🇯🇵 Japan · Student Visa
Student visa categories, eligibility, required documents, work rights, and application steps.
To study in Japan you need the "Student" status of residence. The accepting school usually applies on your behalf for a Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) at a regional immigration bureau; with the CoE you apply for the student visa at a Japanese embassy/consulate. The Immigration Services Agency (ISA) handles status of residence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues the visa.
- The "Student" status of residence covers university, college and language-school study; most applicants go through the CoE route first.
- The accepting school usually applies for the CoE as your proxy; the CoE is valid for three months, within which you must enter Japan.
- With the CoE you apply for the visa at a Japanese embassy/consulate, then receive a residence card on arrival.
- Students may take part-time work up to a weekly limit after obtaining "permission to engage in activity other than that permitted".
Official authorities
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA)
National authority for status of residence and the CoE.
- Study in Japan — Immigration procedures
Official guide to the CoE and student-visa steps.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Visa
Visa issuance information.
Official-information aggregation, not legal advice. Always verify on the authority's own site.
Government portals
- Prime Minister's Office of Japan — Official site of Japan's Prime Minister — cabinet policies, press conferences, policy statements
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan — Japan visa applications, overseas safety info, consular services, and diplomatic policy
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan — Residence status, work visas, permanent residency, and naturalization in Japan
- National Tax Agency (Japan) — Income tax, corporate tax, consumption tax filing and e-Tax online submission