How long does the Japan Nursing Care Visa (Japan) take to process?

MOFA standard visa processing is 5 working days when there is no issue; cases needing additional checks or long-term applications without a COE can take from weeks to several months.

How long can you stay on the Japan Nursing Care Visa (Japan)?

5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months.

Can you work on the Japan Nursing Care Visa (Japan)?

Nursing care work within approved institution/role.

Country Info Hub

Japan

A technologically advanced nation increasingly opening its doors to foreign workers to support its economy.

Visa Routes Breakdown

36 Total

Work (16)

Study (3)

Visit (5)

Family (5)

Capital: Tokyo
Currency: Japanese Yen (JPY)
Fetching live rate...
Languages: Japanese
Time vs Colombo: +3h 30m
Population: About 0 million
Calling code: +81
Drives on: Left
Climate: Varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

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Official Visa Data

Visa Routes Breakdown

36 Total

Work (16)

Study (3)

Visit (5)

Family (5)

Back to all visas

At a glance

Government fee

JPY 15,000

MOFA fee revision effective 2026-07-01: approximately JPY 15,000 for single-entry and JPY 30,000 for multiple-entry visas, paid in local currency; fee exemptions/different amounts may apply by nationality or purpose, and agency handling fees can be additional.

Processing time: MOFA standard visa processing is 5 working days when there is no issue; cases needing additional checks or long-term applications without a COE can take from weeks to several months.
How long you can stay: 5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months.
Work rights: Nursing care work within approved institution/role.
Where it leads: work route
Where you apply: Japanese Embassy/Consulate, JAPAN eVISA where eligible, and Immigration Services Agency COE/residence procedures

Key requirements

Certificate of Eligibility normally required
Care worker qualification/registration evidence where required
Employment contract and institution documents
Passport, visa form and photo

Step-by-step process

The verified roadmap from starting your application to the grant.

1
Secure Japanese host or contract
Sponsor stage
Obtain the university, employer, organization, religious body, media company or professional host matching the selected status of residence.
2
Apply for Certificate of Eligibility
COE stage
The sponsor/proxy in Japan normally applies to the regional Immigration Services Bureau for a COE for the work status.
3
Apply for visa with COE
Visa stage
Submit passport, visa form/photo and COE to the Japanese embassy/consulate or accredited agency for your residence country.
4
Enter Japan and receive residence status
Arrival stage
At landing inspection, present the visa and COE/electronic COE and receive the approved status/period of stay.
Work only within approved status
After grant
Perform only the authorised activities for that status and renew/change status through immigration if your role changes.

Document checklist

Track your progress as you gather what you need.

0 / 5ready

Identity & Personal

Travel & Itinerary

Financial Evidence

Your ticks stay on this device.

Cost breakdown

A verified breakdown beyond just the visa fee.

Government fee: ¥15,000
Agent fee: $1,143
Travel: $594
Settling in: $3,788
Monthly living cost: $1,232

Total estimate

Country baseline (market estimates, not government charges): agent LKR 150,000–600,000; one-way flight LKR 130,000–260,000; arrival/settling JPY 410,000–768,000; monthly shared-room living basket in Tokyo JPY 147,000–236,000. USD columns store range midpoints converted using open.er-api.com rates as of Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:02:31 +0000; the visa government fee remains canonical in visa_types.government_fee.

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More details

Important notes

Separate from Specified Skilled Worker nursing care route
Professional status conditions apply

Streams

Japan Nursing Care Visa

Official sources

Japan Nursing Care Visa official source

This is information, not legal or immigration advice. Always confirm with the official source before you apply.

Japan

Visa Routes Breakdown

Quick facts

Visa Routes Breakdown

Secure Japanese host or contract

Apply for Certificate of Eligibility

Apply for visa with COE

Enter Japan and receive residence status

Work only within approved status

Identity & Personal

Travel & Itinerary

Financial Evidence

Important notes

Streams

Official sources

Secure Japanese host or contract

Apply for Certificate of Eligibility

Apply for visa with COE

Enter Japan and receive residence status

Work only within approved status

Identity & Personal

Travel & Itinerary

Financial Evidence

Important notes

Streams

Official sources