The work visa for Japan: first the job, then the COE

Whoever has looked at Australia or Canada expects a points table, an occupation list and a queue. Japan works differently: there is no points threshold, no lottery and no quota for knowledge workers. There is one gatekeeper, and that is an employer in Japan who wants to hire you. This article explains the chain — and the bonus that almost nobody counts.

The chain: job → COE → visa → three months

The Japanese system revolves around the Certificate of Eligibility (COE): a prior approval from the immigration service that your work in Japan meets the requirements. The application is submitted in Japan — by your employer, not by you; a route in which you apply for a COE yourself from the Netherlands does not exist. The application is free and officially takes one to three months; since 2023 the certificate also comes digitally by email (e-COE).

With the COE you go to the Japanese embassy in The Hague: no appointment, submit on working days between 9:00 and 11:30, and as a rule the visa is ready five working days later. Watch two things: there is no express service, and as of 1 July 2026 the fees have been raised to around ¥ 15,000 per person — sites that still mention ¥ 3,000 are behind. After that the last clock ticks: within three months of the COE being issued you must enter Japan.

The requirements: a degree, a matching position, a normal salary

The standard work status is called in full Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services — in practice "gijinkoku", and it covers almost all knowledge work: IT, engineering, finance, marketing, translation, design. The requirements are straightforward: a bachelor's degree (or ten years' work experience; three years for the international occupations such as translation), a position that matches your education, and a salary at least equal to that of a Japanese colleague. No language test for most positions — although since April 2026 a JLPT N2 requirement does apply to language and customer-contact occupations at smaller employers. The visa comes in terms of one, three or five years and is simply renewable.

The bonus: count your HSP points, always

The points system that Japan does have — Highly Skilled Professional — is not a threshold but an upgrade. If you score 70 points on education, work experience, age, annual income and Japanese, you get: always five years' period of stay, a partner who may work freely (instead of the 28-hour limit of the dependent visa), and — the big gift — permanent residence after three years instead of ten. At 80 points even after one year. For high earners there is J-Skip: from ¥ 20 million annual income plus a master's degree or ten years' experience you get the 80-point treatment without a count. A master's degree, a good tech salary and a JLPT certificate add up fast; many Dutch knowledge workers are closer to the 70 than they think. It's the same work for the same employer — so always ask whether the HSP variant is possible.

And the entrepreneur route? That has just been turned off

Finally a warning for whoever is considering "just starting a small business" as a route: as of October 2025 the Business Manager visa has been drastically tightened — ¥ 30 million in capital, at least one Japanese employee, a language requirement and a business plan vetted by a Japanese expert. The old "¥ 5 million" stories that the internet is still full of are out of date. For almost all Dutch citizens the employer route — with the HSP bonus where it fits — is the passable way.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 2 of 5 of the journey: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Japan.