Study Visas Japan

Students visas for Japan are not required for Japanese language studies of up to 90 days (3 months) for nationals of the following countries:

Singapore, Canada, U.S.A., Argentina, Bahamas, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Rep., El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Suriname, Uruguay, Barbados, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Andorra, Czech Rep., Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Monaco, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Turkey, Lesotho, Mauritius, Tunisia

Study visas for Japan are not required for Japanese language studies of up to 180 days (6 months) for nationals of the following countries:

Austria, Germany, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Mexico.

However, a study visa, known as a Pre College Visa, is only issued for studies of 180 days (6 months) or more. Obviously this leaves a gray area for the 90 day visa waiver students who wish to study for more than 3 months but less than 6 months.

Should you wish to study more than 90 days for up to 180 days and are a national of a country which has a 90 day visa waiver the following options are available.

1. Apply for a long term visitor visa valid for more than 90 days but less than 181 days.
2. Nationals of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Korea, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark who are 30 years old or younger are able to apply for a working holiday visa valid for 1 year.

Student Visa - Pre College Visa

If you plan to learn Japanese for 6 months or more and require a study/student visa, known as a Pre College Visa, then there are specific times of the year that you can a) start the course and b) apply for a visa.

To study 6 months or more, courses begin the 1st week of the following months:

January, April, July and October.

To apply for a Pre College Visa to join one of these courses, the visa application deadline is approximately 4 months before the course. We do advise, however, that you apply at least 6 months in advance.

Pre College Visa Requirements and Process

The most important requirements for successfully applying for a student visa are that you have had at least 11 years of continuous school education, that your are at least 16 years old, and of course that you or a sponsor are able to pay for the course, accommodation and living expenses.

The following documents and financial evidence are required to apply for a student visa for Japan.
From the Applicant

  • Application form (we provide this)
  • Personal record (we provide a format to follow)
  • A questionnaire (we provide this)
  • A graduation diploma (Original) or a certificate of graduation from your last school
  • A certificate of registration (if you are a student now)
  • An academic transcript from the last school and the present school (if applicable)
  • 5 photographs of the applicant(3x4cm)
  • A copy of the passport pages showing your photo, name and immigration stamps for Japan

From the  Financial Sponsor
A person who will pay school fees, and living cost. An applicant can be a sponsor.

  • Letter of Payment (we provide this)
  • Payment confirmation
  • Proof of bank balance
  • Proof of occupation
  • An official document to prove the kinship if the sponsor is relative.

You may be asked to submit other documents depending on conditions.
Documents not in Japanese or English must be translated into Japanese or English by a certified translator.
Please note all documents submitted except the originals are not returnable.

Financial Requirements

To be eligible for a study visa students or their sponsors have to show that funds of Yen 700,000 (US$ 9,000) are available for every 6 months of study. This sum will reassure immigration and demonstrate that funds are available to pay for the course, accommodation and living expenses.

Student Insurance


All Japanese and foreigners who plan to stay in Japan for a year or more must enrol in the national health insurance system. Whenever you receive medical treatment for illnesses or injuries, 70% of the medical expense is covered, the same as for Japanese citizens. In addition, 30% of medical expense will be covered by the student insurance program. Thus, all medical expense will be covered by both NHS and the student insurance program.

Additional Details

If you have any questions about studying in Japan, please Contact Us

For school, course and accommodation details, please click a location.

Tokyo
Kyoto
Osaka
Fukuoka
Sapporo
Yokohama

To begin the booking process to learn Japanese in Japan, please complete details here: Book a Course

To return to the home page, click here: Study in Japan

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