Visa (Certificate of Eligibility holders)
2023/4/3
- This page is for person(s) visiting Japan for work, study, cultural activities, or as a dependent (spouse or child: excludes spouse or child of aliens residing in Japan with the status of “trainee” or “pre-college student”).
- A Certificate of Eligibility is a document that verifies the activity in which the foreigner wishes to engage in Japan. The advantage of this document reduces the time required to obtain a visa and complete immigration procedures when work or long-term stay are the purposes of the trip including: dependent, work (entertainer, artist, professor, researcher, instructor, journalist, investor, business manage, legal or accounting services, medical service, engineer, humanities specialist or international services, intracompany transferee, skilled labor), religious activities, study (student/trainee/internship), cultural activities, or long-term resident.
- The application for a Certificate of Eligibility is made by your sponsor in Japan at the nearest regional immigration authority to his/her place of residence. Employers or schools as well as relatives could become your sponsors.
- Once the Certificate of Eligibility reaches you by way of your sponsor in Japan, you are ready to apply for a visa at the Japanese Embassy. The Embassy highly recommends obtaining a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) before applying for visa. Contact the Immigration Services Agency of Japan to obtain a COE. Obtaining a COE takes 1 to 3 months.
- You MUST enter Japan within 3 months of the designated day on your Certificate of Eligibility, regardless of any time limits noted on the actual visa you receive.
- If you have a valid Japanese Visa on your passport at the time you apply for a new Japanese visa (For example, when you apply for a work visa, but you have a student visa which is still valid), please submit a request statement (in any format) for visa cancellation.
*For further information about COE, please see: Application for issuance of a Certificate of Eligibility
*For Highly Skilled Professional Visas, please see: Highly Skilled Professional Visa
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
| 1 | Visa Application Form |
| 2 | Valid Passport
with at least 1.5 blank pages left |
| 3 | One 2”x 2” Photo
must be taken in front of a plain background and within the past 6 months |
| 4 | U.S. Visa (if applicable)
Please note: The Consulate general of Japan does NOT accept any applications from B-1 and B-2 U.S. visa holders. |
| 5 | Proof of Residency
e.g., Copy of Driver’s license card, Copy of State ID card, or Utility Bill |
| 6 | Certificate of Eligibility
Original COE and copy of COE |
ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS FOR Dependent visa
| 1 | Copy of dependent's residence card and dependent's visa (if applicable) |
Processing Time
- In general, it takes 5 business days to issue a visa. (ex., If you apply on Monday, you can pick up a visa next Monday. Our holidays are not counted as "business days.")
- It may take more than one month depending on the visa. We recommend that you apply for a visa approximately 1.5 months before your departure date. We do NOT have expedited services.
In-Person Application
We are not accepting walk-in visits at this time.
If you need to apply for visa to enter Japan, you must call us to schedule an appointment.
We DO NOT take appointments by email.
Please call us at the following number.
(615) 340-4300 (Mon- Fri 9:00am-12:30pm, 01:30-05:00pm (except holidays)
Apply by Mail
Visa Fee
- Standard Fees: Single Entry: 22 USD
- Double and Multiple Entry Visa : 44 USD
- Indian Passport Holder Fees: Single Entry: 6 USD
- Extension of Re-entry Permit: 22 USD
(Some countries are also exempted from visa fees. Please check the visa exempt countries list to find out if your visa fee is waived. )
* Payment is due at the time of PICKUP.
* We accept CASH only (Please prepare cash in the exact amount). We DO NOT accept personal checks and credit cards.