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Japan Work Visa Ladder — Engineer, Specified Skilled Worker, and Highly Skilled Professional
Document Checklist
パスポート (Pasupōto)
Passport
Required: Original passport with at least six months remaining validity recommended; bio page photocopy submitted with the COE application
Cost: Already issued
The passport is required at every stage — sponsor's COE filing, embassy visa label, port-of-entry inspection, and the residence card pickup.
在留資格認定証明書交付申請書 (Zairyū Shikaku Nintei Shōmeisho Kōfu Shinseisho)
Certificate of Eligibility application
Required: ISA prescribed application form with the route-specific annex (Bekki) for the target status of residence; filed in Japan by the sponsor
Where to get: ISA portal forms download page (moj.go.jp/isa) and the Online Shinsei System
Cost: No fee charged for COE issuance
Postal submission is not accepted. The sponsor submits in person at the Regional Immigration Services Bureau or via the Online Shinsei System if registered.
写真 (Shashin)
Recent photograph
Required: 4 cm × 3 cm, taken within three months of submission, neutral background per ISA specification
Cost: Varies
Most ISA-compliant photo studios in Japan and overseas can produce the format on request.
雇用契約書 / 内定通知書 (Koyō Keiyakusho / Naitei Tsūchisho)
Employment contract or offer letter
Required: Signed contract or formal offer letter from the Japan-based sponsor. Fixed-term contracts must run a minimum of one year. Open-ended (Mukikō) contracts are also accepted
Cost: Already issued
Required for Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services and Specified Skilled Worker routes. Highly Skilled Professional applicants also submit the employment contract or offer letter together with the points-table evidence.
卒業証明書 / 学位記 (Sotsugyō Shōmeisho / Gakuiki)
Academic credentials
Required: Graduation certificate and where applicable the academic transcript or diploma copy. Foreign-language documents accompanied by Japanese translations. For Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services, ten or more years of relevant experience may substitute for the degree in the humanities and international-services sub-bands
Cost: Already issued
Highly Skilled Professional point-bonus claims for doctorate, MBA, or top-100 university listing require the underlying degree certificate as supporting evidence.
雇用条件書 / 登記事項証明書 / 法定調書 (Koyō Jōkensho / Tōki Jikō Shōmeisho / Hōteichōsho)
Sponsor company documents
Required: Sponsor's registry certificate showing legal existence, financial statements (決算書 — Kessansho), employment-conditions document, and statutory tax-withholding certificate confirming sponsor Kategori classification (1 to 4)
Cost: Already issued
Category 1 (listed companies, central government) and Category 2 (large taxpaying corporations) face the lightest paperwork. Category 3 and Category 4 sponsors submit fuller financial and tax documentation.
ポイント計算表 (Pointo Keisanhyō)
Points Calculation Table (HSP only)
Required: Completed ISA points-calculation form aggregating academic background, professional career, annual income, age, research achievements, Japanese-language proficiency, and bonuses. A total of 70 points or more qualifies for Highly Skilled Professional Type 1
Where to get: Immigration Services Agency website (moj.go.jp/isa) — the table is published as the Pointo Keisanhyō
Cost: No fee
Documentary evidence supporting each claimed point category — degree certificate, employment certificate (在職証明書 — Zaishoku Shōmeisho), annual income proof (年収証明書 — Nenshū Shōmeisho), JLPT certificate, patent registration, peer-reviewed publication list, METI Innovative Asia alumni proof — must accompany the table.
技能試験合格証 / JLPT N4 / JFT-Basic A2 (Ginō Shiken Gōkaku Shō)
Skills proficiency and language certificates (SSW only)
Required: Sector-specific skills proficiency test certificate AND Japanese-language certificate (JLPT N4 or JFT-Basic A2). Applicants who have satisfactorily completed Technical Intern Training (ii) — Gijutsu Jisshū 2-gō — are exempt from both tests for the corresponding sector
Cost: Examination fees vary by test and sector
Sector tests are administered domestically and across the bilateral partner countries (Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka). Nationals from Memorandum-of-Cooperation countries must follow home-country pre-departure procedures.
返信用封筒 (Henshinyō Fūtō)
Return envelope with revenue stamp
Required: Self-addressed return envelope with a ¥404 stamp affixed, used by ISA to mail the issued COE back to the sponsor
Cost: Approximately ¥404 for the postage stamp
Required only for paper-route filings; Online Shinsei System filings receive the COE electronically.
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