How To Obtain Your Japan Visa: Painless Edition

NOTE: This guide is intended for Chapman University students who plan on studying abroad at Temple University, Japan Campus. I also provide specific information applicable to the Japanese Consulate in Los Angeles. Check with your nearest Consulate for proper procedures.

The pre-departure process gets overwhelming at times. I know because I was once in your shoes. Aside from completing your Global Studies 101 requirements, you also have to complete TUJ’s requirements as well as organize all of your visa documents. Personally, I was confused by the instructions. Looking back at the instructions I realize how I could have done things differently. In order to make the visa application process painless, here are the steps explained in plain English.

Note: Once you are accepted by TUJ to study abroad, you will receive instructions to apply for your Certificate of Eligibility (COE), which is basically a “pre-visa.” This certificate confirms that you are able to support yourself while in Japan and that you fulfill the other requirements. It’s also required to receive landing permission once you land in Japan, but let’s worry about that later. Obtaining the COE was the most stressful part of the entire application, so that’s why I decided to write this myself.

You will be given a due date for when the documents MUST arrive at Temple. This is an absolute due date! Failure to submit your documents on time may result in you not going abroad.

Step 1: Fill out the first 23 questions of an Excel doc titled “Japan Certificate of Eligibility Application Form” from Temple Education Abroad

Thankfully, Temple University helps you with the daunting process of obtaining your COE. They provide you with a partially completed Excel document. All you have to do is enter your full legal name, your passport number, your home university, and amount of time you will be staying in Japan (4 months for a semester or 1 year for an entire academic year). This step is surprisingly straightforward. Make sure you fill everything out up to Question 23. Everything after that is Temple’s responsibility. Once your COE Excel doc looks similar to the examples provided below, upload it to Temple Education Abroad. Now on to Step 2.

Here is a completed example.

COE Application Example (Page 1)

COE Application Example2 (Page 2)

Step 2: Organize your Documents

You are required to send via snail mail some important documents. You need the following documents in order to obtain your COE.

• A photocopy of your Passport ID page

• For Non-Residents, a photocopy of your F-1 Visa OR Green Card

• Two passport pictures taken within the last 3 months (I recommend getting these taken at the Orange Post Office off Tustin or, if you are a AAA member, at your nearest AAA office)

• Proof of Financial Means
  • Bank statements OR A letter from your bank confirming account and assets
  • Financial Aid Award Letter OR Letter from the Financial Aid office confirming your current Financial Aid (do this if you rejected Aid from your original letter)
  • Letter from Investment fund OR 401K Account Holder

• Financial Proof Explanation
  • Fill out P. 7 of “Japan COE Instructions” (Click here)

• If you have a parent or sponsor helping you pay for your program, have them sign a Letter of Sponsorship (P. 15 of “Japan COE Instructions”)(Click here)

Note: These documents are essential for you getting your COE. Temple also wants you to fill out a checklist and a study abroad budget.

When I originally submitted my documents for my COE, I thought I needed everything and I freaked out over my passport pictures being slightly crooked. It turns out that there was no issue and that IT IS ACCEPTABLE to use a letter from a banker as proof of financial responsibility. You just have to prove that you have access to at least $9,000 USD PER SEMESTER while you are in Japan. Once you have complied and completed all of your documents, organize them in the exact same order as displayed in the PDF Temple provided you (or click here). Place your documents in ONE Manilla envelope and address it to the following location

Temple University
Education Abroad and Overseas Campuses
200 Tuttleman Learning Center
1809 N. 13th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122

Note. If possible, I highly recommend having the documents mailed to your home address. That way your COE doesn’t risk getting lost in the Chapman mail room. You need this document in order to both get your visa and to obtain landing permission once you land in Japan!

Next, go to your mail carrier of choice (FedEx, UPS, USPS) and drop off your documents. Make sure you get tracking! Once you get a tracking number, I highly recommend emailing it to Madelyn (the director of the Japan program at Temple) just to have a record of it in case anything goes wrong in the mail. Once Temple receives your documents, you will be notified both via email and via Temple Education Abroad. From here, you have to wait for up to two months until you receive your documents. If there’s a problem with your documents, Temple will contact you. Luckily, there was no issue with my documents, but you never know so be prepared!

Step 3: Apply for your Visa

Once you receive your COE in the mail, you have finished the hard part! All you need to do now is apply for your visa. Some consulates allow you to mail your documents if you live far enough away, but in the case of the Los Angeles consulate, if you live in LA or Orange Counties, you must apply in person. Sadly, this means dealing with LA traffic. Applying for your visa is super easy; here’s what you need.

• One passport photo taken within the last 3 months

• One Visa application (Temple will send you a partially-completed application including the information of your sponsor. I recommend completing the application in a PDF and copying all of the info you need)(Click here).

• Your Passport (if you are not a US citizen, you will need your Green Card or other documents)

• Your COE

• A photocopy of your COE (Temple also provides you with one but make your own anyway)

The Visa application is really straightforward. I highly recommend filling out the PDF (click here) and just copying the information TUJ provided you (mainly your sponsor information). That’s it! For the LA consulate, they want you to glue your passport photo to the application but if you can’t, they have gluesticks there. If you are a US citizen, the application is FREE (but the nearest parking will cost about $26 USD an no validation). If you are NOT a US citizen, the application fee is $27 USD (plus parking). Once you survive LA traffic and arrive at the consulate, you will take a number from the Visa section. The wait should be about 30 minutes at most, but it’s common to wait as little as 5 minutes. If possible, arrive at either 9:30 in the morning or at 1 in the afternoon as wait times will be shorter. The highly-efficient consulate workers will go over your application. They may ask you for your email or cell phone to contact you. Once your application is processed, you will be asked to come back in about three business days to pick up your passport. They are super efficient; so much so that I had to reschedule lunch plans! In three business days or so, you will go back to the consulate to pick up your passport with your visa stamped and your COE stapled inside. If you don’t want to, you can provide the consulate with a self-addressed envelope as well as a signed Release of Liability form if your passport gets lost in the mail (I don’t recommend doing this, but click here for the document if you decide to do this). If you pick up your passport in person, you are officially ready to go to Japan!

Everything from here on out is bureaucratic, mainly getting disciplinary clearance from the Dean prior to departure. Once you land in Japan, make sure you go to the Long Term Visitor immigration booth. The immigration officer will scan your two index fingers, take your picture, examine your passport, remove your COE (say goodbye to it) and stamp your passport with your Landing Permission. He will also give you your residence card (basically a Japanese Green Card) which you must carry on you at all times. In the meantime though, I hope this post helped take away some of the stress of applying for your visa. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me by clicking here.

Links to documents:

Temple’s COE PDF: https://mystudyabroad.temple.edu/_customtags/ct_FileRetrieve.cfm?File_ID=060677764F77707707067172751F720108011B010578066B05030472777307067506057107007674

Japan Visa Application: http://www.la.us.emb-japan.go.jp/pdf/Visa_Application_FillableForm.pdf

Japanese Consulate Los Angeles Release of Liability Form: http://www.la.us.emb-japan.go.jp/pdf/RELEASE%20OF%20LIABILITY.pdf