A Certificate of Eligibility is issued before a visa application by a regional immigration authority as evidence that the foreign national meets the conditions for landing in Japan.
A foreign national in possession of a Certificate of Eligibility can get a visa issued more easily at an embassy or consulate. Visa applications can be made without this certificate, but in such cases you will be required to submit a large number of verifying documents to substitute this certificate. Processing will also take several months because the application documents will have to be sent to the nearest immigration authority in Japan for examination. Therefore, it is highly advised that you obtain a Certificate of Eligibility.
If you have questions, please contact Science Tokyo’s Visa Consulting Service through your host researcher.
URL: https://www.iad.titech.ac.jp/ifr/guest/immigration/visa-consulting-service-on-campus
Required Documents
Below are the lists of documents you will need to apply for each type of Certificate of Eligibility:
- Application Form, including the following pages
- For applicant, part 1
- For applicant, part 2, signed by host researcher
- For organization, part 1, issued in the name of the President, Dean or Director of the sponsoring organization
- Copy of Passport
- Photograph, meeting the following requirements:
- Size 4 cm × 3 cm
- Pictured alone, facing front, no hats, caps or head coverings
- Plain background, no shadows
- Taken within the past six months
- Original Letter of Acceptance issued by the sponsoring organization
- Cultural Activities Plan and organization outline
- Resume/CV in English or Japanese
- Copy of documents certifying your current status in your home country (Copy of Certificate of Employment, Copy of Certificate of Student Status etc.)
- Financial documents certifying that you can defray all expenses incurred during your stay in Japan (certificate of payment of expenses issued by your supporting organization, bank account balance certificate, etc.)
- Application Form, including the following pages:
- For applicant, part 1
- For applicant, part 2, signed by host researcher
- For organization, part 1, issued in the name of the President, Dean or Director of the sponsoring organization
- Copy of Passport
- Photograph, meeting the following requirements:
- Size 4 cm × 3 cm
- Pictured alone, facing front, no hats, caps or head coverings
- Plain background, no shadows
- Taken within the past six months
- Resume/CV in English or Japanese
- Original employment agreement or offer of employment showing your position, duties, duration, and remuneration*
- If you are funded by an institute other than Science Tokyo (JSPS, JASSO, etc.):
- Copy of Invitation Letter
- Copy of Certificate of Financial Support
- Application Form, including the following pages:
- For applicant, part 1
- For applicant, part 2, signed by host researcher
- For supporter, part 1, issued in the name of the President, Dean or Director of the sponsoring organization
- Copy of the applying family members’ passports
- Photograph of each applying family member, meeting the following requirements:
- Size 4 cm × 3 cm
- Pictured alone, facing front, no hats, caps or head coverings
- Plain background, no shadows
- Taken within the past six months
- Documents certifying the relationship between you and the applying family members (original and a copy of marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc.)
- Application Form, including the following pages:
- For applicant, part 1
- For applicant, part 2, signed by international researcher who supports their family
- For supporter, part 1, signed by international researcher who supports their family
- Copy of the applying family members’ passports
- Photograph of each applying family member, meeting the following requirements:
- Size 4 cm × 3 cm
- Pictured alone, facing front, no hats, caps or head coverings
- Plain background, no shadows
- Taken within the past six months
- Envelope (12 cm x 23.5 cm) with return address and 404 yen in postage stamps
- Document certifying the relationship between you and the applying family member (original and a copy of marriage certificates, birth certificates, etc.)
- Copy of your passport (ID page, A4 size)
- Copy of both sides of your residence card (A4 size)
- If you are a Science Tokyo employee: Certificate of Employment
- Copy of your residence rental contract or dormitory certificate
- Financial documents showing how you can defray living expenses
- If you are a Science Tokyo employee or supported by another organization:
- Copy of front cover and all pages of your bankbook
- Tax payment certificate* for most recent year or certificate of financial support by other organization
- If you are an independently financed researcher:
- Copy of front cover and all pages of your bankbook, copy of pay slips for last three months, or similar
- If you are a Science Tokyo employee or supported by another organization:
| Documents | Cultural Activities | Professor |
Dependent (if applying while abroad with your host researcher as proxy) |
Dependent (For applicants whose financial supporter is already living in Japan) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Application Form, including the following pages:
|
X | X | X | |
|
Application Form, including the following pages:
|
X | |||
| Copy of Passport (ID page, A4 size) | X | X | X | |
Photograph
|
X | X | ||
| Original Letter of Acceptance issued by the sponsoring organization | X | Copy of Invitation Letter is required if you are funded by an institute other than Science Tokyo (JSPS, JASSO, etc.) | ||
| Cultural Activities Plan and organization outline | X | |||
| Resume/CV in English or Japanese | X | X | ||
| Copy of documents certifying your current status in your home country (Copy of Certificate of Employment, Copy of Certificate of Student Status etc.) |
X | |||
| Financial documents certifying that you can defray all expenses incurred during your stay in Japan (certificate of payment of expenses issued by your supporting organization, bank account balance certificate, etc.) | X | Copy of Certificate of Financial Support is required if you are funded by an institute other than Science Tokyo (JSPS, JASSO, etc.) |
If you are a Science Tokyo employee or supported by another organization:
If you are an independently financed researcher:
*Tax payment certificate issued by your city of residence as of January 1. If your stay in Japan is less than one year, this certificate will not be issued. |
|
| Original employment agreement or offer of employment showing your position, duties, duration, and remuneration |
X* *Not required for full-time employees of universities. Please check “Full-time employment” for question 9 on the application page For organization, part 1. |
Certificate of Employment is required if you are a Science Tokyo employee. | ||
| Copy of the applying family members’ passports | X | X | ||
|
Photograph of each applying family member
|
X | X | ||
| Documents certifying the relationship between you and the applying family members (original and a copy of marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc.) | X | X | ||
| Envelope (12 cm x 23.5 cm) with return address and 404 yen in postage stamps (one envelope for up to 4 applicants) | X | X | ||
| Copy of both sides of your residence card (A4 size) | X | |||
| Copy of your residence rental contract or dormitory certificate | X |
Application forms and samples can be downloaded from the website of the legal corporation in charge of Science Tokyo’s Visa Consulting Service.
URL: https://attorney-office.com/en/visa-consulting.html
Where to Apply
- Local immigration bureau (within Japan only, free of charge)
- Science Tokyo’s Visa Consulting Service*
*A service fee will be required. Please make contact through your host researcher.
Notes
- When submitting documents written in a language other than Japanese or English, please attach Japanese or English translations.
- If you wish for any original documents to be returned, please mention this at the time of application.
Processing Period
The Certificate of Eligibility is typically issued within 6 to 8 weeks.
Last updated 10月 1, 2024
