Visas for Japan
It’s often easier to find working opportunities once in Japan, but visa-wise, it’s better to find work before you arrive and collect your documents, organise your sponsorship and begin the visa application process from the comfort of your own couch.Temporary visitors to Japan will need a visitor visa for stays up to 90 days, although around 50 countries’ citizens are exempt from this.
Working visa in Japan
Getting a work permit for another country is often difficult, but especially so for Japan. Although it's easier to find a job in Japan than from overseas, you'll nevertheless need to apply for your work permit at the Japanese embassy in your home country or region. For most types of work permits, including “Specialist in Humanities” permit to teach English in Japan, you will need a job offer from a company in Japan first before you can apply for the work permit. The company will organise a Certificate of Eligibility for you, an original document that you will need to apply for a working visa at your local Japanese embassy.
In order to apply for the certificate you will need to provide copies of your degree(s), a career summary or testimony and possibly also police clearance – the specific documentation needed depends on which category of employment you are applying for. On the whole you will need at least a four-year degree in order to qualify for a Certificate of Eligibility. The employer will also have to provide their company fiscal information and information about your proposed salary.
There are about twelve different types of work permits for Japan, depending on the type of work you intend to do - check with the Japanese embassy for a full list of the documents you will need and what the visa allows you to do. Expats are most likely to find jobs in Japan as English teachers, translators, IT personnel, chefs, models or in the entertainment industry generally. If you're under 30 and from a qualifying country, it's also possible to get a working holiday visa, which will allow you to work part-time in Japan for up to a year.
Changing your visa in Japan
If you should decide to change employers while in Japan there is no need to change your visa status, as long as you are still employed in the same visa category (English teachers, copywriters and translators all fall under the “Specialist in Humanities” employment category, for example). Visas can be renewed from inside Japan on an annual basis, at your local Immigration Office.
Getting a Resident (Zairyu) Card
Up until 9 July 2012, expats relocating to Japan for a period longer than three months (90 days) are required to register at a local municipal office to get an alien registration card (a gaijin card). However, after this date, the Japanese government has announced plans to do away with the alien registration card program, and will instead roll out the foreign resident (Zairyu) card program.
In contrast to the gajin card, expats do not need to register at a municipal office upon arrival, but will rather be granted the Zairyu card at the airport (Narita, Haneda, Chubu and Kansai). If not arriving at one of the listed international airports, the card will be delivered in the mail.
Apart from this difference, the residence card also grants expats in Japan the right to multiple re-entries into the country, and it extends the maximum length of stay from three years to five years. This means that the old re-entry permit system no longer applies; instead of having to apply for a multiple-entry visa, expats working in Japan who hold a valid resident card will be able to re-enter the country and continue to work as long as they re-enter within one year of leaving Japan.
Foreign nationals who already have a gajin card do not need to get a Zairyu card as long as the gajin card expires on or before 8 July 2015. Those who have a gajin card that expires after this date will need to apply to get a Zairyu card.
Having a residence card in Japan makes official life much easier, and allows you to engage with the nation’s infrastructure by opening a bank account, getting a mobile phone contract or registering for the national health insurance benefits.
