The following is the procedure for international students entering Japan:
- Obtain an acceptance letter from a Japanese university
- Obtain a passport in your country
- Obtain a “College Student Visa” from the Japanese Embassy or Consulate
Applying for Visas
Visas can be applied for through either one of the procedures outlined below.
1. When there is no “certificate of eligibility for a status of residence” issued
Visa applications are submitted in person by students intending to study in Japan at the Japanese Embassy or Consulate in their home country. The time required to process this visa application will take longer as the application documents will have to be sent back and forth between the student’s home country and Japan.
2. When there is a “certificate of eligibility for a status of residence” issued
Before applying for a visa, students intending to study in Japan or their proxies will apply for the “certificate of eligibility for a status of residence” and have it issued to them at one of the Regional Immigration Bureaus in Japan. With this “certificate of eligibility” in hand, students will then personally apply for visas at the Japanese Embassy or Consulate in their home country. Unlike visa application without the “certificate of eligibility for a status of residence”, this alternative has a shorter processing time.
Visa Support
In order to support international students’ smooth admission into Kobe University, we offer prospective students a proxy application service for their Certificate of Eligibility (COE).
Upon successful issue of the COE, we will send it to the prospective students so that they may use it to apply for a “College Student Visa” at a Japanese Embassy or Consulate near them. However please note that this proxy service does not guarantee 100% success. The final decision for visa issuance rests in the hands of the Japanese Immigration office and Japanese Embassy. For detailed information about necessary documents and procedure, please refer to the following URL.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
VISA / Residing in Japan: http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html
Countries & Regions: http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/index.html
*Please also keep in mind that this visa support service is not always available due to the timing of the student’s acceptance.