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Investing in Japan

How to Set Up Business in Japan
Laws & Regulations on Setting Up Business in Japan

Section 2. Visas and Status of Residence

2.3 Process from acquisition of Certificate of Eligibility to acquisition of visa

Visas are applied for and received at Japanese diplomatic missions abroad. However, Japanese diplomatic missions abroad may be unfamiliar with circumstances in Japan, leading to delays and other difficulties in screening applications for long-term stay visas such as those for foreign nationals seeking to work in Japan. In light of this, the Immigration Bureau in Japan often screens these applications to determine whether or not the activities intended by the foreign national wishing to enter and reside in Japan correspond to the conditions for the visa being sought; if it is determined that these activities do in fact meet the visa conditions, a Certificate of Eligibility is issued. If this Certificate of Eligibility is presented to a Japanese diplomatic mission abroad together with a visa application, the conditions for entry/residence will ordinarily be deemed satisfied and a visa promptly issued. A Certificate of Eligibility is not applicable to temporary visitor visa.
A Certificate of Eligibility need not be obtained in all cases when applying for a visa to work in Japan; for example, depending on the scale of the company by which the foreign national will be employed, applications for visas can sometimes be submitted directly to the Japanese diplomatic mission abroad.

Flowchart from application for Certificate of Eligibility to visa acquisition and entry into Japan (general example)

  In Japan
Application for Certificate of Eligibility (submitted to Immigration Bureau in Japan) by the applicant or his/her proxy
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Issue of Certificate of Eligibility (by Immigration Bureau in Japan); sent to applicant or his/her proxy in Japan
* If a foreign national who has applied for a Certificate of Eligibility is already in Japan on a temporary visitor status of residence when the Certificate of Eligibility is issued, that foreign national may be able to change his/her temporary visitor status of residence to the status of residence approved in the Certificate of Eligibility while still in Japan, without the need to apply for and receive a visa at a Japanese diplomatic mission outside Japan.
  Outside Japan
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Visa application accompanied by Certificate of Eligibility at Japanese diplomatic mission abroad
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Visa issue at Japanese diplomatic mission abroad
  In Japan
|
Entry into Japan (landing permission); presentation of passport and visa, submission of Certificate of Eligibility (at port of debarkation)

(Reference)

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