Visa Applications
If you are not a temporary visitor, but instead plan to stay for longer than 90 days and/or intend to work in Japan, you will need an appropriate visa to remain in the country. Before arriving in Japan, you must apply for a visa at a Japanese embassy or consulate in the United States. The Embassy of Japan is located in Washington, D.C., and its website (www.us.emb-japan.go.jp) gives detailed instructions on application procedures. Visit the same site for locations and contact information for all consulate-generals of Japan in the U.S.
When you apply for a visa, you will need to submit the following documents in person (or possibly by mail—check with the individual consulate):
1. A valid passport
2. A Visa Application Form to Enter Japan (Form 1-C)
3. One two-inch-by-two-inch photo
4. An original zairyu shikaku nintei shomeisho (certificate of eligibility) from the Immigration Bureau of Ministry of Justice in Japan
(www.immi-moj.go.jp), and one photocopy. You should obtain this certificate through your sponsor in Japan. Getting a visa will go most smoothly this way, but if you have no certificate of eligibility, you will need the first three items above, plus the following documents:
5. A copy of the acceptance letter from the Japanese institution you will attend. In addition, if you are attending a vocational school, you must present evidence of your Japanese language skills (such as showing you passed Level 2 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test).
6. Documents certifying that you can defray all expenses incurred during your stay in Japan (such as a bank statement or official proof of receipt of scholarships or grants).
7. A photocopy of all the above documents.
The exact documents required vary depending on the particular status of residence. See the next section for more information.
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Work Visas
There are 14 categories of work visas. Each type has specific parameters: professor, artist, religious activity, journalist, investor/business manager, legal/accounting service, medical service, researcher, instructor, engineer, humanities service/international services, intracompany transferee, entertainer, and skilled labor. In addition to the brief descriptions below, you’ll find detailed information on the website of the Embassy of Japan (www.us.emb-japan.go.jp).
At a minimum, you should have a college degree in any field, or prove that you have significant experience (ten years is a good length—in Japan, it takes ten years to become a sushi chef or to master any art) in a certain field. Then you will need to seek out a school or business to give you a job and be your guarantor to obtain a working visa. Work visas are generally good for six months, one year, or three years. The longer you stay in Japan, the better your chance of obtaining a longer visa.
• Instructor
This visa is for providers of language instruction and other education at elementary schools, junior high schools, senior high schools, schools for the blind, schools for disabled children, kakushu gakko and senshu gakko (miscellaneous schools), or equivalent institutions.
• Artist
An artist visa is for producers of artwork that provides income, such as composers, songwriters, artists, sculptors, craftspeople, and photographers.
• Humanities/International Services
This type of visa is for those who engage in service requiring knowledge pertinent to jurisprudence, economics, sociology, or other human science fields. These services must require 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.
• Investor/Business Manager
An investor/business manager visa covers those involved in the operation of international trade or other businesses, investors in international trade or other businesses, and those who operate or manage international trade or other businesses on behalf of foreign nationals (including corporations) who have begun such an operation or 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 specific conditions concerning work status and personal history.
• Professor
This visa is granted to those who perform research, research guidance, or teaching services for institutions specializing in education, such as professors and assistant professors at universities, college, or koto senmon gakko (technical colleges).
• Researcher
The Researcher visa is for research activities performed under contract with public or private institutes in Japan, excluding activities described under “Professor,” above. I had this visa while I was a foreign researcher at the National Institute for Japanese Language in Tokyo. At first, my research visa was valid for one year. Then I renewed for another one-year period. The next time I went to renew my visa, they gave me a three-year research visa without my asking. Luckily, I had the proper certificate of eligibility form from my institute, and my immediate supervisor kindly agreed to act as my guarantor. (That’s a big favor to ask, because if I got in trouble with the law or skipped the country with unpaid rent, my guarantor would be personally liable. Treat guarantors with care.)
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Alien Registration
Once settled in Japan, you must complete more official paperwork—this time at your local municipal office. Everyone who is staying in Japan more than 90 days must go through gaikokujin toroku (alien registration) within the first 90 days of entry to Japan. Here’s the official description: All foreigners residing in Japan (except those who have received permission to enter Japan temporarily or for transit purposes, diplomats, consular officials, their families, and persons staying in Japan under the Japan-U.S. Status-of-Forces Agreement) are obliged to register as foreign residents when they enter Japan, obtain foreign citizenship while in Japan, or are born in Japan. Foreigners should complete Alien Registration (also called Foreign Resident Registration) at their local ward or municipal (city, town, or village) office (at the Foreign Resident Registration Desk) and receive a foreign resident registration card.
Here’s what you need to take when applying for initial registration:
1. Two photographs (taken within the last six months; not required for applicants under 16 years of age) 4.5 centimeters (1.8 inches) in length and up to 3.5 centimeters (1.4 inches) in width, showing a full frontal view of the face without a hat.
