This article describes the visa requirements for students interested in booking a Japanese course at a language school in Japan. All students, including students from visa waiver countries, must apply for a Student Visa for courses lasting longer than 6 months.
1. Overview
There are two categories of students:
- Students from countries that need a visa: these students need to apply for a tourist visa to study in Japan for less than 3 months. For courses lasting 3 - 6 months, these students need to apply for an extension of the visa. And for courses lasting longer than 6 months, these students will need to apply for a student visa.
- Students from visa waiver countries (e.g. EU countries): these students do NOT need a visa for courses of less than 3 months. For courses lasting 3 - 6 months, these students need to apply for an extension of the visa. And for courses lasting longer than 6 months, these students will need to apply for a student visa. Find out more about visa exemptions »
2. Who needs a visa?
Depending on the length of study, students from any country may need to apply for a Japanese visa. Find out more about visa exemptions »
3. Visa types
i. Tourist Visa (Less than 6 months)
Students who intend to study in Japan for less than 3 months must apply for a Tourist Visa, unless the student holds a passport of a visa waiver country.
ii. Tourist Visa extension (between 3 to 6 months)Students who intend to study in Japan for between 3 to 6 months must apply for a Tourist Visa. If the student is already in Japan, he/she will need to apply for an extension of the tourist visa.
iii. Student Visa (6 months or more)Students who intend to study in Japan for 6 months or more must apply for a Student Visa. Obtaining a Student Visa can take up to 5 months. Japanese immigration issues student visas only 4 times a year: for the January term, April term, July term and October term. Applications that are submitted after the application deadlines will not be considered.
To apply for a student visa, the student needs to submit all the required documents to the school. The student will also need to complete the application documents in Japanese. The school needs to receive the student’s enrollment at least 1 month before the immigration deadline in order to have time to process the required documents.
Students who would like to study for 6 months or more but would like to start as soon as possible can first apply for and enter Japan with a tourist visa. The student can then change the visa status to a student visa upon arrival in Japan. However, the student must study for at least 6 months from the day they receive the student visa.
For example, the student can start a course in October under a tourist visa. The student needs to go to the Japanese embassy to obtain a tourist visa. The student can then change the visa status to a student visa, but the student has to collect the required documents and send them to the school to get a student visa that is valid from January of the following year. In this example, because the student needs to study for at least 6 months with a student visa, the student has to study from January for at least 6 more months. In total, this example student has to study for 9 months.
Language International cannot guarantee that this type of status change will be approved.
iv. Working Holiday Visa (restricted to certain nationalities)Obtaining a working holiday visa does not take very long (usually a few weeks, depending on the country). However, a working holiday visa can only be issues for the following citizens: British, Irish, French, German, Danish, Canadian, Australian, New Zealander, Hong Kong, Taiwanese, and South Korean.
4. Requirements for visa applications
- Passport
- Letter of acceptance from school
- Proof of financial means (bank statement)
- Proof of accommodation
- Preferably: a Certificate of Eligibility
5. Frequently asked questions
How can I get a Japanese visa?
If you want to study in Japan for less than 6 months (25 weeks), you have to apply for a tourist visa. If you want to study in Japan for 6 months or more, you have to apply for a student visa.
Getting a student visa takes up to 5 months. Japanese immigration gives student visas only 4 times a year: for the January term, April term, July term and October term. They are also very strict with the application deadline. If you are late even for just 1 day, they will not accept your application.
To apply for a student visa, the school needs to collect all the required documents from you, complete the application documents in Japanese, and go to the immigration to apply for your student visa before the deadline. Therefore, the school needs to receive your enrollment at least 1 month before the immigration deadline.
If you would like to study for 6 months or more and would like to start as soon as possible, you can first apply for and enter Japan with a tourist visa. When you arrive in Japan, you can change your visa status to a student visa. However, you must study for at least 6 months from the day you receive your student visa.
For example, the student can start a course in October under a tourist visa. The student needs to go to the Japanese embassy to get a tourist visa. The student can then change the visa status to a student visa, but the student has to collect the required documents and send them to the school to get a student visa valid from January onwards.
In this example, because the student needs to study for at least 6 months with a student visa, the student has to study from January for at least 6 more months. In total, the student has to study for 9 months in this case.