Certificate of Eligibility

Certificate of Eligibility (COE) is a vital immigration document for your student visa application. Kansai Gaidai makes the application for your Certificate at the Osaka Regional Immigration Bureau.

Since the Certificate of Eligibility is valid for only three months from the date of issuance and it becomes invalid if the landing application is not filed within that period, we are not able to apply for it very far in advance. Thus, you should expect to receive your Certificate of Eligibility sometime in July for the fall semester and in December for the spring semester.

Visa Acquisition

When we receive your Certificate of Eligibility from the Immigration Bureau, we will forward it to your registered e-mail address with Kansai Gaidai. With your Certificate of Eligibility and your valid passport issued by your home government, you should not encounter any difficulties in obtaining a student visa. However, we strongly advise that you visit the website of the Japanese Consulate where you plan to apply for your student visa for precise procedures to obtain a student visa prior to the receipt of your Certificate.

Important Notice

  • All the students accepted in our program must apply for Student visas at the Japanese Consulate nearest your home or university on your own.
  • NO foreigners are expected to change their residence status (visa) within Japan. Accordingly, if you enter Japan with a residence status (visa) other than Student, you may be asked by the Immigration Bureau to leave Japan for your home country or a third country to make a visa application. If the application is made in a third country, it may take longer for your application to be processed.
  • As the timing of issuance of Certificates of Eligibility is totally up to the Immigration Bureau, even if you would like to arrive in Japan earlier than the expected arrival dates, we cannot guarantee that you can receive your Certificate and Student visa in time for your departure for Japan.
  • If you currently possess Japanese nationality and have not yet informed us of it, please contact us immediately. Under Japanese Immigration Policy, Japanese citizen must enter Japan with a Japanese passport. Please note that it is not a matter of whether you have a valid Japanese passport or not at the moment. You will be required to take or renew a Japanese passport to enter Japan. With a Japanese passport, you do not need to have a student visa while your stay in Japan.