Visa: Certificate of Eligibility

2022/9/28

Applicants wishing to work, study, or live in Japan, should in principle first obtain a Certificate of Eligibility. The Certificate of Eligibility is issued by the Ministry of Justice in Japan. To obtain a Certificate of Eligibility, the applicant must ask a sponsor in Japan (an employer, spouse, school, etc.) to contact the local immigration office and make an application on their behalf. The application must be made by a sponsor in Japan.

Once a Certificate of Eligibility has been obtained, the applicant should bring in:

  1. Valid passport
  2. One visa application form (PDF) (sample (PDF)), completed and signed
  3. One passport-sized photograph approx. 45mm x 45mm (taken within the last 6 months)
  4. Original Certificate of Eligibility
  5. One photocopy of Certificate of Eligibility

It normally takes 7 working days to issue a visa.

Note: Certificates of Eligibility expire 3 months after the date of issue.

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