Visas for Japan

We are often asked by our students what visa they will require to take a course at one of our schools in Japan. The answer varies, depending on the student’s nationality and the duration they wish to take the course for. Whilst we can give an indication of the type of visa that a student is likely to require, we would always strongly advise that students consult their local Japanese embassy or consulate, as they will have the most up-to-date and accurate information regarding specific visa requirements.

Please note that students attending courses at our schools in Tokyo and Fukuoka are never eligible for student visas. If you apply for a student visa to attend one of our Japanese courses, your visa will be refused.

Visa Waiver programme

If you are a citizen of one of the following countries, you should be able to enter Japan without a visa up to the duration indicated:

It is normally possible to leave Japan and re-enter for a second time and we have had many students do so successfully. This is legal, although you may find that when you re-enter you are taken for extra questioning by the Immigration officials. This is nothing to worry about at all! This is just to ensure you are in the country legally. The school can provide you with documentation and you just need to answer the officials’ questions truthfully. Please note that some students who have then tried to leave and re-enter Japan for a second time (i.e. to extend their visa waiver for a second time) have been refused, so it is recommended that you only do this once.

Students studying for 3 months or less

– If you are from a country with a visa waiver of 3 months or more, no further action is required before travelling to Japan.

– If you are not from a country with a visa waiver of 3 months or more, you will need to apply for a tourist visa before travelling to Japan. The procedures, documents required and time it takes to arrange this type of visa will depend on the country in which you are applying for it and, therefore, you are strongly advised to consult your Consulate for further information.

Students studying for 3-6 months

– If you are from a country with a visa waiver of 3-6 months, no further action is required.

– If you are from a country with a visa waiver of 3 months you can leave Japan and re-enter to re-activate your visa waiver (as mentioned above it is not recommended that you do this more than once).

– If you are not from a country with a visa waiver of 3-6 months, you will need to apply for a tourist visa before travelling to Japan. Please consult your Consulate for further information on this (please note that it can be difficult to arrange a tourist visa for durations of more than 3 months).

Working Holiday Visa

Suitable for students from Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and United Kingdom:

• Holder must be under 30 years of age (35 for some nationalities).
• Designed to give young people experience of living and working in Japan.
• Valid for up to 1 year.
• Allows holder to study and work in almost any job (as long as the job itself is not seen as the main purpose of visit).
• Student must be able to prove that they have sufficient funds (typically at least 2000 USD) as well as enough money to pay for their return flight.

We hope that this gives you a better idea of whether you will require a visa for your Japanese course.

Please note that this information is correct at the time of writing but is subject to change. Therefore, we do strongly advise that you consult your local Japanese embassy or consulate for further information.

Anne Marie