SSW Visa Supporting Documents and Certificate of Eligibility Guide

The SSW visa application is a two-part process: the worker prepares their personal qualifications and documents, while the Japanese employer submits the Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) application on the worker's behalf. These two tracks happen simultaneously, but the employer can't file without the worker's documents, and the worker can't get a visa without the employer's CoE. This guide walks through both sides.

The Certificate of Eligibility: What It Is and How It Works

The CoE is essentially Japan's pre-screening decision. Before you ever contact the Japanese embassy in your home country, your employer submits a CoE application to the Regional Immigration Bureau (RIB) in Japan — proving that you meet all SSW requirements and that the employer is a registered, compliant Accepting Organization.

When the RIB approves the CoE, they issue a physical certificate (or increasingly, a digital CoE). Your employer sends it to you. You then take that CoE to the Japanese embassy in your country as the central document for your visa application. The visa is issued in 5 to 10 working days.

CoE processing time at the RIB is typically one to three months. During this period, you must have already passed your skills test and language test — the employer submits your certificates as part of the CoE package. Do not wait for a job offer to start your exams.

Worker Document Checklist: What You Prepare

Personal Identity

• Valid passport with at least 6 months' validity beyond your planned entry date
• 4cm × 3cm photographs (standard Japanese visa photo requirements)
• Resume / work history in Japanese or English

Qualification Certificates

• SSW skills evaluation test pass certificate (industry-specific)
• Japanese language test certificate: JFT-Basic (A2 or higher) or JLPT N4 or above
• If transitioning from TITP Type 2 in the same industry: Technical Intern Training completion certificate (this replaces both test requirements)

Medical Documents

• Individual Health Checkup Card: Completed by a licensed physician within 3 months of the visa application (for new visas) or within 1 year (for status changes within Japan). The card must be translated into Japanese. Required tests include: blood pressure, BMI, vision, hearing, liver function, and blood glucose.
• JPETS TB Clearance Certificate (if applicable — see below)

Employment Documents

• Copy of the employment contract (provided by the employer, but you need a copy for the visa application)
• CoE (issued by the employer after RIB approval)

JPETS: The TB Screening Requirement

Japan's Pre-Entry Tuberculosis Screening (JPETS) is mandatory for nationals of these six countries:

• Philippines
• Vietnam
• Indonesia
• Nepal
• Myanmar
• China

If you are from one of these countries, you must complete JPETS before you can receive your CoE or visa. The process:

1. Find a MHLW-designated Panel Clinic in your country (listed at jpets.mhlw.go.jp)
2. Visit the clinic for a chest X-ray
3. Receive your TB Clearance Certificate

Certificate validity: 180 days from the X-ray date. This is a hard deadline — if your certificate expires before you receive your visa, you need to repeat the screening.

Timing advice: Start the JPETS screening as soon as you have a confirmed job offer and your employer has begun the CoE application. Do not wait for the CoE to be issued before doing the screening. In countries where Panel Clinics are few and appointments are backed up, lead time of four to eight weeks is not unusual.

Exemptions: Re-entry permit holders (workers returning to Japan after a trip abroad) are generally exempt from JPETS if they are re-entering their existing SSW status. First-time applicants are not exempt.

For nationalities not on the list: The standard health checkup card is still required. The JPETS chest X-ray is not.

The Standard Medical Exam: What It Tests

Every SSW applicant needs the Individual Health Checkup Card, regardless of nationality. This is not a clinical medical screening in the traditional sense — it is a documentation exercise completed by a physician and then translated.

Required examinations and readings:

• Blood pressure measurement
• BMI (height and weight)
• Visual acuity (corrected and uncorrected)
• Hearing test
• Liver function tests (AST, ALT, γ-GTP)
• Blood glucose (fasting or random)

The physician completes the standardized card form and signs it. The card must then be translated into Japanese — either by a professional translator or a certified translation service. The translated version goes into your visa application package.

Validity: 3 months from the examination date (for new visa applications) or 1 year (for status changes made while already in Japan).

What the Employer Submits for the CoE

The employer's CoE application package submitted to the Regional Immigration Bureau includes:

• CoE application form (completed by the employer)
• Employment contract (signed by both employer and worker)
• Your skills test certificate and language test certificate
• Proof of employer registration as an Accepting Organization
• The mandatory support plan (or RSO contract if the employer uses an RSO)
• Evidence of compliance with salary parity requirements
• Your health checkup card and JPETS clearance (if applicable)
• Copy of your passport

The employer may also submit: company registration documents, financial statements showing they can pay your salary, and evidence of their existing workforce of Japanese employees in the same role (to demonstrate wage parity).

After the CoE Is Issued: Visa Application at the Embassy

Once you have the CoE:

1. Schedule a visa appointment at the Japanese Embassy or Consulate in your country
2. Bring: CoE, passport, photographs, health checkup card, test certificates, JPETS clearance (if applicable)
3. Visa processing: 5–10 working days
4. Enter Japan within 3 months of the CoE issue date (not the visa issue date — the CoE expiry controls your entry window)

On arrival at Japan's major airports (Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, etc.), your Zairyu Card (residence card) is issued at the port of entry. This card is your proof of legal residence status in Japan — keep it with you at all times.

The Japan Specified Skilled Worker Visa Guide includes printable document checklists for each country, the exact JPETS Panel Clinic listing process, and an employer coordination checklist so nothing gets missed between your documents and theirs.

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