With its high-quality education and innovative universities, Japan is an excellent place to study. If you’re considering this country as your next destination for upgrading your education, you’ll experience their unique culture, meet their people, and visit the famous places in Japan like Mount Fuji, Historic Kyoto, and a lot more.
But before you go there – you need to complete your documents. One of the documents required is the Student Visa. Aside from a passport, you should obtain a visa – a permit that allows you to stay in a country for a specific duration.
Getting a student visa might require you a lot of time and effort in processing and applying. But here’s the good news, it’s a lot easier to apply for a student visa in Japan. In this article, let’s talk about the cost, documents needed, and step-by-step procedures for getting a student visa in Japan.
What documents do you need to apply for a student visa in Japan?
To start your application for a student visa in Japan, kindly prepare the documents you should present to the embassy. Here is the list of documents needed:
- Visa Application Form
- A copy of your passport
- One photograph
- Graduation certificate and transcripts of record from the previous institution
- Certificate of Eligibility – original and one photocopy.
- Proof of employment or income for the financial support needed for your studies
- Daily Itinerary
- Other necessary documents that your home country may require (you may check your country’s embassies and consulate here).
How much money do you need for Japan’s Student Visa?
Also, a part of your preparation for getting a visa is the cost of it. Student visas should be paid once issued. A single-entry visa may cost about 3,000 yen, and a multiple-entry visa may cost 6,000 yen.
These fees may differ depending on your purpose and nationality. Lastly, if your application is declined, no fees will be deducted from you.
Check Also: Available Programs for International Students
Steps on Applying for a Student Visa in Japan
After knowing the documents and fees for getting a Japan student visa, let’s discuss the application procedure step-by-step. Please consider the time because usually, it can take a while to process a student visa. Make sure to create a time frame for the whole application, so you’ll get to study in Japan in your targeted academic year.
1. Choose your program and university
The first thing to consider in getting a student visa is your duration of stay in Japan. How long would you stay in this country? Your stay in Japan will depend on the study program that you’ll take. So, before applying for a student visa, make sure to decide on your study program.
Also, you need to decide on your which university in Japan you want to study in. Every university offers different programs for bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. The duration of your stay may vary because other schools in Japan may require language programs. For example, Tokyo International University offers a University Preparatory Course for incoming international undergraduate students. So aside from their four years in their chosen program, you need to add one year and a half for this preparatory course.
Make sure to be accepted into your chosen university and program.
2. Apply for a Certificate of Eligibility (CoE)
A Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) is a document showing that you’ve met the condition and requirements to stay in Japan. This is different from a visa because a CoE is an essential requirement in getting a student visa in Japan, and it is issued by the Immigration Bureau of Japan. Your chosen university will be the one to process and apply for you.
Since your chosen university will apply for you, they will ask for some documents such as the application form for the CoE, your personal photo (passport-sized), proof of financial support, and other documents that your university may require. Usually, the processing time for a CoE may take from two to three months. So, make sure to submit your documents correctly because any problems with your papers will make the process longer. For the whole visa application, getting a CoE is the most time-consuming.
The CoE is entirely free, and you don’t need to pay anything. This document has a validity span of three months, so after getting this from your university, make sure to process your student visa, or else, you need to apply for a CoE again.
3. Receive your Certificate of Eligibility (CoE)
If there are no problems and delays, you’ll be able to receive your CoE after two to three months. Your chosen university will be the one to deliver this document to you, and please duplicate a copy of your CoE before applying for a student visa.
4. Go to your country’s Japanese embassy or consulate and apply for a student visa
Once you received your CoE, you can finally apply for a Japanese student visa. Before submitting, kindly check the schedule, contact your respective Japanese embassies or consulate, and prepare all the needed documents (as mentioned earlier). Kindly fill up the application form and complete your documents correctly to avoid being denied. As a reminder, please do not submit the original copy of your CoE to the embassy. You should keep the original copy because you need to present them when you land in Japan.
Usually, the processing time for a Japan student visa is five to ten working days. You’ll be able to get a student visa immediately, and once issued, prepare the fees needed for it. Others experience getting a denied application for a student visa for some reason. It might be because of an error in your documents or application form, or you did not meet their criteria.
5. Claim your student visa and book a flight to Japan
After days of waiting, it’s time to get your student visa and book a flight to Japan. When booking a flight, kindly consider your time before your study program or the academic year starts. Please take into consideration your adjustment period in living in Japan.
I hope that this article on how to apply for a student visa in Japan was helpful. If you’re interested in studying abroad, make sure to check out the Available Programs for International Students!
