Japan Work Permit for Indians: Employer Steps and Timeline

The official process that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA) and the Immigration Services Agency describe has two stages: the COE in Japan and the visa in India. That pair is what most people mean by a Japan work permit. The facts below are as published on the official sources, checked on 15 October 2026. For every other visa type, see our Japan visa hub for Indian applicants.

What does the Japanese employer do first?

The employer starts the process, not you. Once you have a job offer and a contract, the employer, or another proxy in Japan, applies for a Certificate of Eligibility at a regional immigration office in Japan. The Immigration Services Agency gives a standard processing period of 1 to 3 months and charges no fee for the COE.

The COE confirms that your planned activity fits a working status. MOFA's working visa covers Professor, Artist, Religious activities, Journalist, Business manager, Legal/Accounting services, Medical services, Researcher, Instructor, Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services and Nursing care. Engineering and IT roles are covered by Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, whose rules are set out below.

When the COE is issued, the employer sends it to you. VFS accepts the original, a copy or a printout of an electronic COE (e-COE).

How long does each stage take?

The COE is the slow part. The visa stage in India is short once the COE exists, but it varies by the consulate that covers your state.

These visa-stage times are indicative. MOFA says an application without problems takes five working days from the day after it is accepted, and anything from a couple of weeks to several months if extra documents, an interview or inquiries are needed. After issue, a single-entry visa is basically valid for three months, so you must enter Japan within that window or apply again.

Which rules does the job itself have to meet?

For the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services status, the landing criteria check your education, experience and pay:

• A university degree, or equivalent education, in a related subject; or a related course at a Japanese vocational school; or 10 years of practical experience.
• IT workers holding a designated IT qualification are exempt from the education and experience condition.
• Jobs based on foreign culture, such as translation, interpretation, language teaching, PR, overseas trade, design or product development, need at least 3 years of related experience. University graduates doing translation, interpretation or language teaching are excepted.
• Pay must be at least what a Japanese national would receive for the same work.
• The landing criteria contain no age requirement.

A rule change took effect on 15 April 2026. Where the employer is in Category 3 or 4, the application must include a declaration about the employer's representative. For work mainly using language skills, such as translation or hotel front desk roles, it must also include proof of CEFR B2-level ability in the working language; JLPT N2 or above counts for Japanese. The period of stay granted is 5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months.

What do you submit at VFS in India?

Every jurisdiction asks for the same core: your passport with more than two blank pages plus any old passports, a copy of the first and last pages, a signed application form, one photograph and the COE. Each consulate's checklist then adds its own items.

• Delhi (Embassy of Japan): experience certificate and educational certificate.
• Mumbai (checklist CL-07, November 2025): covering letter, original COE and one copy, experience certificate, CV and a copy of the contract with the Japanese employer.
• Bengaluru: covering letter, COE original and copy, and an employment certificate or relieving/resignation letter, or your degree certificate if you recently finished studying. A passport issued outside Karnataka needs residence proof.

Photo size differs: Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata ask for 45mm x 35mm, while Mumbai and Chennai state 2 x 2 inch. All photocopies must be on A4, and only the passport is returned.

Which VFS centre handles your state?

You apply where you live. The Embassy in New Delhi covers Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, the north-eastern states and others in the north. The Mumbai consulate covers Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh; from 19 October 2026 its VFS centres in Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad and Goa take applications by prior appointment only. Chennai covers Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Puducherry. Kolkata covers West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha. Bengaluru covers Karnataka.

One conflict to check: VFS Mumbai says Skilled Labour visa holders with a COE must apply directly at the Consulate, while the Consulate says it has not accepted direct applications since 20 April 2026. If your role is Skilled Labour in the Mumbai jurisdiction, confirm the filing point before you book.

What can delay or derail the process?

• Applying without a COE. It is possible, but MOFA says it needs a large number of documents and can take several months.
• Treating the COE as approval. A COE does not guarantee that the visa will be issued.
• A refusal. MOFA does not give the reason, and a new application for the same purpose is not accepted within six months unless circumstances have changed significantly and travel is needed on humanitarian grounds.
• Mismatched documents. The experience certificate, CV and contract should describe the same role the employer declared for the COE.

Indians are one of Japan's largest visa nationalities: MOFA counted 265,882 Japanese visas issued to Indian nationals across all visa types in 2025. The MOFA working visa page lists the statuses in full.

The Mumbai and Bengaluru checklists ask for a covering letter. Yatra For Fun's India office in Gurugram drafts cover letters and prepares flight reservations, hotel bookings and itineraries for visa files, with packages from INR 1,000 for a flight reservation to INR 3,000 for the full set. Contact us on WhatsApp at +91 95230 91018 or via our contact page.

Frequently asked questions

Can an Indian apply for a Japanese work visa without a Certificate of Eligibility?

Yes, but MOFA says applying without a COE requires a large amount of verification documents and processing can take several months. Most employers obtain the COE in Japan first because the visa stage is then short.

Is there an age limit for a Japan work visa?

The landing criteria for Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services set education, experience and pay conditions and contain no age requirement.

Does a Certificate of Eligibility guarantee the Japanese work visa?

No. MOFA states that a COE does not guarantee the visa will be issued. The consulate still examines the visa application and may request an interview or additional documents.

Who pays the INR 800 VFS charge for a Japan work visa?

The applicant pays it at the VFS centre with the INR 500 visa fee. The VFS service charge is non-refundable and is levied even on applicants exempted from visa fees.