2. A signature is required.
When applying for initial registration, you will be informed when your foreign resident registration card will be issued. You must pick up your card within this period. However, foreigners under 16 years of age will be issued a card immediately upon application.
Foreign resident registration cards give the person’s name, date of birth, sex, nationality, address, status of residence, occupation, place of work, and other details. The card for permanent residents and special permanent residents include all these items of information except occupation and place of work. Foreigners 16 years of age or over must carry this card with them at all times. Please keep in mind that police and other officials may ask to see your card whenever necessary.
Why do foreigners have to register? By registering, your identity and residence are verified, and you will have a card to keep with you at all times. This is “necessary for the administration of public programs such as education, welfare, medical fees, and immigration control,” according to the Immigration Bureau. Thankfully, gone are the days when you were forcibly fingerprinted into a little brown notebook you had to carry around.
Your Alien Registration Card must be carried with you at all times, and should be turned in when you leave Japan without a reentry permit in your passport.
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You will need to apply at your regional immigration bureau in Japan when temporarily leaving Japan, extending your period of stay, and for any procedure related to your status of residence (such as changing your visa category or requesting permission for any activities other than those authorized). When making such applications, you must present your passport and Alien Registration Certificate.
Temporarily Leaving Japan
If you are leaving Japan temporarily (for a home visit, to tour another country, etc.), you must apply for a sainyukoku kyoka (reentry permit) in order to come back into Japan. You can do this at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau and other branch offices. Apply for either a single reentry permit (for ¥3,000/$27) or a multiple reentry permit (for ¥6,000/$54). The latter is good for the duration of your visa (six months, one year, or three years) and handy if you expect to travel out and back several times. These procedures must be strictly followed, or you run the risk of not being allowed to enter Japan again. I learned this the hard way when, ignorant of the rule, I went on a one-week vacation to Korea from Hokkaido, where I was teaching at a university. When I landed in Sapporo at New Chitose Airport, I was detained and questioned for several hours as to why I did not have a reentry permit. Without a permit, I had forfeited my teaching visa. I was only released after I had written a letter of apology (in Japanese) stating that I would not make the same mistake again and promised to go to the immigration bureau to sort things out. I was lucky!
Extending Your Period of Stay
Your zairyu kikan no koshin (period of stay) is determined together with your status of residence at the time you land in Japan. Foreigners are only allowed to stay in Japan within a set period of time. If you would like to remain in Japan under the same status of residence beyond your authorized period of stay, you must apply for and obtain an extension. To do so, apply at your local immigration office no later than the expiration date of your authorized period of stay (applications are usually accepted up to two months in advance). Anyone who stays in Japan beyond the authorized period of stay is subject to punishment and/or deportation by law.
Changing Your Status of Residence
Foreigners who would like to stop their present activity and concentrate on an activity that is different from what is authorized under their current status of residence must apply for—and obtain—a change of zairyu shikaku no henko (status of residence). The submission of such an application does not necessarily guarantee its approval. Anyone receiving income from an activity other that what is authorized under his or her status of residence, or anyone who conducts unauthorized activities with remuneration without first obtaining this permission, is subject to punishment and/or deportation by law.
Unauthorized Activities
Foreigners who would like to engage in an activity involving the management of a business or any remuneration other than what is authorized under the assigned status of residence must apply for—and obtain—permission to do so in advance. Foreigners engaging in an activity other than those authorized are subject to punishment by law.
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The main benefit of this status is not having to apply for visas every time you want to live in Japan—but keep in mind that half the “registered foreigners” in Japan are second- or third-generation permanent residents (usually Korean or Chinese). It’s not impossible to obtain eijuken (permanent residency), but it takes connections, money, a good guarantor, and up to about ten years. If you marry a Japanese person, the time can be as short as five years. I also know a number of internationals in Japan who got permanent residency after living in the country for five years—without being married to a Japanese. So, it’s possible, albeit difficult, to move the process along more quickly.
Naturalization
What if you want to go all the way and become a citizen of Japan? Just so you know, in most cases this means giving up your present citizenship. Children born with dual citizenship don’t legally have to give up one or the other, although the Japanese government would like them to do so. At the Immigration Bureau, there are posters of people standing on a globe, cheerfully saying, “Let’s all choose just one citizenship.” If I didn’t have to give up my U.S. citizenship and could just add Japanese to the list, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
If you want to pursue Japanese citizenship, naturalization is the primary way for foreigners to do so. Application for naturalization must be made at the Ministry of Justice, Nationality Division, Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau, Kudan Building No. 2, 1-1-15 Kudan Minami, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8225, tel. 03/5213-1234.
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