Job Discussion Forums

[rich45]

Hi,

I am moving to Japan soon, and I have got my CoE in hand. My questions are:

What documents do I need to get the working visa (aside from the CoE)? How long does the process take? I'll be going to the Japanese Embassy in Seoul if that makes any difference...

Many thanks,

Rich

[Glenski]

You have the COE in hand now? Go to your nearest embassy/consulate and get it processed into a visa. Then, as you enter the country it will be canceled in exchange for status of residence.

You should probably go to your consulate/embassy with passport, other ID (just to be safe) and enough money to pay for the processing (ask them how much in your currency). Depending how busy they are, it could take 10-45 minutes.

[rich45]

[seklarwia]

It does normally take days at most consulates. In the US it takes on average 3 days and is free. In the UK it takes 4 working days and costs �6.

[rich45]

[Shonai Ben]

I did a visa run to Seoul about 10 years ago......it was ready the next day.Be careful of holidays in Korea though.That could really delay the process.

[Glenski]

My own consulate in the US took half an hour. I now recall reading another post or two from people who said their consulate would need a few days. Not really that much of a bother unless they are a million miles from your home, so call in advance and ask for a round figure.

I also recall it cost me about $35, which is roughly what it would cost if you did it within Japan. No idea what they charge now, but again, call and ask. Let me know by PM if you do.

[seklarwia]

Taken from the Miami consulate site http://www.miami.us.emb-japan.go.jp/visa.html (scroll down to section VI. Visa Requirements):

Visa fees are revised on April 1st of every year and are waived for certain nationalities. Visa fees must be paid with either exact cash (change will not be provided), a U.S. money order, or a cashier's check made payable to the Consulate-General of Japan. Personal checks and credit cards are not accepted. In principle, multiple-entry visas are only issued to nationals of countries that have reciprocal arrangements with Japan.

Countries Whose Citizens are Exempted From Visa Fees:

North America - United States, Canada

Asia - Bangladesh, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines (only for Temporary Visitors staying in Japan for up to 90 days), British Nationals Overseas (Hong Kong), Hong Kong S.A.R., Macao S.A.R.

Central and South America - Bahamas, Barbados, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Suriname

Europe - Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz, Luxembourg, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania (only for Temporary Visitors staying in Japan for up to 60 days), Russia, San Marino, Slovak, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

Middle East - Jordan

Oceania - Australia, New Zealand

Even if they visit our embassy in London, Americans are still exempt from fees even though we are have to pay.

You can also find info about your local consulate by clicking on the appropriate link from here http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/visa/map.htm although some of sites are easier to navigate and find info on then others and a couple of the links don't work.

[Glenski]

Things may have changed since I got my visa. Some sites say this info is updated every year (April).

One thing is for sure. The consulates do not post the same information.

Miami has the information needed about visa fees.
San Francisco and Honolulu send readers to an immigration site that does not even pertain to them, only to the visa waiver list of countries.
Seattle (where I got my visa) has nothing on fees or visa waivers, but instead sends people to the main MOFA site, which has nothing about fees you pay to consulates.
New York's link to the consulate didn't work at all for me.
Chicago has a lot of nice details, more than the other sites I've seen, but no mention of fees.
Houston mentions fees (zero charge for Americans), but it is buried deep in sub-links.

And, some have contact info only by phone, not email. Makes it tougher for someone who is not in the area to contact.

[seklarwia]

The NY link doesn't work because it is completely wrong. The correct address is http://www.ny.us.emb-japan.go.jp/en/html/index.html

Same goes for Atlanta: http://www.atlanta.us.emb-japan.go.jp/

Both have info on visas including fees that are easy to find. I don't understand why some of the consulates don't have full visa info or are so difficult to find things on. Or why the page with the consulate info (which is actually a link from the Washinton Japanese Embassy site) would have dodgey links.

[genmakenx]

[Deleted]

[seklarwia]

It is possible (and has been for a while, although often embassy/consulate info posters claim otherwise) to change from a tourist status to working status without leaving the country.

But you still need to apply for a COE which can take up to 2 months.

Be careful with any employer who wants you to come over before they at least have the COE. If you are working before then you are technically working illegally and are at the mercy of the employer if they decide to pull a fast one. They might pay you less or work you for longer hours. And there has been at least one poster earlier this year, who had their employer lie to them, saying that the COE app was in the works when they had in fact never applied for it and was waiting for their tourist status to expire when they would be forced to go home (and when this happen, often minus a whole lot of pay!)

And of course there can often be problems flying on a one-way ticket into Japan if you don't have a visa permitting a long stay. Airlines may face heavy fines if they allow people coming in as tourists to do this, so are often quite vigilant about checking your visa status when you check in.

[genmakenx]

[Deleted]

[seklarwia]

Like I said, just be careful.

It's not uncommon for people to start working before they have working status. Not all employers are trying to screw their new and naive foreigner. Often it is simply a case of hiring too late for a job starting really soon. And often people who come out to job hunt on a tourist visa towards the end of the season will start working before they have their COE.

But at the same time, there are some very dodgey employers out there who have no qualms about lying and cheating gaijin.

If you are certain that the employer in question is not one of the latter, then go for it.
Just out of interest, is the employer in question the one you asked about in the other thread?

[genmakenx]

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