To be able to come to Japan you will need to obtain a “stay permit”. Visa information about the most common type used by foreign students is listed below.
1-Short-term Visa
Language school students may obtain a short-term student visa (for the purpose of learning the Japanese language). If your country is part of the visa exemption agreement with Japan, students can come to Japan without a visa (for 90 days or 180 days). Those who wish to stay in Japan for a short period may apply for this visa or come without a visa. Also, those students who could not file for a regular student visa by the deadline may apply for this visa (or come without a visa) and stay in Japan until the next enrollment period. In such a case, students must leave Japan once because it is not permitted to extend a short-term visa.
Exempt countries
Japan has taken measures concerning the visa exemption with numbers of countries and regions. Because of this, students from most countries are able to take our regular course without the need for a visa. However, those from countries not on the agreement need to obtain a short-term permit. To see whether or not your country is part of the agreement, please check the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ list of countries qualifying for visa exemption.
Applying for Short-term Visa
If your country is not on the visa exemption list and requires a short-term visa to enter Japan, Nihongo Center will provide the following documents.
- School Admission certificate
- Letter of Invitation
- Personal Reference Form
- Schedule of Visit to Japan
Please take these documents to the nearest Japanese Embassy or Consulate and apply for a short-term visa. Required documents may vary by country, so please confirm beforehand.
2-Student Visa
Those wishing to study in Japan will stay under “student visa” status. With a student visa, you can stay for 1 year, with the option of extending up to 2 years. Those students who study Japanese for more than 20 hours per week and for longer than 6 months may apply for a student visa at Nihongo Center.
Part-time Jobs
After issuance of a work permit by the immigration service, it is possible for a person in possession of a student visa to find work not exceeding 28 hours per week (you can work up to 8 hours a day during school long vacations).
3-Working-holiday Visa
Some countries can receive a working-holiday visa for 1-year to come to Japan. This allows you to work in Japan without any limit of time and you can also receive it to study. To know if you can obtain this visa, consult the home page of the Japanese Embassy of your country.
Joining the school with this kind of permit doesn’t require a lot of documents.
4-Others
There is a lot of other different visas you can get to come to Japan (dependent visa, spouse visa, Cultural visa, etc…) All these allow you to study at Nihongo Center. Feel free to contact us if you need more details about applying with one of those.
—> Continue to the required documents page
