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The information provided is designed to give a summary of the immigration requirements. It is not offered as legal advice and should not be taken as such. The firm and the contributing authors expressly disclaim all liability to any person in respect of anything done or omitted in reliance upon the contents of this information sheet. Immigration rules and requirements frequently change without notice and you should contact our Global Immigration team for further information and advice.
Who needs a visa?
Business Visa
Work Authorization
Family
Penalties
Do's and Don't
Nationals of the following countries are permitted to stay in Japan up to 6 months without obtaining a visa prior to entry:
Austria, Germany, Ireland ,Liechtenstein, Mexico, Switzerland and UK
Nationals of the following countries are permitted to stay in Japan up to 3 months without obtaining a visa prior to entry:
Argentina, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominican Rep, El Salvador, Finland, France, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mauritius, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Surinam, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey and Uruguay
Nationals of the following countries are permitted to stay in Japan up to 90 days without obtaining a visa prior to entry:
Andorra, Australia, Barbados, Bulgaria, Czech Rep, Estonia, Hungary, Hong Kong (BNO,SAR), Korea,Latvia, Lithuania, Macau (SAR), Monaco, New Zealand, Poland, Slovakia, Taiwan and USA
Nationals of the following country are permitted to stay in Japan up to 14 days without obtaining a visa prior to entry:
Brunei
Although the above nationals are not required to obtain a visa prior to travelling to Japan, they should be able to submit evidence of the purpose of their trip; evidence of sufficient funds for the duration of the trip and of plans to leave Japan after a reasonable stay.
Business visit visas may be obtained from the Japanese Consulate in the applicant's country of usual residence.
Processing time:
Processing times of business visas vary at different Japanese Embassies/Consulates.
Business visa applications in the UK may be processed in 5 - 10 working days from the date of submission. Processing times can take longer during busy periods of the year or the application is referred by the Japanese authorities.
Validity:
Business visit visas can be granted for a period up of 15, 30 or 90 days.
For an up-to-date list of required supporting documentation, please contact our Global Immigration Team..
There are a number of schemes available to foreign workers intending to work in Japan.
1. Intra-company transfer
Foreign workers must have been employed for a minimum of 12 months at the foreign company before the transfer to the Japanese Office. A transfer can only be made where the head office or a branch office of the company is in Japan.
2. Legal/Accounting Services
Foreign workers who are recognized foreign law specialists under the Japanese lawyer regulatory body or certified practicing accountants may be obtain a work visa if sponsored by a Japanese company. They will be permitted to engage in legal or accounting activities.
3. Investor/Business Manager
Foreign workers/investors who have been in an operation or invested in an operation of international trade or business may be issued with a working visa to enter Japan. They will be permitted 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 the foreign nationals. To qualify under this scheme the foreign worker should possess a Masters in Business degree or have three years of senior management level experience.
4. Specialists in
Humanities/International Services
This category permits foreign workers who have expertise in jurisprudence, economics, sociology or other human science fields to work for a Japanese company. To qualify under this scheme, the foreign worker must possess a Bachelor degree or equivalent and have at least ten years relevant work experience.
Procedure:
First the Japanese employer will have to obtain a Certificate of Eligibility from the immigration authorities in Japan in respect of the foreign worker's employment. The foreign worker then applies for a work visa at the Japanese Embassy/Consulate in his/her country of usual residence.
Validity:
Work visas are granted for a period of 1 year or 3 years.
Processing time:
Certificate of Eligibility applications could take up to six weeks to be processed. Once approved, it is valid for three months. The foreign worker must obtain the work visa before expiry of the Certificate of Eligibility.
Processing times of work visas vary according to the country where the application is filed.
Work visa applications in the UK may be processed in 5 working days from the date of submission.
For an up-to-date list of required supporting documentation, please contact our Global Immigration Team.
5. Working Holiday
The UK and Japanese governments have an agreement whereby a maximum of 400 British nationals who meet the following prerequisites can holiday and work in Japan for a period up to 12 months.
In view of the changes to the UK immigration system, the Working Holiday scheme may change.
The prerequisites include:
- be a British citizen resident in the UK
- intend primarily to holiday in Japan from the date of entry and work must be incidental to the applicant's holiday
- be aged between 18 - 25 years at the time of application, except in some cases where the Japanese authorities agree to extend the limitation of age up to 30 years
- not accompanied by children
- not accompanied by spouses (spouses are required to qualify for a working holiday visa in their own right)
- possess a valid passport and a return travel ticket or sufficient funds to purchase a return ticket
- possess reasonable funds for the duration of their stay in Japan
- intend to leave Japan at the end of their stay
- have not previously been issued with a working holiday visa
- be in good health
Japanese Working holiday visas are single entry visas. The visa holder will be required to obtain a re-entry permit from the Immigration authorities after arrival in Japan, if they wish to leave and re-enter Japan whilst there.
Working holiday visas holders must register with the Alien Registration Department at the local government office with jurisdiction over the place of residence within 90 days of entering Japan.
Applications are to be submitted at the Japanese Consulate in the applicant's country of usual residence.
Validity:
Working holiday visas are valid for a period of 1 year from the date of issue.
Processing time:
Processing times of work visas vary according to the country where the application is filed.
Work visa applications in the UK may be processed in 5 - 10 working days from the date of submission.
For an up-to-date list of required supporting documentation, please contact our Global Immigration Team.
Dependants:
The married spouse and unmarried children can accompany the foreign worker in Japan as dependants.
However the dependants of a working holiday maker are not permitted to accompany the visa holder in Japan. They must qualify fir the working holiday visa in their own right.
Dependants of foreign workers must obtain a certificate of eligibility and then apply for the Dependant visa at the Japanese Consulate in their country of usual residence.
Validity:
Dependant visas are normally granted for the same period as the foreign worker. However they can be issued with a visa for 3-month, 6-month, 1-year, 2-years or 3-years.
Processing time:
Processing times of work visas vary according to the country where the application is filed.
Work visa applications in the UK may be processed within 5 working days from the date of submission.
For an up-to-date list of required supporting documentation, please contact our Global Immigration Team.
Unmarried/same-sex partners:
Japan does not recognize unmarried or same-sex partners as dependants of the foreign worker. They will be required to qualify for a work visa in their own right.
Employer:
Japanese employers who do not comply with the immigration laws can be fined a substantial amount.
Employee:
Working in Japan without the requisite work permission is an offence. If convicted the individual can be arrested, which will involve several weeks or months of incarceration, followed by conviction and imprisonment or deportation.
Do:
- Contact our global immigration team as soon as possible to allow enough time for the processing of the Certificate of Eligibility and visa applications
- Check whether you require a visa before travelling to Japan
- Don't:
- Don't work in Japan without the requisite work authorization
- Break any Japanese immigration rules
The information provided is designed to give a summary of the immigration requirements. Please note that the information was correct at the time of writing, however the immigration rules and regulations of Japan, like many other countries, frequently change without notice and you should contact our Global Immigration team for further information and advice.