Receiving Your Certificate of Eligibility

  1. What is a Certificate of Eligibility?
  2. What is the application process?
  3. What do I need to provide for the application?
  4. What happens next?

Sample of a Certificate of Eligibility.
Sample of a Certificate of Eligibility.

Photo credit: Flickr

 

I. What is a Certificate of Eligibility?

A Certificate of Eligibility is a document which is issued by the Japanese government to persons wishing to come to Japan on any of the visa categories available. The Certificate of Eligibility is applied for on your behalf by a sponsor, which could be your employer or spouse. Your visa category will depend on the type of work that you will be doing, however, the most common type of working visa that international staff have at CyberConnect2 is the “Engineer/Specialist in humanities/International services” category. Please note that the Certificate of Eligibility is not a visa to come to Japan in itself, but a necessary document in order to apply for the visa proper. In other words, this document is an acknowledgement by the Government of Japan that you have met the requirements need to enter and reside within the country.
 

II. What is the application process?

The Certificate of Eligibility is applied for on your behalf by a sponsor in Japan, which could be anything from an employer, to a school, or relative/spouse. In the case of staff members joining CyberConnect2, the company acts as your sponsor, and will submit the necessary documents to the Immigration Bureau for you. The processing time for a Certificate of Eligibility application is between one to three months. Once the document has been received by your sponsor in Japan, they will send it to your current country of residence where you will then need to take it to your nearest Japanese embassy to apply for the visa. Please note that a Certificate of Eligibility is only valid for someone applying for a visa outside of Japan.
 

III. What do I need to provide for the application?

There are some items that you need to provide to your sponsor in Japan so that they can proceed with the application. In the case of CyberConnect2 these items are as follows:

  • A copy of a valid passport
  • A filled out COE application form
  • A photo measuring 4cm x 3cm (The applicant must be alone in the photo)
  • An original copy of your university diploma showing your major

These items you will need to send via post to your sponsor in Japan. Your university diploma will be returned to you once your sponsor has received the Certificate of Eligibility. Something else to note is that there are sections on the application form that your sponsor will need to fill out. It is okay to leave these sections blank. You only need to fill out the sections that are related to yourself. Please ask your sponsor what you need you fill out when you are applying. Make sure that your details such as your name, date of birth, nationality and passport number etc. are clear and correct.
 

IV. What happens next?

Once you have sent the necessary items to your sponsor in Japan, they will submit your application to the Immigration Bureau. After 1 to 3 months your Certificate of Eligibility will be issued and sent to your sponsor. Your sponsor will then send it to you in your current country of residence via post. Please note once again that you cannot enter Japan with only the Certificate of Eligibility. Once you have received the document you must take it to the nearest Japanese Embassy to where you live. There you must submit it along with a visa application form and your passport, which must be valid. It does not take too much time for the visa to be issued. Once the visa has been issued your passport will be returned to you with a visa “sticker” placed inside, which then allows you to enter Japan.

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*Remember that first and foremost you should follow the instructions of your sponsor in Japan.

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