In cases where the person concerned intends to engage in management of international trade or other business on behalf of the foreign national who began or invested the business concerned, the following materials are required.

1. A business plan, copies of the company registration, and a statement of profit and loss.
2. Material showing the number of full-time staff except the foreign national concerned, and in the case where the number of the full-time staff is two, copies of resident cards or certificates of alien registration and documents regarding wage payments of the staff concerned.
3. Material showing the outline of the business office.
4. Documents certifying the activity, its duration, the position, and the remuneration of the person concerned.

3. In cases where the person concerned intends to engage in management of international trade or other business on behalf of the foreign national who began or invested in the business concerned or is engaged in management of the business concerned which was begun or invested in Japan, the following materials are required.

1. A business plan, copies of the company registration, and a statement of profit and loss.
2. Material showing the number of full-time staff except the foreign national concerned, and in the case where the number of the full-time staff is two, copies of resident cards or certificates of alien registration and documents regarding wage payments of the staff concerned.
3. Material showing the outline of the business office.
4. Documents certifying the career of the person concerned and his or her certificate of graduation with a major in management or administration.

Documents certifying the activity, its duration, the position, and the remuneration of the person concerned.

Legal/Accounting Services

1. Documents certifying that the person concerned is qualified to do the activities under the status of residence of "Legal/Accounting Services" provided for in Annexed Table 1 (2) of the Immigration Control Act.
2. Documents certifying the activity, its duration, the position, and the remuneration of the person concerned.

Medical Services

1. Material showing the outline of the recipient organization.
2. Documents certifying that the person concerned is qualified to do the activities under the status of residence of "Medical Services" provided for in Annexed Table 1 (2) of the Immigration Control Act.
3. Documents certifying the activity, its duration, the position, and the remuneration of the person concerned.

Researcher

1. Material showing the outline of the recipient organization.
2. A diploma, a personal history, and other documents certifying the career of the person concerned.
3. Documents certifying the activity, its duration, the position, and the remuneration of the person concerned.

Instructor

1. Material showing the outline of the recipient organization.
2. Documents certifying the academic career or a copy of an educational license of the person concerned.
3. Documents certifying the professional career of the person concerned.
4. Documents certifying the activity, its duration, the position, and the remuneration of the person concerned.

Engineer

1. Copies of the company registration and a statement of profit and loss of the recipient organization.
2. Materials describing the business undertaken by the recipient organization.
3. A diploma or a certificate of graduation with a major in the subject regarding the activity of the person concerned, and documents certifying his or her professional career.
4. Documents certifying the activity, its duration, the position, and the remuneration of the person concerned.

Specialist in
Humanities/
International
Services

1. Copies of the company registration and a statement of profit and loss of the recipient organization.
2. Materials describing the business undertaken by the recipient organization.
3. A diploma or a certificate of graduation with a major in a subject relating to the activity of the person concerned, and documents certifying his or her professional career.
4. Documents certifying the activity, its duration, the position, and the remuneration of the person concerned.

Intra-
company
Transferee

1. Documents certifying the relationship between the business office in a foreign country and the business office in Japan.
2. Copies of the company registration and a statement of profit and loss of the business office in Japan, and material describing the business activities.
3. Documents certifying the details of his or her duty and its duration at the business office in a foreign country.
4. Copies of the company registration of the business office in a foreign country, and material showing its outline.
5. Documents certifying the activity, its duration, the position, and the remuneration of the person concerned.
6. A diploma and documentation certifying the career of the person concerned.

Entertainer

1. In cases where the person concerned intends to engage in theatrical or musical performances, or sports or other public entertainment, the following materials are required.

1. A personal history and documents issued by the official organization which is certifying the career and the qualification regarding the activity of the person concerned.
2. Copies of the company registration, a statement of profit and loss, and the list of staff of the organization inviting the person concerned.
3. Materials showing the outline of the entertainment site
4. In the case where the organization inviting the person concerned undertakes the entertainment, a copy of the contract is required.
5. Documents certifying the activity, its duration, the position, and the remuneration of the person concerned.

2. In cases where the person concerned intends to engage in show business, the following materials are required.