Job Discussion Forums

[HLJHLJ]

I am currently waiting for the COE to come through so that I can apply for a visa. As part of the process I had to specify which country I would be applying from. Is that now fixed in stone, or would I be able to apply from a different country once the COE arrives?

[HLJHLJ]

Anyone?

[fluffyhamster]

From what I can recall, the COE itself is a pretty general document that just specifies your name, sex, nationality, and DOB, and supplies a photo of you along with the details of where you'll be working or studying at least initially. (You can see samples of what one looks like if you search Google Images for 'sample of coe for japan visa'). So you should be able to apply at really whichever embassy or consulate is most convenient for you in the IIRC 3 months you have (to convert the COE into a visa in your passport) before the COE expires. And you'll need to fill in a visa application form anyway at whichever embassy or consulate. (For example, the following is the list of things that one would need to bring to the Japanese Embassy in London once one has received a COE: 1. Valid passport 2. One visa application form, completed and signed. 3. One passport-sized photograph (taken within last 6 months) 4. Original Certificate of Eligibility 5. One photocopy of Certificate of Eligibility. http://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/en/visa/visa-certif.html ).

[HLJHLJ]

Thanks, I've got the rest of the docs together, just waiting on the COE now. The timing is starting to get a bit tight now though, so I am just weighing up my options of the COE doesn't come through in time.

[seklarwia]

When are you arriving and when did you supply your paperwork for COE processing?

If you aren't coming until mid/late March then you still have a good amount of time, so I wouldn't worry.

Also, some employers have the habit of not sending the COE until quite close to your arrival date even once they have it, because there are many foreigners who apply for jobs purely for a COE then do a runner once they get it.

[fluffyhamster]

If your employer is any good, they'll be willing to send the COE via swift and secure courier service should that become necessary. (That's how I had my last COE sent to me, with only 2-3 weeks left until my job was due to start). But I've never understood employers who entrust such an important document to the regular post even when time is "sufficient" (what, sufficient to get a replacement issued and sent?! LOL). Not sure what yours are doing though, HLJHLJ!

[HLJHLJ]

I�m not due to leave until the end of March, but I have a pre-existing holiday booked in the middle of March. It shouldn�t have been a problem, but if the COE doesn�t come through this month, it might be.

It will have to be sent by courier, we don�t have a proper postal service here. However, it�s still slow, 5 days is the fastest with DHL. The employer has applied for the COE and they say they will send it ASAP once they receive it, but they are also getting anxious about it all coming through in time.

[HLJHLJ]

Panic over, everything came through in time, and I have the visa in hand. I'll get my flight tickets booked today. One last question though. The top right hand corner of the visa has the following information on it:

Date of issue
15 FEB 12

Date of expiry
15 FEB 13

For stay(s) of
3 YEARS

Is that correct or should the expiry date be 15 FEB 15 (i.e. 3 years)?

Thanks.

[seklarwia]

You're talking about the COE, right? (And I assume you just gave those dates as an example) Then it's fine.
I can't remember exactly but I think that is the validity of the actual entry visa i.e. you must enter the country within the next year or the visa becomes void. Or it could be the validity of the COE itself (you must get it processed by an embassy/consulate before that date) although that does seem a bit long a period - I thought COEs only had a shelf life of 3 months... unless that has changed or was always different for 3 year visas (I had one year visa when I came).

Either way, don't worry; airport immigration will void your entry visa and issue you with your actual 3 year landing permission/residency passport stamp on arrival.

[Apsara]

seklarwia is right, those are not the dates of your permission of stay in Japan, they are the dates between which you can arrive in Japan using those documents. The 3 years will start the day you arrive in Japan, not from 17 February.

[HLJHLJ]

No, this isn't the certificate, it's the visa in my passport. At least it says on it 'Japan Visa'. I had to take the CoE to the embassy, along with all the other documents, and I got my passport back with the full page visa, and the CoE stapled in. I still have to arrive in Japan within 3 months or the visa will become invalid.

This is a picture of the visa in my passport and those are the actual dates on it.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/76854573@N05/6894078333/

[seklarwia]

I still think your COE had to be processed within three months.
That is the visa stamp that will be voided when you enter Japan. It just means you have to use it to enter before the expiry date otherwise it will become invalid. They will put a proper landing permission stamp with the actual dates for your 3 year stay in your passport when you show that to airport immigration. Your 3 three years will not begin until you enter Japan.

The stamp that will replace your entry visa will look like this: http://www.santafejapan.co.jp/relo/images/landing.gif

EDIT: I just looked at mine and it was only valid from 12th March to 12th of June in 2009 which meant I had only 3 months to enter Japan. Your entry visa, on the other hand, is definately valid for a year.

[HLJHLJ]

Ah, thank you, I think I understand now. I'll definitely be there within 3 months anyway, so that shouldn't matter. Sorry for all the questions, but it's a national holiday here now, so the embassy is closed until the middle of next week.