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Having been here for more years than I care to remember, I'd kind
of lost touch with what people have to go through when they step
off the plane - or boat (my personal choice) - in Japan for the
first time. Of course, it's the same for everybody, except for
your 'visa' situation. When people refer to changing their 'visa
status' or extending their 'visa', what they're actually talking
about is their 'status of residence'. The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Web site (see below) has all the information you could
possibly need on this. In theory no-one should arrive in Japan
without a visa but most countries have visa exemptions for visitors,
varying from 14 days to 6 months. Once you're established here and
need to, say, renew your visa or change your status, you're under the
jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
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Countries with visa exemption status
(as of October 2005. Some countries omitted) |
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6 months or less |
UK, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Mexico etc |
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3 months or less |
Canada, Belgium, France, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Netherlands,
Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Israel, Turkey, Singapore,
Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Lesotho, Tunisia etc |
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90 days or less |
USA, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, New Zealand etc |
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Visa recommended |
Malaysia, Peru etc |
In short, most people can just turn up in Japan and get permission
to stay for anything up to 6 months. Of course, if you're coming
to work but don't have the necessary visa yet, you should at least
have a return ticket to show at immigration and an 'appropriate'
reason for your visit. Things get a bit complicated later when you want
to change your status from tourist to one of the working categories.
You will then need a sponsor - usually your employer, although
if you're prepared to go through the paperwork and have the necessary
income, you can sponsor yourself (this is not a very common practice).
The biggest hassle is then that people from most countries have to
leave the country and have your change
of visa status processed in a Japanese embassy abroad. The most
popular destinations are Seoul or Hong Kong as they are close
and return flights pretty cheap. Your sponsor may even pay for
this trip (but don't bet on it).
For language teachers (the most common job for Westerners), the
main requirements are that you be a native speaker and that you
have a college or university degree. You'll probably have to produce
the original degree and transcripts. Plenty of people work without
having a 'working visa' and some language schools are known to
hire people on a 'tourist visa'. But a quick look through the job
classifieds will show you that most employers state that applicants
must hold a valid visa. Hiring someone without one is skirting the
law somewhat and is potentially risky so most employers naturally
would rather avoid the whole process. Working in
bars or restaurants pays less but may offer a more hassle-free, "no
questions asked" alternative.
At the end of 1999, immigration offices quietly started issuing
three-year extensions to working visas rather than the standard
one year. I myself received this welcome extension although I
didn't know anything about it until the day I picked it up. Yet
another example of the shroud of mystery that the MoFA likes to
maintain about these things.
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Visa categories and types of residence status |
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Working Visa |
Professor
Artist
Religious Activities
Journalist
Investor/Business Manager
Legal/Accounting Services
Medical Services
Researcher
Instructor
Engineer
Specialist in Humanities/International Services (incl. teachers)
Intracompany Transferee
Entertainer
Skilled Labor |
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Visitor's Visa (temporary) |
Temporary Visitor * |
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Transit Visa (temporary) |
Temporary Visitor * |
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General Visa |
Cultural Activities *
College Student *
Precollege Student *
Trainee *
Dependent * |
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Specified Visa |
Designated Activities †
Spouse or Child of Japanese National
Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident
Long-Term Resident |
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( * Statuses of residence not permitting work. † Whether work is permitted or not depends on the content of individual
permits) |
The following excerpts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web
site are things most commonly faced by foreigners already in Japan.
Permission to extend term of residence (ie. visa extension)
This permission is required when a foreigner wishes to remain
in Japan under the same status of residence after the originally
authorized term of residence has expired. Applications must be
made before the term of residence expires.
Permission to change status of residence (eg. from tourist visa to working visa)
This permission is required when a foreigner wishes to cease his
or her present activity and engage in another activity covered
by a status of residence different from the one originally granted.
Re-entry permission
This permission is required when a foreigner residing in Japan
wishes to leave the country temporarily and then return during
the authorized term of residence.
(Single or multiple re-entry permits are available. A satmp costing
4,000 or 6,000 yen respectively has to be bought - sold at a post
office near the immigration office - and attached to the application.
Together with the 2,000 departure tax at the airport, a nice little
money earner!)
Alien registration
Another procedure that foreign residents must not forget is alien
registration, which they must complete at the municipal office
of the area in which they live (not at a regional immigration
authority). Foreigners staying in Japan for more than 90 days
are obliged to complete alien registration. (They will receive
a Certificate of Alien Registration, which they must carry at
all times)
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