Entry Requirements

Passports

First things first! You will need a passport that doesn’t expire too soon -- at a minimum it should last for 6 months after your anticipated departure date. Apply or renew now if you need to!

Visas

If you are taking part in a short-term program, 90 days is the maximum duration of permitted stay in Japan as a tourist. Students staying in Japan for a semester or academic year program will need to apply for a student visa.   

Essentially, your passport is your international ID and your visa is your ticket into the country. All students who will be in Japan for over 90 days need a visa in order to participate in study abroad programs. Without a student visa, you will not be allowed to enter Japan, and you will not be allowed to participate in the program.  

Study Visa Certificates of Eligibility

The Japanese study visa process has two parts: First, you must apply for something called a Certificate of Eligibility (COE). You apply for this before you are accepted for your program in Japan, and it is required for you to apply for the visa.

Fall semester students apply for their COEs in March or April
Spring semester students apply for their COEs in October or November

Your COE is not issued by your host university or CIS Abroad, but instead by the local Immigration Bureau of the district where you will be studying. 

Once your COE is issued, the second step of the process is for your to apply for your visa. This can seem like a long process, CIS Abroad is here to help. Below is a link to the full instructions for applying for your study visa in Japan.

Please review the Japan Visa guidelines here.