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

Japan selects not with points but with a sponsor: your employer applies for your Certificate of Eligibility in Japan, and after that the visa in The Hague is a week's work. The points system does exist — as a bonus that brings your waiting time for permanent residence down from ten years to three or even one.

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Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.

Yes, as a Dutch national you can work in Japan, but only with an employer who hires you.

Three things to know in advance:

  • Japan has no points threshold, no lottery and no quota for knowledge workers. A route in which you apply for a residence permit yourself from the Netherlands does not exist.
  • The immigration agency reckons one to three months for the prior approval. The application itself costs nothing.
  • The pitfall is not in the procedure, but in what you leave on the table: the points system that brings your waiting time for permanent residence down from ten years to three or even one.

How does the chain from job to visa run?

The Japanese system revolves around the Certificate of Eligibility (COE): a prior approval from the immigration agency that your work in Japan meets the requirements. The application is submitted in Japan, by your employer, not by you. Since 17 March 2023 the certificate can also be received by e-mail (e-COE).

Step Who Timing Cost
COE application your employer, at the immigration agency in Japan standard 1 to 3 months none
Visa application you, at the Japanese embassy in The Hague as a rule 5 working days, no express service about ¥ 15,000 per person since 1 July 2026
Entering Japan you within 3 months of the COE being issued —
Residence card border control at the major airports on arrival —

At the embassy you submit without an appointment, on working days between 9:00 and 11:30. Sites that still quote ¥ 3,000 in fees are out of date. How you register after landing is in residence card, jūminhyō and My Number.

Which requirements must you meet?

The standard work status is called in full Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services, in practice "gijinkoku". It covers virtually all knowledge work: IT, engineering, finance, marketing, translation, design.

The requirements are straightforward:

  • a bachelor's degree (or ten years of work experience; three years for the international professions such as translation);
  • a position that matches your education;
  • a salary at least equal to that of a Japanese colleague.

The visa comes in terms of one, three or five years and is simply renewable. Documents in a language other than Japanese are submitted with a Japanese translation.

There is no general language test. Since 15 April 2026, however, there is a requirement for those who mainly work with language, such as translating, interpreting or a hotel front desk, at employers in category 3 or 4 of the immigration agency. They need proof of level B2 in the language they use at work. For Japanese, JLPT N2 or 400 points in the BJT test counts (the JLPT is the official Japanese language test, the BJT a test of business Japanese). For most jobs in IT or engineering this does not apply. What is expected of you at work and when you change jobs is in working in Japan.

Rather have everything for Japan on one list?

Then we'll send you the departure checklist for Japan, with every step in order, and five mails about the pitfalls and the real costs. You can switch it off at any time.

We use your address, and your departure date if you fill it in, only for the checklist, the guide and the mails after it. You can unsubscribe under every mail.

What does the HSP status give you?

The points system Japan does have, Highly Skilled Professional, is not a threshold but an upgrade. You score points for education, work experience, age, annual income and Japanese. It is the same work at the same employer. So always ask whether the HSP variant is possible.

Ordinary work status HSP, 70 points HSP, 80 points
Period of stay each time 1, 3 or 5 years always 5 years always 5 years
Permanent residence, in principle after 10 years 3 years 1 year
Working partner own status with education and experience requirements work without those requirements work without those requirements
Parents along no under conditions under conditions

Parents may come along to care for a child under seven, or during a pregnancy, if the household income is at least ¥ 8 million and they live with you.

For high earners there is J-Skip. With a master's degree and an annual income of ¥ 20 million, or ten years' experience and ¥ 20 million, you get those benefits without counting points, and more. On top of that you get priority in the procedures.

A master's degree, a good tech salary and a JLPT certificate add up fast. Many Dutch knowledge workers are closer to 70 than they think.

And the entrepreneur route?

The "¥ 5 million" stories are no longer true. The Business Manager visa was drastically tightened on 16 October 2025: ¥ 30 million in capital, at least one full-time employee such as a Japanese national or permanent resident, Japanese at level B2 for you or that employee, and a business plan checked by a recognised consultant, accountant or tax accountant.

For virtually all Dutch people the employer route is the passable road, with the HSP bonus where it fits. The details of the entrepreneur route are in working in Japan.

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.

Want to know more about this?

Then we'll send you the departure checklist for Japan, with every step in order, and five mails about the pitfalls and the real costs. You can switch it off at any time.

We use your address, and your departure date if you fill it in, only for the checklist, the guide and the mails after it. You can unsubscribe under every mail.

What this rests on

The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.

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