This page explains the legal procedures you need to complete yourself once your visit to IMS has been arranged. For the procedures handled within IMS, see "Procedures at IMS". For directions to the Institute, see "Access".
Legal Procedures
Required Procedures Depending on the Length of Your Stay
The procedures you need to complete depend on how long you will stay in Japan. Please check the table below.
|
|
Stay of up to 90 days |
Stay of more than three months |
|
Visa |
Required, unless you are from a visa-exempt country or region
Required even from a visa-exempt country or region if you will be paid in Japan |
Required
(a Certificate of Eligibility must be applied for before you travel) |
|
Residence card |
Not issued |
Issued |
Notification of place of residence
(municipal office) |
Not required |
Required within 14 days of arrival |
|
National Health Insurance |
Not eligible
(we recommend taking out overseas travel insurance) |
Enrolment required
(not required if you are employed by NINS and covered by the mutual aid association or equivalent) |
|
National Pension |
Not eligible |
Enrolment required
(same as above) |
Visa
When you enter Japan, in principle you must hold a valid passport carrying a visa issued by the Japanese government.
A visa cannot be obtained after you arrive in Japan. The required documents vary depending on the length and purpose of your stay, so please contact the Japanese embassy or consulate-general with jurisdiction over your place of residence, or check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "Visa"
https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "Exemption of Visa (Short-Term Stay)"
https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/short/novisa.html
Please note
• Even if you are from a visa-exempt country or region,
you need a visa if you will engage in an activity for which you are paid in Japan. If you expect to receive an honorarium or similar payment from IMS, please check with your host laboratory before applying for your visa.
• If you will stay for more than three months under a status of residence such as "Professor", "Cultural Activities" or "Student", a
Certificate of Eligibility (在留資格認定証明書) must be applied for before you travel to Japan. IMS files this application on your behalf, so please consult your host laboratory.
Residence Card and Notification of Place of Residence
The residence card is issued by the Immigration Services Agency to foreign nationals staying in Japan for the medium to long term (more than three months). It shows your name, date of birth, sex, nationality/region, address, status of residence, the expiry date of your period of stay and whether your employment is restricted, and it serves as identification proving your residence status. It is not issued to those who enter Japan as a "Temporary Visitor".
How You Receive Your Residence Card
If you enter Japan through one of the following seven airports, your residence card is handed to you on the spot when you are granted landing permission: Narita International Airport, Haneda Airport (Tokyo International Airport), Chubu Centrair International Airport, Kansai International Airport, New Chitose Airport, Hiroshima Airport and Fukuoka Airport.
If you enter through any other airport or seaport, your passport will be stamped "在留カード後日交付" (residence card to be issued later). In that case, first submit the notification of your place of residence at the municipal office; the card is then mailed to the address you registered (this takes about one to two weeks).
Residence card (sample)
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan website
Notification of Place of Residence (Within 14 Days of Arrival)
Foreign nationals staying in Japan for more than three months must report their place of residence at the municipal office for the area where they live (in Okazaki, the Citizens Affairs Division at City Hall or a branch office) within 14 days of moving into their accommodation.
|
Required documents |
(1) Residence cards (for every family member living with you)
(2) Passport |
National Health Insurance
If you stay in Japan for more than three months and are not covered by the social insurance of your workplace, you and any family members with you must enrol in the National Health Insurance. Once enrolled, you pay only 30% of the total cost of treatment or hospitalisation as a rule. You enrol at Okazaki City Hall.
However, if you are employed by the National Institutes of Natural Sciences and are covered by the MEXT Mutual Aid Association or by employees' health insurance, you do not need to enrol in the National Health Insurance.
When you visit a hospital or clinic
Since 2 December 2024, the former paper and card-type health insurance certificates are no longer issued to new members. Bring your My Number Card registered for use as a health insurance card (マイナ保険証), or your Eligibility Confirmation Certificate (資格確認書), and show it at the reception desk. If you do not have a registered My Number Card, an Eligibility Confirmation Certificate is issued to you automatically, and no application is needed.
National Pension
Everyone aged 20 to 59 who has an address in Japan is required to join the National Pension, regardless of nationality. You apply at the pension counter of Okazaki City Hall.
However,
if you are enrolled in the MEXT Mutual Aid Association or the Employees' Pension Insurance through the National Institutes of Natural Sciences, this is handled automatically and you do not need to apply yourself.
SOKENDAI students
You can apply for the Special Payment System for Students, which postpones your National Pension contributions.
Japan Pension Service (English):
https://www.nenkin.go.jp/international/english/index.html
