All 27 Japan Visa Types & Categories 2026
Choose the right visa type based on your purpose of visit
Staying up to 90 days? (Short-term)
Tourism, family visits, business trips — whether you need a visa depends on your nationality. No COE involved.
Staying longer than 90 days? (Long-term)
Work, study, family, business — pick your status of residence below. Every long-term visa starts with a COE.
Engineer / Humanities / International Services
HotIT engineers, translators, designers, marketers, and other professionals
✅ Residence Status RequiredHighly Skilled Professional (Type 1 & 2)
HotPoints-based visa for top professionals with fast-track PR eligibility
✅ Residence Status RequiredIntra-Company Transferee
Employees transferred from an overseas office to a Japan branch
✅ Residence Status RequiredProfessor
Teaching and research at universities and colleges in Japan
✅ Residence Status RequiredResearcher
Professional research at government agencies or private companies
✅ Residence Status RequiredEducator
Language teaching and other education at primary and secondary schools
✅ Residence Status RequiredMedical Services
Licensed doctors, dentists, nurses, and other medical professionals
✅ Residence Status RequiredLegal / Accounting Services
Foreign law attorneys, certified public accountants, and similar
✅ Residence Status RequiredNursing Care
Certified nursing care workers (Kaigo Fukushishi)
✅ Residence Status RequiredEntertainer
Actors, singers, dancers, and professional athletes
✅ Residence Status RequiredSkilled Labor (Chef, Craftsman, etc.)
HotForeign cuisine chefs, sports instructors, artisans, and pilots
✅ Residence Status RequiredArtist
Paid artistic activities — composers, painters, writers
✅ Residence Status RequiredReligious Activities
Missionaries and religious workers dispatched by overseas organizations
✅ Residence Status RequiredJournalist
Foreign media correspondents and photographers based in Japan
✅ Residence Status RequiredStudent
HotStudy at universities, graduate schools, vocational schools, or language schools
✅ Residence Status RequiredTrainee
Skills training at public or private institutions in Japan
✅ Residence Status RequiredCultural Activities
Unpaid academic or artistic activities, or learning traditional Japanese arts
✅ Residence Status RequiredFamily Stay (Dependent)
Dependents (spouse/children) of foreign residents in Japan
✅ Residence Status RequiredSpouse / Child of Japanese National
HotSpouse, child, or special adoptee of a Japanese national
✅ Residence Status RequiredSpouse / Child of Permanent Resident
Spouse or Japan-born child of a permanent resident
✅ Residence Status RequiredLong-Term Resident
Nikkei 3rd generation, refugees, and Chinese war orphans
✅ Residence Status RequiredPermanent Resident
HotPermanent residence with no employment restrictions
✅ Residence Status Required